Disclaimer: WE DO NOT OWN PJO OR ANY CHARACTERS
Chapter 1: This eye pun could not be any cornea.
"Can I have a tall Pumpkin Spice Latte with extra whip?" she said, popping the "p". The girl across the cash register wore Ugg boots, black leggings, and a Vineyard Vines sweatshirt. It was impossible for her to look anymore basic.
"Yup," I said, mimicking the way she pronounced whip. "That'll be $4.63."
Oblivious to the fact that I had just made fun of her, she handed me exact change, tossed her hair, and strutted away. I tried not to gag. When she was finally out of my line of sight, I had a clear view of Percy. Or at least that's what he said to write on his Grande, Iced, Sugar-Free, Vanilla Latte With Almond Milk. Not that I memorized that the first time he ordered or, for that matter, cared. He was running his hands through his perfectly messy black hair in frustration. His green eyes were fixated on his Calculus textbook and his brow furrowed in concentration. I wonder if he needs help. I was excellent in Calculus and could always-
"Earth to Annabeth," Leo said, waving his hand in front of my face. "I think you meant to be checking out the hottest guy in this Starbuck's." He pointed both of his thumbs at himself and winked. I pushed his face with more force than the scrawny boy could handle. "Hey! Watch the apron!" I rolled my eyes.
"You can't fool me," he said, wagging his pointer finger in my face. "I saw you blushing."
"Shut up. I wasn't blushing," I said, my blush deepening.
"Then what would you call the blood rushing to your cheeks?"
"Maybe I'm reddening out of anger because you're so fucking annoying," I sneered.
"Watch your profanity! Besides, I try very hard to be annoying; don't insult my ability to annoy."
I just rolled my eyes again and turned to the cash register.
"You should go talk to him, even though he's not as good looking as I am."
"Obviously," I sarcastically commented.
All of a sudden, Percy shot out of his chair. He slapped his hands down on his textbook grunting in frustration. In his fury, he grabbed his ballpoint pen and blindly chucked it straight at my eye. The blistering pain radiated through my eye as if it was stabbed with a sword.
"AHHH!" I screamed as I pressed the palm of my hand to my eye. "What the hell?!"
"Omigod! I'm so sorry!" Percy apologized, waving his hands frantically.
"Well, that's one way to get his attention," Leo commented, smirking unhelpfully.
"Fuck you!" I shouted.
"Now, now Annabeth, what did I tell you about swearing in the workplace?" Leo lectured.
"Does it hurt? Do you need a doctor?" Percy asked, running his hands through his hair nervously. It did little to tame his permanent bed head.
"No shit, Sherlock," I managed through the searing pain.
"I'll take you," Leo decided.
"No, no, NO!" I protested.
"Well, that was a quick response," Leo mumbled.
"Just get me some ice," I commanded. Leo walked away humming "Ice Ice Baby" to himself. "I swear to all the gods that I will strangle him once this is over."
"What should I do then?" Percy interjected.
"When Leo comes back with the ice, you'll take me to the hospital," I said. "You have a car right, Percy?"
"Yeah, it's a Prius," Percy responded.
"I don't fucking care what car brand it is. As long as it has wheels and can get us to the hospital," I snapped.
Leo waltzed in with the ice, now singing a horribly off-key rendition of "Ice Ice Baby". "Here's your ice ice baby," he said.
I snatched the bag from him and pressed it to my eye. The throbbing pain eased to a subdued pulse. I looked up with my one good eye to see Percy's confused face.
"How do you know my name?" he questioned, his head cocked to the side like a confused puppy.
"That's irrelevant," I said, walking out from behind the counter. "Now take me to the goddamn hospital!" I grabbed Percy's wrist and started dragging him towards the exit. I chose to ignore the way his fingers brushed against my wrist.
"No detours, you two," Leo called to us as we walked out the door. I flipped him off just as the door shut and Percy and I stepped onto the busy sidewalk. The street had that distinct city smell: gasoline, street food, and a hint of metal.
"To the Prius!" I said, still dragging him by the wrist.
He pulled me back a little bit, pointed in the opposite direction, and said, "Ummm… it's that way." In the New York sunlight, it was easy for me to see that he was wearing black jeans and a blue sweatshirt with the words "Goode High School Diving" in white, block letters. He had an athletic build and was a few inches taller than me, so much so, that he hit his head getting into the Prius. "Agh. That really hurt," he whined, rubbing his forehead.
I rolled my eyes. "Well, cry me a river," I said sarcastically. Percy at least had the decency to look embarrassed. I decided embarrassed was a good look for him.
"Why are you smiling?" Percy asked.
"Heta- pueh- heteka-," I stuttered, "I'm not smiling, Seaweed Brain!"
"Oh my mistake," he said unconvincingly, starting the car. "It must be the damage to my prefrontal cortex."
"Actually, you would have had to hit your frontal lobe to cause a hallucination of the magnitude of me smiling."
"Well sorry, Wise Girl. I guess I didn't pay attention in tenth-grade biology," he teased.
"I resent that! Tenth-grade biology is very important. Especially when you've been hit in the fucking eye with a pen and need to go to the goddam hospital."
"Oh! Right!" Percy said, quirking his lips into a sideways smile. Despite my efforts, I found myself smiling back.
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