Percy's POV
"Is the homeless-looking guy Magnus?" I whispered to Annabeth as we walked towards the falafel cafe.
She had told me about him before, lecturing me about Norse gods for hours. "Don't forget Frey!" echoed throughout my mind. I hadn't thought about it before, but Norse gods actually existed? I'd had enough Egyptian, Greek and Roman gods, but now I have to deal with Norse? If there was a Norse version of Hera… just kill me already.
"Percy! He's been through a lot… Just cut him some slack!"
"Fine…" What could have been worse than almost dying hundreds of times, killing Gaea, and especially meeting Octavian. Nothing could be worse than meeting that psychopath. We strolled over, anxiousness and blue muffins swirling in my stomach, creating a grotesque concoction. Reminder: Do not eat muffins before meeting a child of Frey.
"Hey" Magnus's voice wavered in an awkward tone. His teeth looked unbrushed, shaggy hair fell on his face.
Why did I agree to this?
"Hi…" Annabeth and I replied in unison. I looked at my shoes, trying to avoid direct eye contact. Annabeth noticed this, and decided to take the lead. "Was it tough getting here? You know, because of Sam and Valhalla?" Her voice was shaky, yet just as confident as always.
Magnus sat back into a flimsy chair, getting comfortable in his green hoodie and worn out jeans. He brushed his blonde hair out of his face, revealing his piercing gray eyes, a shade lighter to Annabeth's.
"Nah, I just said I had more 'family business' to take care of. How 'bout you? Frederick must have had a hard time letting you go."
He seemed so calm and casual. It made me feel uncomfortable.
"My dad still doesn't trust you," sadness filling Annabeth's eyes. "But as long as I survive, he's 'okay' with it. Oh, and this is Percy, the one who I've been talking about."
Those were the words I had been dreading to hear. Your typical Minotaur didn't scare me, yet a weak demigod did. It took me a few seconds to realize I hadn't been responding. I just stood frozen, completely humiliated in front of Magnus. Dammit Percy, it's only another demigod.
I rubbed my sweaty, fidgety hands together, waiting for something to pop into my head.
"Hey… I'm Percy, Annabeth's boyfriend. I've heard a lot about you."
That was so stupid I chided to myself silently. He already knows who I am, and is revealing your significant other a first-conversation thing? Why am I so nervous? Am I doing this—
"Well," Magnus replied with a smirk crawling up his face. "Why don't we get some falafels?" He walked in the cafe, Annabeth following, a shallow chuckle came from her mouth. I reluctantly followed. How could this get any worse?
The cafe was smaller than I thought. Six tables were scattered throughout the room, one of them seated Annabeth and Magnus. The smell of freshly fried falafels filled my lungs. It was welcoming to my stomach. Hopefully these falafels don't chemically react with muffins like potassium chlorate and gummy bears. Is that how that works? I didn't really pay attention in chemistry class.
I shuffled to the seat next to Annabeth and grasped her hand, causing our knuckles to go white. A waiter came over to our table. He was wearing a red Polo reading "Falafel Cafe." His eyes were leafy green, a tad greener than mine.
"Welcome to the Falafel Cafe, where the crunchiest falafels are made. Make sure you don't get too falafull! What would you three like?"
"We'd—"
"We'd like three falafels each," Magnus interrupted. "No guacamole on the side for me. Nice pun by the way, I falafell for it!"
The waiter gave a warm smile. "I'll be right with you," he said half-laughing.
This was when I really started to get ticked off. First he interrupted me, then he made a horrific pun. Falafell? That doesn't even make any sense! My face was hot with annoyance, so I decided to ask Magnus something that I have been wondering.
"So, what's your story with gods and all?" I was genuinely curious even after what happened previously.
" Well, my crazy uncle Randolph introduced me to this madness. I tried to defeat the "Black One," some crazy demon guy, died, and went on a quest to save the world. How about you? Annabeth told me about all the crazy stuff you've done."
Pfft, I said under my breath.
I leaned my head on Annabeth's, whispering in her ear, "He died and he's sixteen. I killed the Minotaur when I was twelve. Pathetic."
She must have taken offense to this because immediately after, a sharp pain when up my shin from under the table.
What? It's completely true, I thought to myself.
"Yeah Percy, what's your life story?" Annabeth, clearly annoyed, said to me forcefully.
"Well, I was taken to Camp-Half Blood, went on multiple quests, and actually saved the world. Without me, you wouldn't even be here!"
That part was totally unnecessary, but it felt amazing to get it out there.
"So, how is your day?" Annabeth quickly directed to Magnus trying to change the topic. She glared at me. Shut up seaweed-brain!
"My day is going great." His brows were furrowed, trying to decipher what was going on between us. As Magnus was glancing intently at us, a weight was lifted off my chest when I heard our waiter walking towards us. This time he had blue eyes and a hazel coloration of his hair instead of dark, chocolate brown. I didn't realize this at the time, probably because the thought of Magnus had been clouding my brain.
"Your falafels!" He placed the plates in front of us, steam rising from the delicious smelling food. I stuffed one into my mouth, not having the patience to wait.
"Thank you," I said to the waiter, half swallowing the mouth-watering fried goodness. Magnus and Annabeth began to eat their falafels, though not as ferociously as me. I sat there happily eating my food, the thought of Magnus and my surroundings disappearing. I looked back up from my plate, which was now reduced to crumbles, and noticed Magnus rising from his seat, his left hand reaching to his side. What happened next was not something I was prepared for. He lept from his chair, drawing a glowing sword.
"Percy, move!" Magnus yelled in a heroic fashion.
I ducked under the table, almost choking on guacamole, and arose after what seemed like seconds. Lying behind my chair was what appeared as monster dust, and Magnus on top of it, gripping his sword. He was hyperventilating, smoke rising from the dust filling the small cafe. Pedestrians briskly ran out, probably perceiving the fight as a robbery. I instinctively ran to Annabeth's side, checking for any injuries.
Magnus had saved me, even after all the things I said about him. I glanced back at Magnus, who was now confidently staring at me, leaning on his sword. I hated this guy even more now.