Hello, readers! I just had this thought occur to me from nowhere and I decided to write it. I hope you enjoy this little one-shot! Please leave a review, it will mean a lot to me :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson nor Heroes of Olympus. All rights belong to Rick Riordan.
Jason sighed, flipping to the next page of the book he was reading. He sipped his coffee and smiled a little. After a tiring day at work, this was a perfect way to relax. He was so stressed lately, and this bookshop was his go-to place almost everyday.
He suddenly heard a woman's voice talking loudly. Jason tried to block out the noise and continue reading, but the voice only grew louder. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Don't get angry, he told himself, This is your relaxation time.
"I know, but what should I get? Her birthday's tomorrow!" the woman exclaimed. "I'm in the bookshop right now, but I don't know what book!"
Jason stood up, not being able to handle the noise much longer. He wasn't usually hot-tempered, but he had a bad day at work, and he just really wanted some quiet relaxation time. The woman was not letting him get it.
He walked over to the woman and tapped her shoulder. The woman shrieked rather loudly and spun to look at him.
"Hold on, okay?" she said to her phone, irritated. She brought her phone down from her ear and covered the microphone, looking pointedly at Jason. "That was extremely rude, just so you know. Can't you see I'm busy talking on the phone?"
Jason was shocked. Seriously? I'm the rude one? he thought. He furrowed his eyebrows in astonishment and anger. He wanted to yell at her, but that would accomplish nothing. He decided to stay calm and ask her politely, although she didn't deserve it. "Excuse me, but I just wanted to let you know how loud you are. If you wish to speak on your phone, I suggest you step outside and do it there. You are really disturbing the people here," he told her as calmly as he could.
The woman scoffed and looked around. "Is there a sign that says I'm not allowed to talk on my phone? Besides, it was rude of you to scare me like that."
"Forgive me for that," apologized Jason, trying to control his anger. "But please, I had a terrible day today. I would very much love it if you perhaps lower your voice."
The woman's eyebrows shot up and her eyes flicked over to Jason's left hand. She gasped and smiled, her face lighting up. "You have it!" she shouted in glee. Jason winced at her loud voice. Was she always this loud? He processed what she just said and lifted the book he was holding in his left hand. He blinked in confusion. The book he was reading was a novel about business and politics. He knew it wasn't right to judge, but he didn't think that the woman in front of him would want such a serious book. She certainly didn't seem like someone who would be interested in business and politics.
"That is exactly the book I'm looking for!" yelled the woman. Jason felt all the eyes of the bookshop's customers on them.
All he wanted was to go back to sipping his coffee and reading his book, so he handed the book over to her just to get it over with. The woman examined the book, although Jason didn't see any interest in her face or eyes, which was confusing. She smiled and he studied her. He didn't notice it at first because he was so angry, but the woman was breathtakingly beautiful. Her chestnut hair was in multiple messy braids, and she was dressed in a simple shirt, jeans, and sneakers. She seemed like she had zero makeup on, and she obviously put no effort into her hair or outfit. He smiled to himself, deciding that he liked that she didn't try so hard to look pretty, although she was very gorgeous without any effort. He shook his head immediately at the thought. Did he just think that this rude, loud, and obnoxious woman was beautiful?
"Which aisle did you find this in?" the woman inquired, nearly shouting in his ear which interupted Jason from his thoughts.
He looked at her eyes and his breath hitched. He didn't pay attention to her eyes before, but now that he stared at them... They were absolutely stunning. He couldn't decide what colour they were because the different colours were blending beautifully together. Her eyes danced under the light, a rainbow of colours shimmering in them.
"Hello?"
Jason blinked and cleared his throat, looking away from her eyes. What had come over him? It was like he was pulled into an enchantment by her eyes. "I'm sorry, can you repeat what you said?"
The woman rolled her eyes, forcing Jason to look at her kaleidoscopic eyes once more. He shook his head, stopping himself from staring at them again. "I said, which aisle did you find this book in?" she said, waving his book in front of him.
"Oh, aisle 9 I think. The second to the last shelf, almost to the right..." Jason trailed off, not quite remembering the specifics. "You know what? I'll show it to you," he said before he could think over his words and stop himself.
The woman raised an eyebrow and walked to aisle 9 without a word. He furrowed his eyebrows. Why did he choose to help her? Wasn't he irritated by her? All he wanted was to return to his table and continue relaxing, right? He just brushed it off and followed her. Once they reached the space, Jason bent over to search for the book. Now that he as looking at the shelf, he remembered exactly where the book was awhile ago. He stared at the books and didn't find the book she was looking for.
He turned to look at her. "I saw mine from that place, but it looks like there aren't any more copies of it. Although I'm certain we can check with the customer service and they can help us."
The woman arched an eyebrow and a playful smirk grew on her lips. "We? Us?"
Jason mentally cursed himself. "I meant you, of course."
She chuckled and shook her head, smirking. "Mhmm, sure you did."
Jason cracked a small smile at her chuckle. He took the book from her hands and headed over to his table, smiling to himself.
"Wait."
He stopped in his tracks and turned around. The woman smiled warmly at him, and Jason decided that there was nothing more beautiful than her smile. Except maybe her eyes. "I was rude," she called out to him. She started walking fast towards him. "And I understand that you had a horrible day, and I'm sorry."
A smile spread across Jason's face. "It's fine. Whoever you were talking to must be important."
"Oh, that was just Percy. I called him to ask what book I should get for my best friend, Annabeth. He told me to get The President's Corporation, which was your book. It sounds completely boring. It's not my cup of tea," replied the woman, wrinkling her nose at the name of the book.
"Well, frankly, I am enjoying the book so far," he said defensively.
The woman smirked. "I know. You look like one of those guys who would."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I think you're smart enough to know exactly what I mean."
Jason shook his head and continued over to his table. He settled onto his seat and took a sip of his coffee, returning to reading his book. He pushed his glasses up and smiled to himself again. He didn't know exactly why he was smiling, but for the first time in the past few days, he felt good and relaxed. He had no idea why though. The book was probably entertaining or the homey feeling of the bookshop finally calmed him. Whatever it was, he didn't want it to change.
He was able to read a few chapters of his book until the woman's voice flooded his ears again.
"Hey."
Jason looked up at her and grinned. "Hi again," he greeted back.
The woman shifted on her feet. "We, uh, have a slight issue."
Jason tilted his head, confused. "Oh? What is it?" He tried to read her face, but, unfortunately, he couldn't decipher her emotions.
"The dude over there said that... the book you're holding right now is the last copy they have. Annabeth's birthday is tomorrow and I-"
"No," Jason interrupted.
The woman paused, startled. "Excuse me?"
"I said no. You heard me."
"But-"
"I'm not giving my book to you," stated Jason as-a-matter-of-factly.
"Have you bought it?" asked the woman, her hands on her hips.
"Well, no."
"Then it doesn't belong to you," the woman pointed out.
"I got it first."
"But you haven't even bought it!"
"I'm planning to," countered Jason.
The woman sighed. "Please don't make me do this the hard way."
Jason raised an eyebrow. "You can try."
"Just when I thought you were actually a nice gentleman, you turn out to be a jerk like all the other guys," the woman grumbled bitterly.
"I am trying to be civilized here. I will not surrender the book that I got first just because you are desperate."
She huffed in anger and turned around, not letting Jason see her reaction to his statement. He returned to reading his book, not feeling anything. There was no stress, but there also was no happiness that he felt awhile ago. What had changed?
For some stupid reason that he couldn't figure out, he wasn't able to concentrate on his book. His mind kept wandering to the woman's enchanting, kaleidoscopic eyes. He kept thinking about her smile, and the way her colourful eyes lit up. He also thought about a rather more unpleasant memory: her look of disdain for him when he wouldn't give her the book. Jason sighed in defeat. He admitted that could not stop thinking about her. He got up from his chair and walked to the cashier, hoping that the woman was still there.
Jason couldn't stop his lips from curling into a smile when his eyes set on the woman leaning on a table and talking on the phone. She looked exasperated and Jason felt a little bad knowing that he probably caused it. He decided not to approach her first and instead, headed to the cashier, purchasing the book.
He walked sneakily behind the woman and shoved the bag the book was in in front of her, eliciting a slight gasp. She spun around and faced him. Her lips were pursed and her face was a little crestfallen but obviously very angry and annoyed. "Oh, so you finally bought the book just to piss me off, didn't you?"
Jason chuckled, earning a glare from the woman. "Actually, I bought it for you to give your friend, Annabeth."
The woman raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "How do I know that this is not a prank?"
"I guess you just have to trust me." He held the bag out to her. "Believe me, I bought it for you," he said sincerely.
She narrowed her eyes, but in a split second, they brightened. Her multicoloured eyes danced with delight. She squealed loudly and grabbed the bag from him, examining the book. She turned to him, her face showing genuine concern. "Did you get to finish it?"
Jason shook his head. "I'll borrow it from the library. No worries."
The woman gasped and threw her arms around him, an action Jason was not expecting. He awkwardly patted her on the back.
She pulled away, beaming. "Thank you so much!"
"No problem," he replied. "I'm Jason. Jason Grace." He held his hand out for her to shake, and she shook it.
"My name's Piper."
"Piper..?
She suddenly looked sheepish and looked away. "McLean."
Jason nodded in understanding and smiled at her. "I understand. However, I am not going to judge you by your father's fame and social standing, and I hope you do the same for me."
"Your father is the head of Olympia Inc., isn't he?" Piper asked knowingly.
"Yes," he breathed out.
Piper smiled gently at him and reached out to touch his shoulder. "I don't care who our fathers are. I just like it that we met each other through our own and not through a social or something like that."
Jason returned her smile. "You're glad we met?"
She chuckled. "Of course. If we didn't-" she held up the book he gave to her "-I wouldn't have gotten this to give to my best friend."
He looked at the ground. Come on, Jason. What's wrong with you? He shook his head and looked at her eyes again. "Would you like to get some food right now?"
Piper raised an eyebrow. "Depends. What kind of food?"
"It's your choice."
"Are you asking me out on a date?"
Jason swallowed. He couldn't say anything, so he just nodded without thinking. Then he shook his head, blinking rapidly. "Wait- what? I mean, only if you'd like to."
Piper laughed. "I'd love to."
After meeting Piper, Jason's days were much more enjoyable. He was still exhausted every time he finished work, but Piper would help him unwind. During those tiring days at work, Jason never thought love would come into his life. But love is a complicated thing. And even though it's complex, you can find it in the simplest places and the simplest times, like a regular coffee break in a simple bookshop.