My new large project! More info after, enjoy!

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Percy shoved his hands just a little farther into his sweatshirt pockets as a shiver racked his spine. He was really starting to regret not bringing the jacket his mom had recommended. Nestling up in the corner of the doorway, between the glass pane and the slight lip of the brick wall, Percy tried to hide from the wind chill. 7:30 was far too early for orientation. In fact, if he wasn't so desperate for this job he would have seriously considered just looking for another job. Clearly anyone who could schedule an appointment like this had to be heartless.

Pulling out his phone, he stared at the screen through the slight fog of his breath.

7:02

Great. Only 28 minutes left to go.

He had spent the past night at his mom's, partially because she wanted to give him some advice to actually keep this job, and partially just because he missed her. Moving out had made him miss her more than he thought he would.

Unfortunately, his mom had gotten a call early that morning that owner of the candy shop she worked at wanted to meet with her, mentioning a promotion. Which meant that she wouldn't be able to drive Percy to work like she had promised, so he could either walk there on his own, or be dropped off early. He had opted for the later, hence finding himself waiting around in the crack of dawn for orientation from some cruel person who would subject him to this.

Mentally, he made a note to never get picked up by his mom again, he refused to lose access to his car. There was no way he would suffer this ungodly fate again. He also made a note never to visit Canada. Any place this cold couldn't be that great.

Sliding down the wall, he got settled in the corner as he pulled his knees up to his chest and shivered in the breeze. It was slowly getting warmer, but his breath was still visible in the fall morning. A yawn escaped his lips as he pulled his hood more over his head. Shifting his weight to get a little more comfortable in his cranny, he let his eyes slide shut.

He wasn't exactly used to waking up this early. He figured he wouldn't pass out, but resting up just a bit before orientation would probably be a good thing. He needed all the energy he could get, especially considering he wasn't the best at learning new things quickly and he desperately wanted to make a good impression.

He would just close his eyes for a moment, that was it.

What Percy hadn't expected to happen, was to feel something nudging his foot. Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see a pair of shockingly gorgeous gray eyes and curly blonde hair staring back at him with an amused smirk.

"You drool when you sleep." Was all she said before she stood up again.

Quickly wiping away the drool on his face, mentally dying on the inside Percy quickly scrambled to his feet. "Uh- sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep. I'm just waiting for..."

"Orientation, right? I take it you're Percy Jackson, the new guy?" The voice asked, the amused tone still in her voice. "I'm surprised you could sleep in this weather." She offered, stepping back.

Percy ducked his head, hoping the rosy color in his cheeks looked like wind chill versus the blush that was currently dominating him.

Of course the person training him had to not only wake him up, but also be almost criminally attractive.

"It's early." He muttered. "I haven't gotten up this early... ever."

The blonde just laughed, her laugh sounding like wind chimes to Percy. Utterly unfair. She held out one of the two cups she held in her hand. "Here's a peace offering for calling you out so early. I don't know what kind of coffee you like so I got you hot chocolate. I hope that's okay." She said, her voice trailing off slightly at the end in a hint of worry.

Taking the cup gratefully, Percy took a sip.

"Wait! It's a li-" She winced as she saw Percy flinch. "A little hot..." She finished.

Ignoring the scorching pain and increasing numbness in his mouth Percy smiled. "Thank you... uh..."

The girl's eyes widened as she realized she hadn't introduced herself. Offering her hand, she smiled a bit sheepishly. "Annabeth Chase. I'm one of the two managers here."

Percy shook her hand, impressed with her firm grip. He quirked an eyebrow. "Manager?" He muttered a bit subconsciously.

A challenging smirk crossed Annabeth's face. "Is that a problem?"

Quickly shaking his head Percy raised his hands in a show of peace. "I'm just impressed. I think we're the same age, and you're already a manager."

"I've been here for years." She replied with a slight shrug, though Percy saw the proud grin she was trying to suppress. Looking him over for a minute, she tilted her head slightly. "22?"

"23." Percy replied.

"Same here." She offered, before a shiver wracked her spine. "Let's get inside. I'm not like you, I don't enjoy sleeping in the cold. I prefer the nice heater we have."

She fished out a set of keys as she unlocked the door, holding it open for him.

Quickly ducking into the cafe, Percy looked around curiously. He had only been in there twice before. Both times swarming with customers. Once to drop off his resume, once for an interview with a girl named "Reyna."

The cafe was pretty simple, but elegant. Most of the outside walls were glass planes, and various booths littered the walls. A spread of tables dotted the floor, all with the chairs upside down on them. The far back wall had the three registers, and the wall of various prepackaged coffee beans. One side of the counter was a massive display case that usually contained various pastries and other food. Behind the display Percy could see what looked like a kitchen window, and the echoes of some sort of kitchen beyond it.

The color scheme was a earthy green and black, very sleek and pleasant. Not too fancy, but also nice enough.

Subconsciously taking another sip as he looked around, Percy winced as he burned the roof of his mouth again. Right. Lava was in his cup.

"It looks completely different in the morning without all the people here. Much cleaner and organized, I wouldn't get too used to it though." Annabeth offered as she unwrapped her scarf and moved behind the counter. "You coming? Or are you deciding what to order." She teased.

Percy had jumped at her voice, momentarily forgotten she was there. Luckily he hadn't squeezed too hard because he really didn't want to spill burning coffee all over himself on his first day. He had made enough of an impression already.

He followed her a bit nervously towards the back, starting to feel some nerves set in.

Annabeth lead him to a small room off to the side of the back. Inside was a table, some lockers, a sink, and a fridge. It was small, but organized well. It felt bigger than it was, much like the front of the shop.

"This is the break room. Your locker is the top right one. You can bring a lock if you like, but we all trust each other here. Nothing's gone missing yet. Well, aside from some food from the fridge. I'd put your name on that." She offered, a light-hearted smile on her face.

Annabeth quickly deposited her bag into her locker.

Quickly pulling off his hoodie, Percy bunched it up and put in the back of his locker. When he freed his head, he could have sworn he saw Annabeth's eyes staring at him for a moment, but a heart beat later and she was looking down at a phone so he figured he was imagining it.

He dumped his keys in the locker as well before he closed it, turning around to find Annabeth leaning against the table.

"I heard good things about you from Reyna. I'm sure you know this, but she's the other manager. Also the only person aside from the owner who has been here longer than me. A bit of advice, I'd try to stay on her good side. She's a nice person, but she takes her job seriously and will do what it takes to keep this place as successful as it has been. You do good work, and you'll be treated well." Annabeth offered with a friendly smile.

Nodding, Percy made a mental note of that.

"But... I read that this is your 5th job this year?" Annabeth asked, raising an eyebrow with a relatively neutral expression.

Percy's head drooped again. Great. Lifting it, he looked back at her with a sheepish grin as she scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I have... bad luck. Trouble has a way of finding me, or so I hear. I promise you I will work hard." He said a bit too earnestly. He needed this job. He couldn't go home to his mom with bad news again.

Annabeth studied him for a moment carefully. "I believe you." She said after a moment. She nodded to herself, as if satisfied with the answer to another unspoken question. "We'll just have to keep you out of trouble then." Pulling out a bag from another locker, she tossed it at him. "You said you were a medium, right? Put that on and meet me in the front. There's a bathroom over the-" Her voice trailed off.

Percy raised an eyebrow, in the middle of shimmying the new shirt on, his old one discarded onto the table. Realizing he probably should have just stripped his shirt off in front of his new manager, he quickly pulled it down. "Sorry! I'm sorry. I just wanted to be quick..."

"It's" Annabeth's coughed once. "It's okay. I just wouldn't do that around Hazel." She offered, turning and walking away quickly.

Percy could have sworn her cheeks had looked a little pink. He paused for a moment to drop his head against the lockers with a soft thud. He had known his manager for all of 10 minutes and he had already screwed up so many times. If he made it through the day it would be a miracle.

Quickly following his new manager out, he saw her starting to flip the chairs back down so he joined her.

"Normally you most likely won't be opening, but it's easier to teach you the ropes before everyone gets here. Easier to answer questions, the like. Speaking of which, please ask questions. I'd rather answer your question, than clean up your mess." Annabeth explained, a smirk on her face.

Percy nodded, setting down another chair. "So... Reyna mentioned I was a waiter?" He asked, a bit confused. Most cafe's didn't have waiters of this size.

Nodding, Annabeth motioned for him to follow as she moved back behind the counter.

"You'll be a waiter/cashier. We usually get pretty busy during the days, so when things are hectic we'll have you be a runner. We also may have you be a cashier if it's slower or we need the extra hands at the registers."

Percy nodded, a clearly a bit nervous. Handling money was a scary prospect for him. He saw Annabeth purse her lips for a moment before she scooted over and gestured. "Here, it's not that bad. I'll teach you the ropes."

About ten minutes later, Percy had managed to successfully enter three orders. Annabeth beamed next to him, clasping a hand on his back. "Good job. You'll get the hang of it in no time, and we won't leave you stranded while you learn. I'll be here if you get stuck or have questions." She promised.

Grinning in return, Percy turned to face the blonde. "You're a really good teacher. I'm not sure many other people could have taught me that."

Annabeth just scoffed. "Give yourself more credit. You're smarter than you think."

Before Percy could reply, there was a knock on the door. Instantly his heart sank to his stomach. He wasn't ready for the day yet.

Sensing his distress apparently, Annabeth just laughed. "Don't worry. It's just Leo and Hazel. One of our chefs, and one of our bakers respectively. They have to get here early to prep for the day." She explained, moving over to open the doors and let them in.

They had both been in the middle of some conversation when they froze and saw him.

"Hey there new guy! I'm Leo. Don't worry, I'll take you under my wing." The Latino boy said happily as he walked in, offering a big grin and a wave.

The younger girl walked up closer, offering a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you, my name is Hazel. You're the new waiter, right?" She asked, with a slight tilt to her head.

Nodding, he highfived Leo who seemed to be holding out for him, before turning to Hazel. "Yeah. My name's Percy. Nice to meet you."

Hazel just nodded. "By the way, what's your favorite pastry?" She asked, a slight glint in her eye.

Percy was caught off guard, but thought for a moment. "Probably those bear claws. The ones with the apple in them?"

Hazel nodded, still beaming. "I love those too! That's good to know." She said, a slight wink before she headed towards the backroom with Leo.

Annabeth just grinned. "Don't worry, you'll love them. Leo's a bit crazy but he's a good cook. Hazel is also a bit young, but our best baker. Her treats are to die for. If she offers you one, never say no." Annabeth said with a laugh.

Percy nodded. "Right.

Reaching under the counter, Annabeth handed Percy a half apron. "Here, this will be useful. Today will be just you and Jason. But it's also our slowest day of the week so we shouldn't have too much traffic. Speaking of which..." She trailed off as she moved to let two more people into the shop.

A blonde boy and a girl with a feather in her hair both entered the shop.

"Oh! You must be the new boy. I heard Reyna talking about you. I'm piper, pleased to meet you." She said, offering a handshake. Immediately she walked over to one of the espresso machines and started making something.

"Piper, we're not supposed to make ourselves drinks." Annabeth warned half-heartedly.

"Don't worry, I'm making you one too. Besides, you owe me this, calling me in early and everything." She said.

Annabeth just rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. Seeing Percy's amused, and slightly confused expression the manager decided to explain. "We've been friends since high school. That's why she doesn't show me any respect. She's also the primary cashier usually, and works the espresso machines."

"When she's working, our job is pretty easy. She's quick and customers love her so our lines are shorter." The boy offered. Offering a firm handshake he continued. "Jason. I think I've seen you around campus. Swim team, right?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Percy nodded. "Yeah. You... soccer, right?"

Jason nodded as well. "Yeah."

Annabeth clicked her tongue. "Swim team." She muttered to herself, as if she had answered a question that had been plaguing her.

Piper walked over, and whispered something that had Annabeth's cheeks turn red and had her swat her best friend's shoulder. "I could have you fired for that."

"Nah." Was Piper's only response.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, taking the drink offered. "No respect. Don't pick up those habits from her Percy." She warned, half teasing.

A grin crept on Percy's face. It seemed like this place would be pretty fun. Which was a relief, considering he planned on sticking with this job as long as fate would let him.

"Anyone else coming in today?" Jason asked as he returned from the break room, tying his own half apron around his waist.

Annabeth thought for a moment. "I think Reyna wanted to drop by at some point and check in on how Percy's doing. Frank has mid shift, he'll be by later. Aside from that, other than the evening crew, it's just us."

Still standing there a bit awkward, Percy perked up as he smelled something amazing starting to come from the back room.

"That'll be Hazel's magic. She's a magician in the oven, I swear." Jason offered, sniffing the air himself.

Laughing slightly, Percy felt his nerves ease ever so slightly.

"We're opening up in thirty." Annabeth announced, returning from her office with a clipboard. "Percy, come with me. We have some more paperwork for you to do. Jason, take care of front prep please? Piper help him out." Annabeth instructed as she moved Percy back towards the break room.

They all offered some form of acknowledgment as Percy saw begin some well rehearsed routine.

About twenty five minutes of tedious paperwork later, Annabeth finally straightened the stack on the table before she put it away. Offering him a sympathetic smile, she cocked her hip. "That's done with finally. Now you can legally work here and all that. And..." She checked her watch. "Just in time."

Leading him back out, Percy was surprised by the different atmosphere in the cafe. There was the subtle smell of a mix of baking and food from the back kitchen area that made the place more inviting. Coffee was boiling from the front, and all the tables had been wiped down and looked ready to go. Jason was sweeping a bit, and Piper was filling out some log near the registers.

"Here we go." Annabeth said, glancing over at Percy.

Apparently the sense of dread and fear that washed over him was visible as he felt Annabeth rest a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's going to be okay. Jason will have your back today, and we're all here if you need help. You'll do fine, don't worry. I'll cut you some slack today." She said a playful tone masking a genuine promise.

Percy felt his nerves calm down to a dull throb and nodded. He could do this. He wouldn't screw this job up like the others. Too much was riding on it, and he was honestly looking forward to working with everyone.

Moving to the front, Annabeth offered him one last friendly grin before she flipped the close sign to open.

"We're open now. Good luck everyone."

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Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I'm planning on turning this into a massive, long running story. I'm still forming the major beats of the story, and fleshing out all the details of this AU. This chapter is also a bit shorter than I want the rest to be. I was just super eager to get this first chapter posted, and it's also sort of checking interest. Please, drop a review at least for this chapter if you are interested. It really helps me stay motivated, and I will continue this either way, but it's reassuring to hear if anyone is interested in this. I think it will be fun, full of fluff, antics, and some mild drama!

This will also be cross posted on my Tumblr of the same name, Dyde21. I'm more likely to answer questions you may have over there, if you have anyway. I also have more of my Percabeth fics posted there as well.

Either way, thank you very much for reading! I hope you all have a wonderful week.