A/N- Heeeeeeeey!! Rainy here! (xRainyx). This is for a summer fic-exchange for Sunshine! This goes out to ya! Anyways, if you don't remember, Sunshine had a talkshow a while ago. Well, this is how it all came to be.
The lady behind the office desk raised her eyebrow at the girl in front of her. "So let me get this straight. You want us to lease you the empty studio to start your own talk show? The sixteen year old dark haired girl in front of her smiled a confident smile.
"Well, yeah. That's what I had in mind." She said. Skeptical, the woman kept asking questions.
"Where are you getting all this money?" She pestered. The teenager rolled her eyes and slammed her hand on the contract and check which lay neatly between them.
"Listen, I have my reasons. Besides, what's it to you? All you people care about is the money anyways! Let's make this simple, okay? I give you the money, you give me the lot. Are we clear?" The woman scoffed as if she had been offended.
"Fine." She muttered, reaching into her desk for a few sheets of paperwork. She threw a release form in front of the girl. "Sign on the dotted line." She said plainly, handing the girl a pen. In little cursive letters, she signed it "Sunshine."
A few days later, Sunshine stood in the middle of the bare studio, looking around it wistfully. Next to her stood the interior designer she had hired. Mrs. Hoft was a small lady with a good eye for décor when it came to attracting others. After taking a good look at the place, Sunshine turned to Mrs. Hoft.
"I was thinking hot pink carpeting on the stage with black and white stripes painted on the walls." She said, fantasizing at the stage. Mrs. Hoft nodded, scribbling something on her clipboard. Sunshine continued. "Where my guests sit, the chairs will be black with white polka-dots, made of fur of course. Oh! Maybe there should be a black skull on the wall, studded with pink rhinestones. Yes, that's it." Sunshine smiled. After Mrs. Hoft took note of everything, she observes the blank area just as Sunshine had.
"I was thinking that the stairs up to the stage could be pink carpeted, but the stage itself could be black and white tiled." She recommended. Sunshine shrugged.
"Whatever, you're the designer here." She cracked a smile as she finalized the plans. The painters would come in the very next day, the day after that, a technician to install a flat screen TV. Then the other things would be added in, such as the chairs for the audience and lighting and such. All Sunshine had to do for the next few days was sit back and watch it all happen.
"Are you for real, Sunshine? Amy gaped. "They actually let you have your own studio?" Sunshine was back at camp now, hanging out with Amy, Sarah, and Rainy in the pavilion after the lunch rush had just about left. Sunshine smiled, taking a look at her nails.
"You'd be surprised at how good my negotiating skills are." She said. Rainy leaned forward on the table.
"How did you get the money?" She asked, in complete denial. Sunshine shrugged.
"Apollo provides, I guess." She answered reluctantly. After a flurry of more questions, Sarah found herself in a fit of giggles. Instinctively, everyone turned their heads to her and looked at her as if she had three heads. Once Sarah had calmed down, she flashed one of her Hermes looks like she had a point to prove.
"Guys, seriously, think about it." She smiled, as if trying to hold back more giggles. "Sunshine… a talk show host? I can't picture it!"
Amy shrugged. "I don't know, I can see it." She commented. Rainy nodded in agreement as Sunshine bounced out of her seat.
"Where are you off to?" Rainy asked.
"I have places to be!" Sunshine shouted back, running out of sight and leaving her friends in confusion.
-
Apparently, these "places to be" consisted of the main part of her show; the guests. She had made plans to bring on people like Barack Obama, Patti Blagojevich, and Oprah Winfrey, but she ran into a few problems. Barack Obama was kind of busy being all president-like, Patti Blagojevich was out of the country, (Not to mention her husband was in jail) and Oprah had her own talk show to worry about. In other words, famous people were definitely a negative.
Then there were the locally famous people, Percy, Annabeth, Luke, Grover, Thalia and Nico. That could work. Sunshine thought as she walked through camp. Yes, that would work very nicely.
One Week Later…
"And you're telling me that you're kidnapping us to make us sit on a stage in front of cameras and answer uncomfortable questions?" Percy asked from the back of the truck in which Sunshine had confined him, the rest of his friends, and Luke in. Sunshine, who was sitting comfortably in the front, stared at her newly manicured nails.
"Yeah, pretty much. Got a problem with that?" She said. Nico opened his mouth to protest, but Thalia kicked him in the shin.
"Ouch." He groaned as Sunshine giggled in the front. "You'll have fun, I promise!"
"I'm not too sure about that." Luke grumbled.
Once they arrived at the studio, everything looked perfect. The Camera crew had been setting up all day in front of the newly decorated stage. The place held about a hundred people, which was a small number, but Sunshine knew they would have a lot more viewers at camp.
The show would run on the mainstream demigod channel (called Dgod411) after the demigod news, so hopefully that would attract viewers.
"Are you saying we have to wear makeup?" Thalia grimaced as the group was shuffled into hair and makeup.
"Of course! Did you seriously think I would let you go up there with that face?" Sunshine commented. Thalia gave her a death stare as Sunshine digressed. "I mean, if you don't wear any makeup, then you don't get to appear on the show.
"What a loss." Luke mumbled under his breath as one of the dwarf helpers (credit to Amy) pulled out a tuxedo and handed it to Luke. "Oh no." Luke began to argue with the dwarf. "I'm not wearing that."
Sunshine looked over as most of her guests squinted his or her eyes at the makeup, or complained about the clothing. The only person who didn't seem to have a problem was Annabeth. Knowing her, Sunshine knew Annabeth must've suspected she would do something like this. Typical Annabeth. After everyone had begun to get ready, the stage manager opened the door.
"House is open!" He shouted, and then slammed the door shut. Yes, the time has come. Sunshine thought, then clapped her hands so that everyone looked up at her.
"Okay, guys! A few rules before you go out!" She said as everyone turned to her, most of them slightly frustrated, which only made Sunshine's smile grow wider.
"Of course." Percy said from his blue striped casual button up shirt. Sunshine ignored his comment.
"Rule one- I ask the question, you answer. Got it.?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "Good. Rule two, you have to act cheesy and smile."
"What if we don't?" Nico asked, sporting a new brown formal shirt that he had untucked so it fell over his waist and unbuttoned the sleeves so they hung over his hands. Sunshine blinked.
"Then it comes out of your paycheck." She answered.
"We're getting paid?" Grover whispered to Annabeth who shrugged in response. Sunshine caught this.
"Hey! No talking when I'm talking!" She said. Annabeth held up her hands defensively.
"Wasn't me." She said.
Once everyone had gotten dressed and ready, Sunshine became very anxious to get out on that stage. From the wings, she could hear people clapping. She also heard a few screamers. Screamers she recognized as her fellow camp members. Looking back at her miserable guests, she got the cue from the stage manager to go on out. Nodding her head, Sunshine walked out onto the light-drowned stage.
Sunshine couldn't see much between her and the blaring lights, but what she could see was the tops of heads.
As her guests took their seats, the excitement boiled up inside Sunshine. It was finally happening, she was finally getting her fair chance at fame.