Annabeth P.O.V

I wished I could have thrown myself back into renovating Nereus Cottage but I was distracted by other things. Percy's life was in danger and there I was, safe and sound in Montauk with nothing to do but pick out paint shades.
The summer had started with such high hopes. Percy and I finally admitted our feelings for each other and decided to act on them. I hadn't been sure of what would happen when we met up at The Lotus Hotel, but I asked a married friend of mine to pick up diaphragms for me and show me how to use them.

A/N Birth control had become available to women by the 1920s but the implication was that it would only be used by married women looking to avoid having more children than they could afford. Sexually liberated flappers could get past this by asking their married friends to pick up birth control for them or by donning a fake wedding ring during trips to birth control clinics.

I had been in love with Percy since I was twelve, so having my first time be with him felt like the right thing to do.
Percy had rented a room from the night at the Lotus Hotel. After cocktails and dancing at the Ogygia, he lead me there.
"Sure you're not afraid to be seen with someone like me?" He asked me.
"You're not as tough as you think you are, Seaweed Brain," I answered, standing on the tips of my toes to kiss him.
"I'm a dangerous man, Annabeth. Every guy in the Titans wants to kill me"
"Do you think I give a damn about the Titans?"
"The guys and I are leaving on another rum run tomorrow night."
"Be careful, you how I'm scared to death whenever you go off on a job."
"I'll be back by the end of the weekend; I'll call you to let you know I'm safe."
"I'm spending the weekend in Montauk with my parents. Call me at their house there."
"What would your parents think of me calling you?"
"They don't have to know, just like they don't have to know I was here tonight."
Percy picked me up and carried me over the threshold old of the hotel room. Back on my feet, I reached up to stroke his cheek.
"Be careful," I whispered to him, "I'm scared of losing you."
"I'm scared of losing me too," Percy quipped.
"I'm serious. I've set my mind on having a future with you, Seaweed Brain. I don't know what I'd do with myself if something were to happen to you."
We sat down on the bed and Percy took my hands in his.
"Nothing's going to happen to me. Hell, its self couldn't keep me from coming back to you."
He put an arm around me; I rested my head on his shoulder.
"You said, you wanted a future with me. What does that future include?"
"Just stay alive, Percy, and I'll figure it out from there."
"Sounds like a deal."
I kissed him harder and threw my arms around his neck; he pulled me close by my waist and kissed me back. Percy lightly pushed me onto the bed, so that he was on top of me, and undid the buttons on my dress and the hooks of my underwear. We lay naked next to each other, blushing with shyness.

What followed was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

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Now that Percy and I were finally together, I naively thought that everything would be perfect. But since then, I've learned that sometimes things can be too good to be true. Just when you think your life is perfect, that's usually when things turn on you.

Because I had nothing better to do, I decided to visit an antique store in Montauk that I had heard about to buy furniture for Nereus Cottage. The name of the shop was Medea's Antiques. Its front room was filled with shelves of knickknacks and curios ranging from porcelain ballerinas to petrified dinosaur eggs.
"Good afternoon, Miss," purred an elegant, silver-haired older woman with a vaguely European accent who stood behind the counter, "Can I help you?"
"Yes," I replied, "I'm looking for furniture."
"Oh yes, my dear. Come this way, if you please."
She lead me through a beaded curtain behind the counter and into a vast showroom filled with furniture: imposing and ornate sofas and armchairs with elaborate carvings and jewel-toned velvet brocade upholstery from the previous century, more modern desks and cabinets in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles, even a massive confection of a rococo bed which looked like something Marie Antoinette would have slept in.
"Looking for anything in particular, Miss?" Medea asked me.
"Some simple things," I replied, "For a seaside cottage."
"Then I have just the thing!"
She showed me a set of wicker furniture which included a sofa, an armchair and ottoman, a rocking chair, and a chest.

"A hope chest for the beautiful young lady," Medea continued, "I was once young, beautiful, and full of hope."
Medea had a fine, delicate, and regal bone structure. I could imagine that she was once very beautiful.
"Might I ask where your accent is from?" I replied.
"From Georgia, the one in Eastern Europe, not the one in the southern part of this country. I moved here in '21 after the Soviets took over."

A/N The home of the mythical Medea, Colchis, is in modern-day Georgia. In 1930, Georgia was part of the Soviet Union.

I was then showed a darling pair of basket chairs, a white painted curio cabinet with a bunch of different levels, an old nightstand painted with rosebuds and bows, a mint green, black, and pale yellow Art Deco dining table with four chairs, and a lovely brass frame bed.

"Is this bed big enough for two people?" I asked Medea.
"Oh, now I see where you are here," she exclaimed, "Miss is feathering a love nest. I could tell you had the look of a woman in love when you walked in."
I blushed.
"Enjoy it while it lasts because it won't last forever."
"What do you mean?"
"I had a man who I loved more than anything in this world. When our sons died from a fever, he blamed me for not taking care of them properly and eventually he left me for a younger woman. But I got my revenge in the end."
I didn't know how to respond to this bit of personal information, so I told her that I would take everything she'd shown me.

We then returned to the front part of the store where I paid for my purchases. Medea told me that the furniture would be delivered within the week. She handed me a card which read "Medea Colchis."
While I was away, the necessary repairs to Nereus Cottage had been completed. Its interiors had been painted white on the first floor, with mint colored trim around the windows and doorways, and pale green on the second floor.

A new cast-iron Art Nouveau fireplace had been installed.

So far, my renovations were coming along great but my enthusiasm for the project had waned, mostly because I was worried about Percy. Here I was, shopping for antiques while the man I loved could face a gangland execution at any moment.

Rachel P.O.V

When I returned from my lunch break, I found a letter from Columbia on my desk. I was hanging up my cornflower colored cloche hat and peach colored coat with a print of light blue roses on the hat/coat rack when I noticed it.

My heart skipped a beat, then began to pound like it was trying to burst out of my rib cage.
I tore open the envelope and slid out the letter inside. It had the university's heading and read "Dear Miss Dare, it is our pleasure to inform you that you have been accepted into our arts program..."
It took all my willpower not to start screaming for joy. I smoothed my crocheted frock, then went over and knocked on the door of Apollo's office; I wanted him to be the first to hear the good news.
"Yes Rachel," he asked with a smile after opening the door.
I blushed and kept my eyes down; I'd felt awkward around him at work ever since that party. You could say we were a couple now but I didn't want my coworkers to know about. I didn't want to be known as the girl who only got anywhere because she'd screwed the boss.
"I got a letter from Columbia..." I began.
"For the love of the gods, Rachel. Don't keep me in suspense."
"Well, I got in. I'll start their art program in the fall."
Apollo leaned over to whisper to me.
"That's my girl. I knew you would." He then playfully nibbled on my earlobe. I couldn't help but giggle because it tickled.
The phone began to ring, which meant that I had to go answer it.
"Dinner at Scylla and Charybdis on Friday to celebrate?" Apollo asked before I walked out the door of his office.
"Sounds perfect," I answered.
He swept over to kiss me before I left.

Back at my desk, I found Octavian smirking at me.
"What's that you've got there?" He asked me, referring to my acceptance letter.
"None of your business!" I shouted at him.
"I'm the Sun's top reporter, everything's my business."
Octavian snatched the letter out of my hands and read it over as I tried to take it back while shouting "you son of a bitch."
"I saw you smooch the boss before you left his office."
I snatched the letter back from him.
"So what if you did? Like this letter, it's none of your business."
"I bet he's the only reason you got into Columbia. You open your legs for him; he pulls some strings for you."

A/N My response to what Octavian just said.

I reached into my handbag and pulled out my blue hairbrush which I threw at Octavian, hitting him in the head.
To this day, Octavian Auger has never bothered me again.

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