The Nanny and The Butler
Discliamer: I don't own any of this.
It was only when she was in the elevator with all her possessions, did Annabeth think this was a bad idea.
She had three boxes-one is her hands, two of the ground, as well as two bags slung over her shoulders. It had taken all her balancing skills to get her new pass card back into her pocket. The elevator music was different from before but had the same relaxing quality. She felt like throwing up.
Annabeth adjusted the box and stretched her fingers slightly. A million ideas flew through her head, mostly about Zeus and Hera being crazy people or, worse, the butler. She had already seen the children's handy work and Jason seemed convinced that she would quit. That last thought halted her racing mind and Annabeth set her face in a determined frown. There was no way she was getting bossed around by a bunch of rich kids; it was just not happening. She could handle the butler-no matter who he was-and the parents were never around anyway.
Still, while she had somewhat calmed her fears, Luke and Thalia were not as certain. They had spent the last few days asking her questions, sending emails to the secretary in charge of Zeus' account on the card and looking the Graces up on the internet. Luke was really paranoid because apparently his father and Zeus had some falling out years ago and Hermes has hated Zeus ever since. But since Annabeth was sure that Hermes wasn't even on Zeus' radar, she tried to take her friend's erratic advice with a pinch of salt. Unfortunately, she had the stress of moving along with first day jitters and the zero support of her friends.
"There better be some great perks to this job," she muttered just as the elevator stopped and the doors slid open; causing Annabeth to see nothing but a pair of sea-green eyes.
"You must be the new nanny-I am so sorry."
Annabeth blinked, taking in not only the words but the boy saying them. He was taller than her, with black hair and the aforementioned eyes. He had an easy grin on his face and he was dressed in a shirt and tie with a waistcoat and suit pants.
Annabeth grinned and replied, "You must be the butler."
He had already pulled two of her boxes into the hallway and was reaching for one of her bags. She let him take the right one and she stepped into the penthouse. "This is a nice way to be greeted to a new job-with a helping hand and an apology."
The butler shouldered the bag, laughing lightly. "Well, we really like to make a good first impression here. And yes, I am the butler; Percy Jackson."
Annabeth nodded, tapping her fingers of her box. "Yes, Jason and the others have already mentioned you. From the sounds of it, if you were their nanny, they might actually behave."
Percy snorted as he picked up one of the boxes. "They behave for me because I'm not their nanny."
He looked down at the remaining box, wondering how to carry it but Annabeth gave it a shove with her foot. "It's alright; I can drag this one along the ground to...wherever we're going."
Percy motioned behind her, along the rest of corridor that she hadn't gone down last time. "Our quarters are that way. We each have a bedroom and en suite. Yours is the one next door to the pool."
Annabeth felt her eyes go wide and she spluttered out, "They have a pool?! How?"
Percy laughed and he led her down the corridor as he spoke. "That's exactly what I said when I started here. The terrace wraps around the whole penthouse to the pool; you can walk around or go out by the door beside your room."
They walked until the corridor opened up into a circular space with three doors. The furthest one on the left was made of thick glass, showing the pool behind it. The door to the right was closed but the one in front of Annabeth was open and Percy walked straight to it with her things. Annabeth followed and found herself in a light bedroom with a semi-circular window across from the door. A double bed sat under the window and there was a desk, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers. A door to the left opened up into the en suite. There were no decorations and it was a neutral cream colour but Annabeth felt in awe. She had never had a room this nice all to herself before. Percy had left her things gently on the floor and smiled at the wonder on her face.
"That is the exact same look that I had when is saw my room too...of course, these days, I'm lucky if I can see my floor."
Annabeth laughed, dumping the bag and box on the unmade bed. "You know, that kind of talk is not great for a butler."
Percy shrugged and gestured towards the bed. "I didn't know if you were bringing your own sheets so I left it; but there are plenty of bedclothes in the closet if you need them. Did Zeus tell you the ground rules?"
Annabeth had been looking into the bathroom but she turned back to him, asking, "Rules?"
"Don't worry, there's nothing too bad. The only room we aren't allowed in are the study on the first floor; Zeus and Hera kind of use it as a dumping ground for all their files-I doubt that even they have been in there very often. You are in charge of the kids and their schedule while I take care of the house. So don't worry about cleaning or cooking; that's my department."
Annabeth glanced at the open doorway and then at Percy. "These kids are seriously lucky to not have chores."
Percy's eyes lit up and Annabeth noticed exactly how green they were; she had never seen anything like them. "Actually, I've started to give them chores myself; mostly Jason and Katie. But it's just easy stuff like picking up after themselves and making their beds. The other nannies seemed fine with that arrangement; although some of them said it messed up their itineraries."
Annabeth frowned as she moved the three boxes onto the desk. "Itineraries?" she asked and Percy looked just as confused for a moment. Then his brow cleared and he said, "You really haven't been a nanny before, have you?"
Annabeth folded her arm, staring at him in defence. "No; but were you a butler before you started here?"
Percy held up his hands and grinned. "Ok, point taken; I am only nineteen and this is the only family I've worked for. What I mean is most of the nannies who worked here had schedules for the kids. Like, what days they went to the park or when they went shopping. Some planned special outings or trips; as the butler I had to work around that. Trust me, some of those woman had days planned down to the second."
Annabeth grimaced. "Sounds horrible; clearly the kids didn't like it."
"That's putting it lightly. Maybe they could use someone a bit more relaxed around here."
Annabeth leaned against the desk, her head titling. "And you? What do you think of my "relaxed" ways? Or is that just code for "not a clue what I'm doing and you'll laugh at me later"?"
Percy seemed to consider it as he strolled towards the door. "A little bit of both. I better leave you to settle in. The kids are in their rooms and I was about to put on lunch."
"Sounds great. And Percy..."
He stilled in the doorway, one hand loosely propped up on the frame. She was sure she had a question in her head but when he was staring at her with an open face and such an understanding look, Annabeth had forgotten it. Instead, she let out a breath and she was sure that he could see the uncertainty in her eyes. He was the same age as her and seemed to be in same situation; maybe he could understand.
Percy smiled softly at her silence and replied, "Hey, you are going to do just fine. These kids aren't as scary and tough as they sometimes seem to be."
Giving her one last smile, he ducked out the door. She listened to his footsteps until he went into the kitchen and then Annabeth flopped down onto her bed. As she ran her hands through her hair, she mulled over the idea of an itinerary. It sounded not only boring but extremely restrictive. Why couldn't the kids just be kids?
A giggling from the doorway made her sit up, leaning on her hands. She could just see wisps of black hair sticking out over the doorframe. She got up and walked lightly to the door until she popped her head around completely, making Leo and Hazel jump.
"Oh, hi," Leo said casually, "Fancy seeing you here."
Hazel beamed up at her and Annabeth asked, "Were you two trying to spy on the new nanny?"
"No."
"Yes."
Leo looked at his sister with exasperation. "This is why I never take you with me on my missions."
Annabeth turned them both around and herded them down the corridor. "Well, how about you take a break from your mission and go help Percy with lunch?"
They both seemed happy with the suggestion, hurrying off down the hallway and into the kitchen. As the door closed Annabeth got a whiff of something delicious and she sniffed the air. "Huh, he must be a pretty good cook," she mused before walking into her room again to unpack.
Less than an hour later, all the kids were seated around the dining table, while Percy brought out bowls of mouth-watering soup and a stack of buttered bread. The kids dung in straight away but Percy was still standing with Annabeth's bowl. She hadn't sat down either yet because Leo had spilt a jug of water (how she didn't know) and was just finishing cleaning up.
Percy raised an eyebrow at her as he asked, "Do you want to eat at the table or in the kitchen?"
Annabeth frowned, not even noticing the kids pause in their eating to stare at her. "Why wouldn't I eat at the table? Or is that something else the other nannies did?"
Katie spoke up, "Some of them ate in the kitchen with Percy; others sat and watched us to make sure we finished everything."
Annabeth huffed and gently took the bowl from Percy. "I will have my lunch here-as will you."
The children seemed to perk up in unison at this and Jason asked, "You're going to let Percy eat with us? None of the other nannies allowed that."
Annabeth waved a hand, replying, "Just forget what the other nannies did-I'm sick of hearing it already!"
Percy was grinning at her and he strolled into kitchen to get his own lunch. Eventually, they were all sitting side by side, thanking Percy for the lunch. Jason pushed his empty bowl away from him and folded his arms.
"So, what do you have planned for the day?"
His three siblings were staring at her while she was pretty sure Percy was trying not to laugh. "Well, what do you guys want to do?" she asked, lightly.
This question seemed to throw them and all eyes looked to Jason for an explanation. He had not moved his gaze from Annabeth, his eyes narrowed slightly. "You...want us to choose?" he said and Annabeth nodded.
"Yes; do you have any ideas?"
Again, they were all silent before Hazel piped up. "I wanted to get new paints! I ran out of my old ones."
Annabeth grinned at this and ran with it. "That sounds like a great idea! You guys can all get something."
"Really?" Katie asked hopefully while Leo seemed ecstatic with the plan. Percy looked over at Jason, who hadn't moved or said anything.
Jason tapped his foot under the table and then asked to Percy, "Can you come?"
"Seriously, do you have to ask my permission or something?" Annabeth asked Percy but he just snorted. "Like I said, the other nannies were strict but yes, I can come shopping with you guys."
All four of the Grace children looked like they had just gotten a pony but didn't know what to do with it. Identical grins appeared on their faces and when they all finished, they stood up from the table faster then she thought they could move.
"Hey!" she snapped, causing them to freeze. Annabeth gestured towards the dirty dishes they were leaving behind. "All of you are old enough to at least bring your dishes to the sink, you know?" she said, giving them a look.
When they realised she was serious, Katie was the first to clean up after herself; Hazel and Leo following her lead. Jason hesitated but picked up his dishes and walked into the kitchen after his siblings.
"Is he that against doing chores?" Annabeth mumbled but Percy just leaned back in his chair and shook his head.
"Jason isn't afraid of work. He's just not used to being taken by surprise. With the other nannies, he knew what to expect at least. You, though...I don't think any of us know what to expect from you."
"I'll take that as a complement," Annabeth quipped.
Annabeth quickly learned that the Grace children didn't have allowances. If they wanted something, she would pay for it with the credit card Zeus had for them. Apparently, money was not a problem for these children-spending it, however, was. Annabeth had assumed that they just bought whatever they wanted; that nobody said no to them. But as she stood in a large art supply shop with Hazel, she was beginning to realise that the word "no" may have been all these kids had ever heard.
"Hazel honey, you can buy whatever you want ok? You aren't going to get in trouble."
Hazel sniffed and Annabeth really hoped she wasn't about to cry in front of everyone. "But the other nannies said that I would be greedy if I asked for anything," she mumbled and Annabeth felt another stab of annoyance at that now familiar phrase.
"I told you at lunch; I am not the other nannies. If you want something to paint with or draw with, I'll get it for you. I wouldn't buy you everything because that would be greedy; but getting a few things you'll enjoy is fine."
Hazel frowned slightly and then asked, "Really?"
"Really. Now go pick some paint colours," she prompted and the young girl's face lit up as she dragged her over to the shelves.
It was a similar story with the other three when they saw something they wanted. Katie was reluctant to buy the small flowers that she thought she could place on the terrace while Leo almost turned pale at the idea of getting the new skateboard. But they warmed up to the idea and had smiles on their faces by the end. Jason was a little more reluctant. The last shop they went to was a toy store, with tall shelves lined with every gadget imaginable. While the other three had dragged Percy down on aisle, Jason stood still beside Annabeth with a frown on his face.
"You can get something...anything..."she suggested, if only to get this stubborn boy to smile even a little bit.
Instead, he looked at her out of the corner of his eye and said, "You're trying to buy our affections aren't you?"
Annabeth paused but then replied, "The long answer is that I think I had the wrong impression of you kids and I'm trying to give you a nice day out when clearly you've never done it before. The short answer is yes; yes I am totally buying your affections."
Surprisingly, that did bring a smile to Jason's face and he looked around the toy store again. Letting out a sigh, he finally said, "I don't know what to buy; my parents always picked out what I did."
"Well, go have a look around and if you see something you like, come and tell me," Annabeth suggested with a shrug.
Jason strolled down one of the aisles, glancing back and forth at the shelves as he passed. Percy joined Annabeth a moment later, running a hand through his messy hair. "You're doing great with them."
Annabeth sighed, chewing on her bottom lip. "Are you sure? They seem really hesitant about this shopping thing."
"That's more about past experiences than you. These kids may be rich but that doesn't mean they're better off. Zeus and Hera would just randomly assume they liked something, like Katie playing piano and then the nannies would have her practice for hours every day until she hated it. By then, her parents wouldn't even remember she could play. I think this is the first time they've been given the freedom to really choose what they want."
Leo interrupted them by walking up with a giant water gun. They stared at him as he tried to look innocent.
"I need this," he said, "...for stuff."
Percy and Annabeth didn't even need to confer. "No," was the double answer.
Leo nodded, as if already knowing what they would say and went to put the water gun back. Eventually, Jason picked out a book on constellations and a small telescope that could be set up on the terrace. After that, Percy and Annabeth herded the four children home for dinner; Annabeth allowed herself to chalk her first day out with them as a success.
The children were so caught up in their new toys and Annabeth's own way of doing things that they didn't put up a fight when it was time for bed. Annabeth was exhausted so she went to her room soon after they did. That left Percy, who cleaned up after dinner and made a list for groceries to order in the morning.
When he was finished, he turned everything off and checked the locks before going to his own room. Unlike Annabeth's clean room, his had a much more "lived in" feel to it; his mom would just call it a mess. It had been his room ever since he was seventeen and was finishing school at the same time.
He undid his tie and flopped down on his desk chair, opening up his laptop. This Annabeth was certainly not what he expected. She wasn't first nanny to be his age but all of them had some idea of what the job entailed. Annabeth had no idea what she doing, choosing to do exactly what she thought was best at the time. In Percy's opinion, she was doing a better job than any other nanny the Grace children had had before.
Plus, she was really pretty.
Percy jumped slightly, wondering where that thought had come from. He shook his head, starting to write an email to his mom, asking her to send over some of her blue cupcakes for dessert later in the week.
Leo knocked on his brother's door, poking his head around the door. "Hey, you awake?"
Jason raised an eyebrow from his spot at his desk before replying, "Clearly; get in here."
Leo shut the door behind him and walked over to Jason, hopping up to sit on the desk. He pulled his phone from his pocket but just ran a thumb over the buttons. "Are you sure we should be doing this?" he asked, "This Annabeth seems cool. I mean, we did have a good day today."
Jason clenched his jaw and tapped his pen of the writing pad in front of him. He knew that. He just didn't know what Annabeth was up to. "Leo, just give me the form she filled out for Father," he ordered and his younger brother sighed before tapping on his phone.
When he turned the screen to let Jason see, he decided that there was no point in letting a prank go to waste.
"Annabeth really hasn't worked as a nanny before," he said, "She filled out one question that none of the others did."
"Which was?" Jason asked, as his eyes skimmed the page.
"She wrote down that she hates spiders."
Jason looked at his brother, a grin spreading across his face.
