So I saw this in one of my documents that I've had for over a year. I tried to make a full oneshot out of it, but I guess leaving it at this is fine.
I don't know but I might make a part 2.
If you've seen from the summary, you'll know that this is a Coffee Shop-cafe- AU. All characters recognizable belongs to Rick Riordan, but the story plot and Rod are mine.
ENJOY!
Today is Friday, and Percy comes in to take his morning shift.
He walks over to the counter to give a encouraging high-five to the person who took the overnight shift, and waits until they got their stuff and went home for the rest of the day. He takes their apron that they left him and slips it on. This was his normal everyday morning schedule at eight o'clock for weekdays.
He would make and take orders- from kids that want anything that has to do with fresh fruit and chocolate, teenagers that come from across their school lunch break, college students with coffee breaks. Along with the middle aged, their main menu was always the bitter Americano, and to the elderly- a nice, hot sweet beverage.
The cafe wasn't the busiest place around in Manhattan. It was always peaceful, with just the right amount of customers to keep Percy busy and spare him some lazy time at the same time.
Sometimes it would overflow of customers. But somehow- it kept it's peaceful quiet. Maybe it was because of the good, mysterious, never-heard-of-that types of music. It would keep the people quiet as they listen to it, trying to figure it out. Mostly, the elderly would close their eyes and nod in appreciation.
Percy always selected good music, around from the 1960s to the 1980s, maybe. Or sometimes it was some unknown jazz that he had once listened to somewhere the other day. It was all planned out on Percy's head. You would never know what song would be coming up next, or what playlist he chose today.
He would work like that, enjoying himself and his customers until the giant clock on the wall would strike two in the evening. He would hand over the job to the next person as he would always give them a pat on the back or a squeeze on the shoulder, and start off to finish his day.
He did this everyday on the weekdays. Every, single, weekday, in the same pattern.
Percy Jackson could say that this was getting a little boring- just until this particular girl changed his mind completely.
She was tall and really gorgeous, pretty. She also had intimidating lips that were pretty. She wouldn't smile, though- maybe from college projects? She totally looked about his age. He guessed maybe the work was pressing deep down on her, like the bags under her eyes.
He guessed that she would order something really bitter to press down her fatigue.
But no. Unlike her serious and gorgeous face, her order was funny.
One tall chocolate milkshake, with crushed oreos on top, whipped cream on the bottom. Plus, a caramel drizzle- on the whipped cream. In the bottom of the cup.
Who the heck puts whipped cream on the bottom? He thought, hoping his expression wasn't weird as he typed it down.
But if the girl wanted it- she would have it.
She didn't take the vibrating alarm along like the others did. But instead, she sat at a nearby table with a laptop bag dangling from her shoulders and opened up her phone.
Percy ignored everything and got to work on her order. He took a tall transparent smoothie cup from the racks. He whipped some cream on it, drizzled with caramel. He blended in the chocolate shake and carefully spilt it into the tall cup once he was done, and topped it off with crushed oreos.
He chuckled to himself as he made this- it was just so childlike for a very serious face. Even Rod- the Korean American guy that took the same shift and had heck of a sassy attitude- had laughed along when he had seen Percy's creation and heard the order.
Well, the order was done and ready to be delivered. Percy called her number that he told her instead of the vibrator. She came over and took it, thanked him and changed her seat to the nearby windows, and got herself comfortable on the single sofas.
And her idea of getting comfortable was basically this-
First, she takes off one of her sneakers and tug her sneaker-less leg to her lap. The other one, still dangling with a shoe was swinging back and forth- as if she were to stay long.
Second, pull hair up in a messy ponytail. Percy thought she was going for a bun, until she pulled the knot of hair from the tie.
Third, she would set up her computer. She rubbed her hands after she pressed the button for the power- as if waiting for it to load.
Last but not least, she took out her glasses from her front pocket of the computer bag. She popped it on and started typing away, the funny drink left on the tray to be forgotten.
Percy didn't really notice he had been staring, but boy, when he locked eyes with the elderly in front, with the expression of disappointment on her face- he snapped back into reality. He smiled apologetically.
"I'm terribly sorry, ma'am, but may I take your lovely order?" He tried for a grin like the lovely 'gentleman' he was. Or thought he was, at least.
That charmed the old lady, smiling upon him like he was her own grandson.
When Percy was done, he stared back at the girl with the funny drink.
He didn't know why.
Maybe it was her luscious blond hair that cured in the ponytail on her shoulders, or was it that lipstick? Or was it her creamy vanilla skin that sparkled in the sunlight? He started to wonder what that blonde's drink tasted like. Whipped cream on the bottom was the strangest thing he had taken, and he would have to save the receipt later- to see for himself.
An hour had past, and Percy had taken a dozen more orders. Half to go, half inside. But the blonde still hadn't left. She had taken maybe two or three sips, but that was it. After that, she would type along as if nothing happened. He wondered if the shake would still taste okay, or if the whipped cream on the bottom was having a poor time getting crushed by the weight of chocolate milkshake.
Maybe about a half hour later, she closed her laptop and let out a small groan, throwing her head back for a while in her loveseat. She took her glasses off of her eyes and placed them on the table, and put her hands to her drink. Percy could tell there would be a lot of water drops on it. And yes- there were. She took the napkin from the tray and started to wipe the outside of her cup, along with her wet hands.
Finally what seemed like hours- she placed her red lips on the straw and started to drink. She let out moans of satisfaction and admired the taste.
The chocolate smoothie started to sink into the cup until there was only whipped cream and caramel, all over the crushed oreos that couldn't get through the straw, and a small amount of chocolate shake.
She then suddenly put on her sneaker and got up. But she didn't take the tray with her, or her glasses, nor her laptop. She walked right to the counter where Percy. She studied his face for a moment before he caught a slight flutter of her lips.
"What?" Percy blurted. He didn't mean to, but he lost it because he was distracted by some part of her face.
"A spoon, please."
It was her eyes. They were a really ugly shade of stormy gray- like whitish-blackish at the same time. It was one of the million shades of color that kind of freaks you out on eye colors.
"Uh," Percy reached over to the sink and pulled out a silver spoon. He turned back around to meet her astonishing eyes again, and he couldn't help but wince. "Here." He said, handing it over the counter. She took it and said thank you, like before, and went back to her seat.
"Yo Percy," Rod called from behind, holding a dish and a rag. "I need some- what are you staring at?"
"The girl that ordered the whipped cream on the bottom." Percy said, tracing circles on the counter with his finger.
"The chocolate shake?"
"Yeah."
"Show me."
Percy pointed to where she was sitting, right beside the windows, the sunlight beating down on her.
"Woah," Rod said as he put down his plate and leaned more forward to get a better look at this girl. "Wow. She's hot."
Percy gave Rod a look. "Hot is not a word you'd use for her," Rod shrugged. "She's beautiful. But her eyes are super mesmerizing. They're scary. I saw them real up close."
"But yeah, she's pretty."
Percy raised an eyebrow at Rod. "Don't you have a girlfriend? What happened to Megan?"
He shook his head."Didn't work out. Why would I need a girlfriend when I am sexy, free and single? I don't need no girlfriend to mingle with- Now can you tell me- where's the butter?"
"In the fridge, genius."
"But I just checked-"
Percy just waved him off as he watched her starting to mix up the remains of chocolate shake, whipped caramel colored cream and oreos. Percy thought it looked delicious- he figured kids would love this kind of idea. Maybe he could have it as a special if it was okay with Rachel.
The girl half smiled- for the first time, and it was nice to see. She looked even prettier when she looked a slight bit carefree. She scraped the last of her drink, popped it in her mouth and started cleaning up her things- putting her laptop in her bag, zipping it up and straightening her sweatshirt. She got up with the tray in her hands, the cup balanced on it- and walked over to set it on the counter where Percy was.
He was glad she hadn't brought it up to the station- it was easier for him if the customers brought it to the counter.
He was also glad that there weren't any customers to bother them with overflowing orders, because he had gotten a chance to talk to her.
"Thank you," she quietly said, wiping the corners of her mouth with her thumb.
"How was your drink?" Percy asked her, like he ways did out of habit when people brought their empty cups up to him. But this time- he meant it. He really wanted to actually hear what she had to say. "Stress pressing down on you lately?"
"Yummy, and yeah," she said, reaching for a napkin on the dispenser placed on the counter. "I have a bunch of projects that needs to be done by Monday. It's just torture."
"Oh yeah, I get you. I had about five projects that all had to be done at the same date in one week. It nearly killed me."
She smiles a little, and Percy felt the scenery around her instantly brighten. "My drink was strange for you, huh? I always get a look from people when I order this every time."
"Does my face look that bad?" He asked, rubbing his cheek and pretending to take a look on a glass, like a mirror.
She sort of laughed, and it was enough to enlighten Percy's mood. But her face turned all sad again before he could take a second glance. "Not really. You're not bad."
"Not sure if that's supposed to be a compliment," Percy said, a little confused, a little boosted of self confidence at the same time.
"It's up to you," she shrugged. "Better you not be clueless."
"Well, Ms. whipped-cream-on-the-bottom," Percy winked and picked up a towel and a wet glass. "What should be your name?"
Her hands stopped from wiping the last of her desired shake from her thumb. He thought he had just made a huge mistake, and he was terribly afraid that she would suddenly pull out a knife from one of the pockets of her bag.
Instead, she just shrugged. "Annabeth."Annabeth's face was unreadable until she suddenly snapped up and said, "Wait, so do you remember the order?"
"Nope," He said, waving his hands. "I think I'll have to check again in order to impress this gorgeous girl in front of me."
The corners of her lips almost tugged into a smile. "Well, you better remember it, uh," She took a glance at his plastic name tag and tapped on it from across. "Percy. Because this, will be my usual every time I come here."
"Of course," He grinned. "See you later, Annabeth."
With that, she walked away and through the space that she seemed to make it look like a runway. He watched as her curly ponytail bounced behind her as she pushed through the doors, making the spring breeze blow in a whiff of the scent of flowers- only to last for a second before the coffee killed it away. The bells on the doors chimed, and she was out.
She left Percy excited, his hands tingling to make another chocolate shake with whipped cream on the bottom.