Serpentine, Fictional-Thoughts
She/Her
I Crashed Into Your Life, Literally
Where Estelle is Percy's cute little matchmaker
Content warning: Mentions of knives near the end

It was a crisp morning in Manhattan when Percy Jackson and his young half-sister Estelle Blofis were walking in the New York streets. Estelle wrapped her tiny fingers around Percy's index finger as they walked around and admired the city's scenery. Estelle's bright blue eyes were blown wide as she took in the bustling streets, unique people, and towering skyscrapers.

Percy looked down at Estelle with a glowing smile on his face. "Isn't New York just absolutely breathtaking?"

"Yeah!" Estelle jumped excitedly. "Look at all of these shops. And towers. And castles!"

Percy laughed. "These aren't castles, Stella. They're skyscrapers."

"Sky-scwapers." Estelle rolled the word on her tongue. The word felt strange. "When can we go to a castle? And when can I meet a pwincess?!"

"Soon, Stella, soon," Percy smiled.

The pair reached a crosswalk and waited for the light to turn into a bright white figure of a walking person. They crossed the street and reached the other side of the street safely.

Percy checked his watch and his green eyes widened. "Oh, look at the time! Stella, it's time to head home now."

"But I didn't meet a pwincess yet," Estelle whined.

Percy looked at her apologetically. "I know, but maybe next time-"

"AURORA, LOOK OUT!" Estelle suddenly screamed.

Percy stopped mid-sentence in shock and turned around to see what she was screaming at. A young, blonde woman was crossing the street in a rush and a bright yellow cab was racing toward her at an alarming rate, seeming out of control.

Everything seemed to slow down as Estelle let go of Percy's hand and ran as fast as she could toward the woman on her short legs.

"Stella, no, stop!" Percy yelled, chasing after.

It seemed to be too late as the cab drew closer and closer and Estelle jumped onto the street to try to reach the woman. The woman seemed confused at Estelle's appearance until Estelle pointed in the direction that the cab was coming from. The woman's eyes widened.

"NO!"

The cab was only a second away from hitting the woman and Estelle.

Percy sprinted onto the sidewalk, grabbed the woman's waist tightly, picked up Estelle, and jumped out of the way just in time for the cab to speed past them and crash into a midnight black car with great force. Percy thanked the gods that he didn't turn into a Percy-pancake just then.

Even though Percy jumped away in time, his back crashed into the concrete sidewalk and he let out a painful groan. That would leave a nasty bruise he'll have to deal with later.

The blonde woman he had just saved still seemed to be in shock but snapped out of it when she blinked once.

She turned towards Percy and that was when Percy realized the reason why Estelle called this woman Aurora. She had curly, honey-blonde hair that cascaded down her shoulders in ringlets and a beautiful facial complexion that made her look like a princess. She was wearing a dark gray blouse with a black business jacket, along with a dark-colored pencil skirt. What really struck out were her stormy gray eyes which seemed to be full of intelligence and wisdom. Her eyes were still shining bright in surprise.

The woman opened her mouth to say something but closed it again seeming hesitant. Regaining her composure and straightening her jacket, she looked Percy right in the eye and said,

"Thank you, really. I can't even describe how I would feel if all of my effort and accomplishments were simply wasted because of a car accident. I'm Annabeth, Annabeth Chase."

Annabeth held out her hand and Percy shook it firmly.

"I'm Percy, Percy Jackson."

Annabeth nodded and a smile overcame her face. Percy would never admit but he thought she looked beautiful when she smiled.

"And I'm Estelle, but you can call me Stella!" Estelle grinned up at Annabeth.

Percy snapped out of his trance realizing he completely forgot about his sister.

Annabeth crouched down to be at Estelle's eye level and shook her small hand.

"Hello, Estelle." Annabeth looked at her adoringly. Her voice is so pretty, too.

Estelle suddenly hugged Annabeth and she went frozen with shock. Annabeth slowly lifted her arms to wrap her arms around Estelle's tiny frame. She closed her eyes and smiled.

"I've always wanted to hug a pretty princess!" Estelle exclaimed. Annabeth's cheeks turned rosy at the compliment. "Can we play together sometime?"

Annabeth's eyes met Percy's for a moment and then turned back to Estelle's blue ones.

"I would love to play with you, Estelle, but I have a lot of princess work to do and I don't think I'll have the time. I'm sorry." Annabeth's gray eyes glittered.

Estelle looked sad but nodded in understanding. "Okay, Princess Annabeth."

Annabeth smiled and stood back up to talk to Percy.

"How can I ever repay you for saving my life?" she asked, her eyes staring deeply into his soul.

Percy shook his head. "No, you don't need to do anything. I'm just glad Stella was able to meet a princess since she wanted to meet one for such a long time. You just made her day and I sincerely appreciate it."

Annabeth looked down, trying to hide her blush. "She's really sweet, and I wish I could meet her again... It's just my crazy schedule and my boss who's been pushing me to my limits. I'm really sorry I can't meet her again." Annabeth looked at Percy with such sad eyes Percy tried to stop staring.

"No, no, it's okay. I think she's perfectly entertained with the dolls she has at home. Thank you again for going along with her whole 'princess' thing."

"Of course. I guess this is it... I'll see you later, maybe?" Annabeth let out a nervous laugh.

"Yeah," Percy smiled, rubbing his neck. "Come on, Stella. It's time to go home."

"Okay, Percy. Bye Princess Annabeth!" Estelle waved at her with her "princess hands."

Annabeth waved back, turned away, and blended back into the crowd on the bustling streets of New York. Percy wished he could say he hadn't kept standing in the same spot for the next minute staring longingly after her.

"She's a really pretty princess," Estelle mumbled. "Percy?" she tugged at Percy's arm. "Wasn't she so pretty?"

"Yeah..."

"Do you like her?"

Percy's face must have resembled a tomato. "No, of course not, let's just go home. Mom's waiting."

-

The minute the siblings got home, Estelle rushed to Sally. "MOM! I MET A PRINCESS!"

Sally embraced her daughter and looked at her with love filled in her eyes. "Wow, really? What was she like?"

Estelle excitedly explained, "She had gold hair and pretty gray eyes, and she was so nice! Even Percy said she was pretty. And I got to hug her too!"

Percy glared at his sister from behind Sally's back, but Estelle kept grinning.

A beautiful smile blossomed on Sally's face, and she said with care, "I'm so glad you had such a great time, honey. Do you want to go play with your princesses in your room while I talk with your brother?"

Estelle nodded and pranced over to her room, every footstep echoing through the hallway. When Percy and Sally heard the Bang! of a door closing, Sally immediately started her interrogation of Percy.

"What does Stella mean by she met a princess?"

Percy's hand immediately moved up to rub the back of his neck, a nervous habit that gave him away easily. "Um... we met a young woman who needed help and I guess she looked like a princess to Estelle... and then the young woman thanked us and walked away, nothing special."

"And what, exactly, did you help her with?" Sally looked at Percy sternly, as if she already knew that he had risked his life to help others, again.

Percy cleared his throat. "I, uh... well a car was heading straight toward her and Stella ran onto the streets to try to help, and then I chased her and pulled them both off to the sidewalk. That's it." Percy winced like he knew his mother was going to start scolding him.

Sally sighed. "Percy, I know it was much more serious than that. I need you to understand that I care about you and I don't want you to get hurt. I love that you care deeply about wanting to help others but sometimes it can put you into dangerous situations. Just, be careful, okay, honey?"

Percy nodded. "Yeah, okay Mom."

"Okay." Sally looked relieved. Then her lips changed to form a smirk. "So, who's the girl Estelle was talking was talking about who you thought was 'very pretty'?"

"Mom!"

-

"Grover, I can't get her out of my mind, I don't know why."

"Maybe it's because you fancy her."

"No, duh!"

A little over a week later, Percy and his best friend Grover were sitting at a popular café called Calypso's after they got back from work. Calypso's was owned by a girl named Calypso who used to date Percy back in high school, but now they were just good friends. Calypso's had a homey, calm vibe that attracted customers like a moth to a flame. The wooden walls and floorboards, dimly lit fairy lights, and delicious scents of blueberry muffins and other baked goods made this place glow with warmth.

Percy and Grover were in a far corner of the room. Percy was eating a custom-made blueberry muffin that had blue food coloring which let out an irresistible smell that customers would die for. Grover was drinking a mug of chamomile tea as the steam from the liquid rose in calm, fluorescent wavy patterns.

Every once in a while, Grover's laugh that sounded like a goat's bleat got a few weird stares from the surrounding people. Percy couldn't help but burst out laughing every time.

They were back to discussing Percy's love life.

"Perce, did you at least get her number or contact information or something?"

"No."

"Well, you're an idiot. You're never 'gonna find her unless fate somehow draws you in together."

"Gods, Grover, you're such a love expert," Percy rolled his eyes.

"Why thank you, I try," Grover replied, grinning.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Percy started, "I guess I should just forget about her. I probably won't meet her again anyways."

Grover shrugged, taking a sip of his tea. "Your choice. Maybe you'll actually meet her again somewhere."

As if Grover was some miracle God, the doorbell to the café chimed and a familiar young woman walked in, shivering from the cold outside. She let out a breath of relief as she embraced the warmth of the room and took in her surroundings. She looked around with a small smile until she stopped and stared at a corner where a man with raven-black hair was conversating with another man who seemed to be his friend.

The black-haired man was turned around so she couldn't see his face. It's probably not him, she thought miserably.

Suddenly, the man's friend pointed in her direction and the black-haired man turned around. Green met gray and time seemed to slow down as they stared at each other in shock.

Annabeth whispered, "Percy."

-

The booth in the corner of Calypso's was now seating three as two of them locked eyes and the other just sat there awkward and bored.

Grover announced, "I'm here, you know.

Percy and Annabeth snapped out of their chance and looked away, blushing. Grover huffed and took a sip of his chamomile.

"So..." Percy started.

"So..." Annabeth hesitated.

"My gods just kiss each other already," Grover muttered.

Percy just smacked his head and Grover winced and pouted. Percy's face would've won the most-likely-to-be-a-tomato award.

Annabeth laughed, and Percy stared at her in awe. He had never heard her laugh before, and it sounded like twinking bells. Okay, that was cringy even for him.

Annabeth cleared her throat, blushing madly. "Anyways, Percy, would you like to exchange numbers?"

"Yes, yes," Percy eagerly fished out his phone out of his pocket. They exchanged contacts and sat in silence.

Percy broke the tension. "Annabeth, you mentioned you have work to do last time we met. What do you do?"

Annabeth's eyes sparkled. "I'm an architect and I work at Athena, Inc. You know, one of the largest architectural firms in the world and a branch of Olympus, Corp.," Annabeth spoke with pride.

Percy couldn't hide his amazement. "Olympus, Corp.? Isn't that company one of the two largest businesses in the world?"

"Yes," Annabeth smiled. "The other is Titans, Corp. The two are so competitive, I have to work very hard to keep my job. My mo-, er, my boss, is always wanting our company to be better than the architectural firm owned by Titans, so she's very strict and gives a lot of work to us employees. You know, that's why I couldn't agree to meet Estelle again." She had a very faraway look in her eyes and Percy noticed she was probably thinking about something personal, so he didn't ask anything else about her work.

"Hey, it's all right you can't meet Estelle. I think she understands," Percy persuaded.

"Yeah, okay," Annabeth replied, unconvinced. "Anyways, what do you do?"

"I work at the harbor master's office. My coworkers are very fun to be around and I enjoy the job." Percy didn't dare say anything about how it relates to his connection to his father.

Annabeth looked at him eagerly. "That's really cool! I've never met anyone who's done that. The people I've met always have those boring office jobs, but your job is actually cool. What do you do?"

Percy happily explained all about his job and his adventures while Annabeth laughed and smiled at the appropriate times. She also made witty comments that Percy enjoyed dearly. They completely forgot about Grover who was literally about to fall asleep from absolute boredom. Without Percy and Annabeth realizing it, Grover left a note on a napkin and walked out of the café and into the streets that were glowing with the auburn sunset.

Percy and Annabeth kept talking until the café was closing, and Calypso came personally to wish them a good evening and escorted them out. Walking outside, under the glistening city lights and yellow streetlamps, Percy shared another one of his stupid jokes and Annabeth tried to hide her small giggle. They eventually reached Percy's car and parted ways, both of them satisfied with how the evening went.

-

Percy and Estelle were playing with Estelle's princess dolls when Estelle suddenly said, "Percy, is Annabeth your girlfriend?"

Percy looked at her and tried to hide his blush. "No, and who even taught you what a 'girlfriend' is?"

"Gwover."

Percy cursed his best friend for telling Estelle. Damn it.

"Stella, Annabeth is just my friend."

"But you saved Annabeth just like a prince would, and Annabeth's a princess, so it would be just like a happy ending!"

Stella, why do you have to make things harder for me?

"Stella, Annabeth and I are happy just being friends. We are already living in a happy ending. Annabeth's doing lots of fun princess work, and I have you and Mom."

"But-"

"No but's, Stella. Come on, let's comb Princess Aurora's hair."

-

Percy and Annabeth have been good friends for months, and a lot has happened. Annabeth was able to make time to visit the Jackson/Blofis house (despite her boss' insistence on staying at the workplace longer) and Sally absolutely adored her. Estelle was so happy Princess Annabeth came to play with her that she always begs to have Annabeth stay for longer when she needs to leave. Percy and Annabeth's relationship has been growing, and everything couldn't have gone better.

But that was short-lived.

Annabeth's job seemed to be making her depressed as the months flew by. Everyone was concerned about her but she put on a smile and said, No, everything is wonderful.

But Percy knew deep down that it was a lie. He felt terrible that he wasn't able to do anything to help her.

One evening, Percy invited Annabeth to go to a hill with him that was far away from the city. They hiked up to the top and sat next to each other in front of an old oak tree. They could see the glowing skyscrapers in the distance, and twinkling stars were starting to appear since they were far away from the city.

"It's beautiful," Annabeth whispered, her voice carrying with the wind. The leaves of the oak tree rustled with her words.

"Yeah," Percy replied, turning to look at her. She seemed to be in awe at the scenery that lay before her. Annabeth's eyes were bright as ever, standing out in contrast to the dull gray a few hours earlier.

"Do you ever wish that you could escape the world, sometimes? Like, forget about all your worries and live in an alternate universe where everything is peaceful?" Annabeth asked, her voice holding an edge.

Percy knew this had something to do with her job. He wasn't oblivious. That's why he brought her here this evening in the first place, to help relieve some of her stress.

"Yeah," he replied, wishing things will get better for her.

Percy decided he couldn't stay silent anymore.

"Are you alright, Annabeth? I know you haven't been feeling well recently. Please be honest."

Annabeth snapped out of her trance suddenly and looked down slightly. A few minutes passed before she spoke.

"Not really, I guess," she mumbled. "It's just work. It's gotten so much more stressful than a few months ago now that Titan, Corp. is becoming much more successful. My boss has started yelling at me, and she started saying things like how I'm so useless and how I don't even deserve to live in this world and it really hurts because-"

She swallowed, tears starting to spill from her eyes.

"Because she's my mother."

Percy sat there in shock. He couldn't believe Annabeth's boss has been her mother this whole time and how badly she has treated her. His mom has never spoken to him that way and it was wrong for any mother to say something so harsh to anyone.

"Hey, hey, look at me." Percy lightly touched her chin to raise her head.

Annabeth looked at him with red, puffy eyes. Percy thought she had never looked more beautiful.

"You are not useless, and you do deserve to live in this world because you are a goddess, okay? You are always so kind to others, you're smart, funny, witty, enjoyable, and absolutely beautiful. You light up when you talk about architecture and you always make sure to help anyone if they're struggling. Your mother is wrong. If she ever says something like that again I will go knock some sense into her because you are such a gift to this world, and this world wouldn't be the same without you, Annabeth," Percy said softly.

They had never had such an emotional conversation before and the suspense was deafening.

The pair didn't realize how close they were sitting. Annabeth decided she couldn't wait any longer as she cupped her hands around his face and kissed him.

Percy went rigid but then relaxed his body as he kissed her back. It was slow and the lights in the distance winked right back at them.

When they pulled away from each other, Percy couldn't help but say, "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that."

Annabeth giggled. "Same here."

They kissed again, and the navy sky sparkled with a thousand diamonds.

-

Things after that had gotten much better. With the newfound courage given by Percy, Annabeth was able to stand up to her boss and demand proper treatment. Her boss looked shocked and angry at first but reluctantly agreed after realizing it was wrong to take out her stress on her daughter.

Percy and Annabeth's relationship was going very well. The minute they announced that they were dating to Grover, he just rolled his eyes saying, "Weren't you already?"

Grover was usually a quiet person but for some reason, he had this sassy side of him that would only show when Percy was around.

Estelle and Sally were over the moon with excitement about the new couple. Estelle was loving how their relationship was a "happy ending" and Sally was glad Percy finally found someone after years of waiting.

"Just don't forget to use protection," Sally winked at him.

Percy put his head in his hands as he groaned, "Mom."

-

Percy felt a sense of déjà vu when once again, it was another morning when he and Estelle were taking a walk in the busy downtown streets of Manhattan.

"Sky-scwapers." Estelle pointed above them.

"Yeah," Percy smiled. The tall buildings reflected the rays of the morning sun, casting a vibrant yellow glow on the bustling streets below.

Walking back to their apartment, they passed a dark alley and Percy heard voices. He tried to ignore it but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was very wrong.

Worried, Percy told Estelle, "Stay here."

Percy slowly crept into the shadows and flinched when he heard a rough yell and a following sob. He kept on moving forward, setting aside his feelings of fear and replacing them with determination.

When Percy turned a corner, the scene made him stop with shock. Anger overcame him.

A gang of burly men were surrounding someone with glinting silver knives. They looked terrifying with beady black eyes, teeth like fangs, and muscles bulging like they could easily throw an elephant across the room.

"Stop, please."

Percy heard a voice in the center of the pack of men, and he couldn't shake off the feeling it was someone he knew.

The leader of the gang crept even closer to whoever was in the center, twirling his wicked blade around with his rough, tattooed hands. His buddies grinned with malice.

Percy crept closer, wanting to save whoever was in the center. These guys were not going to get away with trying to hurt someone. He found a small gap between one guy's head and the wall so he could peek at who the victim was.

When he saw who the gang was tormenting, his blood froze. A chill ran down his spine, threatening to make him pass out.

A familiar pair of gray eyes stared back at him, and they were clouded with fear.