'Lo,
This is my first Percabeth fic! Yay!
I don't know if you have La Senza in America - If you don't, just pretend you do while you read this. (It's a lingerie shop if you didn't know.)
I'm not a boy and I feel awkward in there, I can relate to Percy in this story.
I don't own Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan does.
Enjoy...
"Annabeth, I don't think we should go in."
"Kelp face, don't be such a child!" Annabeth said her hands on her hips.
Annabeth wore a pair of denim shorts that stopped just above her knee and an orange Camp Half-Blood tee shirt. On her feet she had a pair of black plimsolls and, as usual, her clay-beaded necklace hung around her neck, complete with her dad's collage ring and the red coral pendant from Percy.
Percy was also wearing his Camp Half-Blood tee shirt, along with that green and blue patterned board shorts. He wore a pair of plimsolls and his own leather necklace, too. Talk about matching outfits.
"I'm not. Just don't make me go in there." Percy gestured to the shop in front of them – La Senza.
The mighty Son of Poseidon, Slayer of the Lord Titan Kronos and Defender of Olympus was putting up a fight and completely resisting Annabeth's wishes to go inside that certain shop – Just looking in the window of that shop made Percy want to run away as fast as he could. Pale mannequins modeled underwear and nightdresses, acting as a backdrop there was a photo of three women posing while in very little clothes.
Annabeth sighed and ran a hand through her thick blonde curls. As soon as her hand left her hair it all fell back into her face but she left it. Her grey eyes threatening she turned to Percy again. "You're creating a scene – people are looking."
Sure enough, when Percy looked around him and Annabeth as people passed they were casting curious glances at the stubborn boy-child and his girlfriend. "But Annabeth," He whined. "We shouldn't go in there. I don't like it."
"Percy," Annabeth fixed her boyfriend with a Look – The kind of Look that deserves a capital letter. "I want to get some new pyjamas and I… I need a new bra." She said the last bit a bit quieter than all the rest and blushed a tad, although that didn't make her any less frightening.
Finally Percy gave in and walked into the shop, his head held high nevertheless. However, as soon as his girlfriend followed him in and started looking through a rack of bras, the marble floor seemed extremely interesting.
The whole day they had been going in and out shops never really buying anything and just enjoying one another's company but in here things were different. Percy didn't say a word unless Annabeth asked him something.
"I'm going to go and make sure this fits," Annabeth said. "Just wait here, okay?"
Annabeth walked into the changing rooms with a simple white bra with a black lace trim and Percy did just as he was asked, he waited outside. Percy stood against the wall with his hands in his pockets and stared at his shoes.
Percy was attempting to push thoughts of what his beautiful girlfriend was doing behind one of the many curtains in the next room when a sales assistant walked over to him. The woman looked twenty something and had long sweeping hair the colour of fire and eyes of deep brown, she wore a black shirt with hot pink trim and jeans as did all the other employees in the shop. She smiled a big white smile. As she drew closer Percy could smell the distinctive smell of clean horses and he could have sworn he could smell something burning. "Hi, there," she said.
The fact she had about five pairs of frilly knickers in her hand ready to put on one of the shelves made Percy feel a bit awkward talking to her but she was almost as gorgeous as Annabeth and what was one more awkward thing right now? "Hello," Percy replied.
"You're not the only one. Five men, like you, have already been dragged in here today by various women," she laughed. "It's one of the best bits about my job – watching grumpy men get hauled around here."
Percy felt grateful she had called him a man. He was sixteen now and he had been through plenty but people still classed him as a boy and that annoyed Percy loads. The son of Poseidon stood up a bit straighter. "It's not one of the best bits of my job. As her girlfriend, that is," Percy said. The girl looked a bit put off at his mention of Annabeth but Percy was oblivious.
Emme – Percy had decided after some squinting at the woman's name tag – smiled again. Annabeth took that moment to emerge from the changing rooms.
"Percy, come- Oh," Annabeth stopped and looked to Emme. "Hello," Annabeth smiled but her eyes were cold as she looked at her.
"Hi," Emme said, voice sugary sweet.
"Pyjamas, let's go." Annabeth steered her boyfriend away and towards the nightwear section. Percy wanted to stay and talk to the pretty woman while Annabeth looked around but followed reluctantly.
Annabeth had been searching for a bit when she turned to Percy with two pairs of long pyjama trousers. She asked "spots or stripes?"
"Urrm, I like the stripy ones," Percy said and pointed to the pair with bright multi-coloured stripes on white.
"Okay. Let's go pay," Annabeth put the spotty trousers back on the rack and they walked to the counter.
For some reason, as Percy stood by Annabeth at the tills the smell of horses and fire came back. The woman behind the till had auburn hair like Emme and eyes the colour of ice. The woman scanned the tags on the pyjama trousers and the bra Annabeth had tried on an Annabeth paid. They were then turning to leave when the woman at the counter said, "thank you…. Annabeth Chase and of course, you, Percy Jackson."
Annabeth looked at Percy and the look in her eyes told him that he hadn't imagined the words that just came out of that woman's mouth. They both turned back. The woman behind the till's eyes burned red and her form flickered. All at once, her fiery red hair was literally that – fire. She had skin paler than the mannequins in the window and Percy could bet behind that counter instead of human legs she would have one donkey limb and the other a bronze replica. She bared her vampire-like fangs and Percy sighed, "not these again!"
"You will die this time the powerful empousa attack you!" She said.
"And we were having such a lovely conversation earlier. I may feel bad at first, then….. Not so much," said a familiar voice. Percy turned and behind him in empousa form was Emme – Em, how could he have been so stupid?!
All around people were screaming and fleeing from the store. They probably saw two poor women with their heads on fire or something. One woman ran straight past Percy and Annabeth in a frenzy to reach the doors, whacking Percy in the face with a flailing arm. Percy was bit stunned at first an he watched the woman run from the shop.
"There are more important things at hand, Plankton boy!" Annabeth reminded him.
"Oh, yeah, sorry," Percy replied.
Percy's hand dug around in his pocket and found his ball-point pen. He pulled it out and uncapped it; in its place Percy now gripped a bronze sword, Riptide.
"You take check-out empousa, I'll take Emme here," Percy said.
"Sounds good," agreed Annabeth. She drew her dagger and lunged at the monster.
Percy took this as his cue to attack and did so. He stabbed and sliced at the monster, Riptide also proved handy when trying to stop the burning knickers and bras thrown his way by the angry empousa. At one point he missed and a burning pair of tights landed on and began to melt onto his sword arm, it should have hurt immensely but the Achilles Curse masked the pain as he fought his way through the store after Emme.
Finally he had her cornered her and he held his sword against her throat, he plunged it in and the monster exploded into dust covering Percy from head to toe.
Annabeth sprinted over to him and screamed "RUN!" She grabbed his hand and they ran as fast as they could. Almost too late they tumbled through the door and attempted to put as much distance between them and La Senza. Percy still had no idea why they were running until the store exploded and was engulfed in flames.
"Set fire to the back room before I killed her….. All the gas pipes and stuff… Exploded!" Annabeth explained between deep breaths. "Percy, your arm!"
Now that Annabeth mentioned it Percy looked down at his arm. Melted tights stuck to the flesh on his arm but all Percy had to do was peel it all off, the skin was fine, nothing hurt. "Curse of Achilles," Percy reminded her. "Are you okay?" Percy took Annabeth's face in his hands and kissed her before scanning her body for any damage, there was none. Percy laughed as he saw Annabeth was still clutching her La Senza bag, she looked down and laughed too, a bit hysterically.
"I told you we shouldn't have gone in there," Percy said.
"Shut up, Seaweed Brain!"
~ The End ~
By the way, empousa seduce young men so they can kill them. Percy didn't really find the girl attractive, well he did, but it was magically induced. Percabeth is my one and only!
Thanks for reading... Review, maybe?!
