Disclaimer: I own Percy Jackson. PSYCHE!
The best moment of Percy Jackson's life was, without a doubt, 3 PM on February 25th of 2009.
The day itself wasn't that great; in fact, it had rained, drizzled, thunderstormed, and hailed before 3 PM. Plus his windshield had been chipped by a flying pebble and his neighbor's tree had fallen into his yard during the thunderstorm. But at 3 PM, something happen that not only changed his outlook on the day, but made his entire world a little brighter.
He got at email.
Dear Mr. Jackson:
We are pleased to inform you that you have been hired by Half-Blood Detective Agency. You will start your training with Ms. Annabeth Chase on Monday, March 2nd at 8 AM in the Hirst building (5835 3rd Street).
Best of luck,
Chiron Brunner
The sun shone though the windows, creating abstract patterns on the Hirst building's white tile floor the morning of March 2nd. A raven-haired young man with striking green eyes strolled through the building, casually glancing at the many people scurrying around like mice.
How are they so...I dunno...busy? Awake? Fast? he thought as a tall, blonde girl raced past him with an armful of papers. Thinking he might be late, Percy checked his watch. Nope. Eight o' clock, on the dot. He approached the desk where a middle aged man with a scruffy beard was lazily thumbing through a think book, despite the hectic atmosphere.
"Um, hi, sir, I'm Percy Jackson," Percy stated uncertainly. The older man looked up. "I'm supposed to start training with someone named Annabeth?" It came out more like a question.
"Ah. Right. This way, Mr. Jackson." He slid away from the large desk, leaving the book there, and lead Percy up a flight of stairs in the back the other man hadn't noticed when he came in.
"I'm Chiron, by the way. Chiron Brunner." Chiron introduced himself.
They walked up the rest of the stairs in silence, which Percy was perfectly fine with after the hectic buzz downstairs and the traffic noise from his transit to his new job. At the top of the stairs, there was a long corridor with doors placed seemingly at random.
"That's the skywalk to our evidence lab," Chiron gestured to a hallway with delicate looking glass walls. A bespeckled brown haired boy wearing a white lab coat sauntered from the opposite direction as Percy and Chiron, checked in with an ID card, and pushed the door open.
"Who's that?" Percy whispered with childlike curiosity.
"That's Malcolm. He's one of our best scientists," Chiron whispered back, inwardly smiling at Percy's innocence. Annabeth's sure to have a blast with him, Chiron thought.
"Oh," the green eyed boy smiled, satisfied with knowing the brunette's identity.
"He's also Annabeth's brother," Chiron continued. He glanced back at Percy, only to find him staring through the window to someone's office. Rolling his eyes with father-like affection, he jogged back to where Percy was standing, only to find that the raven haired man was watching Michael Yew shuffling papers at his desk.
"Percy?" Chiron called. No response. "Percy. Perseus."
Percy snapped back to reality. "What. Sorry. I'm here," he jumped slightly, then realized what he'd been doing. "Really sorry about that, Mr. Brunner," he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "ADHD."
"Not a problem. Now, come this way, please," Chiron instructed, continuing to the end of the corridor. "Annabeth's office is just in here." He pointed to a dark blue door on Percy's left. "She should...well, actually I'm not sure what exactly she'll do. But you're in good hands. Trust me." Chiron patted Percy on the back and started back down the corridor.
Percy gulped and stared at the door. Annabeth Chase, huh? What could she be like... Percy imagined opening the door and finding a gruesome three headed monster, but immediately dismissed the thought on account of extreme improbability. Annabeth could be some fifteen year old prodigy who skipped high school and went straight to college. Or she could be a fiftysome year old lady who reeked of cabbage and cat litter.
Just go in already, he told himself impatiently. Gulping again, Percy silently counted to three, turned the doorknob, and pulled...
It wouldn't open. He pulled again. And again. And again and again and again until he swore his bicep was visibly more toned. While he attempted to break into Annabeth's office, a voice on the other side was having a most peculiar conversation.
"Hey Lacy... I wanted some information on the progress Rome is making on the Festus case. Are you sure? They have not found a single piece of new evidence. Are you positive? Okay. Fine. I just don't want a repeat of the Krios case... I know we did, but I did want a bit more credit... So?! It's good for our image. Fine. Go back to your manicure. Or wha- WAIT!" The voice suddenly dropped to a hoarse whisper. "Lacy... I think someone's at my door... I didn't mean it like that and you know it! Oh my God, what do I do? 'Kay...okay, I got it."
A few seconds of silence later, the door suddenly burst open, revealing an attractive, blonde, youthful-looking woman brandishing a knife in Percy's face. Upon seeing Percy standing paralyzed in front of her, she held the knife to his throat and questioned demandingly, "Who are you and why were you trying to break into my office?!"
Percy stared at her bronze knife, then glanced back up at Annabeth. "I'm Percy...Jackson. You're s'posed to train me," he mumbled the last part while staring at Annabeth's storm cloud-colored eyes.
Annabeth put her knife away in the sheath in her belt. "Hm. That's right. Well then, Percy Jackson, come on in," she instructed him, but not without purposely putting a suspicious edge in her voice. Turning on her heel, the blonde turned the doorknob and pushed. "If nothing else, remember to push, not pull." She strutted through, with Percy at her heels.
A/N: I thought this was an okay place to stop. Then again, every English teacher I've ever had said I suck at endings. Whatever! Please review, any feedback makes me happy :).
-Elli