a/n: I do not own any of the wonderful characters thought up by Rick Riordan. It's my first fanfiction and I would love not to get sued.
It was 2:45 by the time they left their room.
"C'mon!" Annabeth yelled. She cast an exasperated glare at Piper who was on the phone.
"Sorry," her roommate whispered and held up a finger. "It's Jason."
Annabeth rolled her eyes and shook her head lightly. With a sigh, she began to walk away. Piper and Jason spoke every single day. They were essentially the same person. When they fought, it was only small spats, never anything consequential. Somehow they got along perfectly. Annabeth wasn't sure how any two people could be so in sync.
"Hey, slow down!" Annabeth heard her friend's voice behind her. She couldn't help but smile at the sound, even though she was annoyed with her. "I'm in heels," Piper managed between heavy breaths.
"So am I," Annabeth reminded her with a begrudging smile. "But I'm walking fast despite that because I don't want to be late." She watched as Piper fixed her dress. "What's up with him anyway? It sounded like you two were fighting."
"Oh," Piper paused, blinking slowly. Her hands stilled their movements. "Really nothing."
Annabeth raised an eyebrow, casting a dubious look at her friend. Piper wasn't usually private about her and Jason's relationship, especially not when they were fighting. Her friend was a strong believer that keeping your emotions on the inside would only result in an outburst of negative sentiments.
"I don't mind listening," Annabeth remarked softly, wondering if her friend thought her disinterested. "You can tell me anything."
"It's honestly nothing," Piper sighed with a shrug. Silence followed her statement, but she glanced at Annabeth's troubled expression and decided to expound. "Fine," she allowed. "He and his friends are going to this piñata party, and he's refusing to tell me anything about it."
Annabeth nodded, pursing her lips as she tried to wrap her mind around the issue. "So..." she began awkwardly, "is piñata code for something or—"
"Look," Piper interrupted. "It doesn't really matter." She smiled and patted her friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We should get going or we're going to be late. You probably don't want to draw attention to yourself if you're technically breaking the rules."
A minute or two later, the two employees arrived at the lobby of the hotel. After sharing a few words of good luck, they parted ways.
Annabeth walked down the decadent hallway, glancing momentarily at the restaurants and amenities lining the area. When she finally reached the Sand Bar, she stopped and scanned her surroundings.
There were nearly a dozen employees littering the kitchen's entrance. The majority of them were women and were wearing much more makeup than she had anticipated. She wondered if she was underdressed. Piper had advised her to dress up, but she had chosen to disregard the tip.
Annabeth bit her lip anxiously but strode forward despite her nerves, approaching one of the women standing opposite to her. She tapped her on the shoulder politely. The girl spun around with a bright smile, the movement swishing her bleach blonde hair.
"Hi, sorry," Annabeth greeted at her questioning look. "My name is A—Piper," she amended, remembering that she was playing a part tonight. "And and I'm new here—"
"Heyy," the girl greeted with an enthusiasm Annabeth had not been prepared for. She noted the girl had a slight Southern accent. "I'm Gloria. It's really nice to meet you!"
"You too," she responded. "Do you know where I should check in with the supervisor?"
The dirty blonde, Gloria, giggled. Annabeth wasn't sure why but kept a smile on her face anyway, not wanting to appear rude.
"I've worked here for almost two weeks, so I can take you to him if you'd like?" Gloria offered, fixing her hair with a spare hand.
"That would be great," Annabeth grinned. "Thanks."
"It's no problem," Gloria assured her with the same sweet curve of her lips that was seemingly imprinted into her expression. "Let me warn you though," she laughed and began to lead Annabeth through the small mass of people and several customers. "He's awfully cute."
Gloria whipped Annabeth into the kitchen and around the different equipment, leaving her slightly disoriented and wondering why a bar required a full culinary facility. As the pair came to a stop, the blonde forced her eyes away from the pristine steel tools and soon found herself staring directly at the blonde boy who had broken her heart just a few months ago.
Her heart dropped the second she saw him. She felt her blood grow hot in her own veins and felt her throat become scratchy and dry. Her tongue suddenly felt like it was uncomfortably large in her mouth. She felt like she was having an allergic reaction. She probably was—to him anyway.
Luke's eyes widened at the sight of her. His icy blue eyes darted between her companion and her. She watched as he swallowed harshly and wondered if her presence had always put him so on edge.
"Hey," he greeted, stepping forward. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his eyes still flickering between the two women.
"This is Piper," Gloria introduced with a wide smile. "She's new."
"Uh," Luke blinked several times, trying to make sense of the situation. "I—I can take it from her, Gloria. Thanks," he said finally, flashing the girl a charming smile before turning back to his ex-girlfriend.
"Take good care of her," Gloria remarked with a wink before returning to her station.
"What are you doing here?" Luke repeated, staring at Annabeth with a furrowed brow. She wondered if the question was meant for her the first time too. "Why does that girl think your name is Piper?"
"I'm filling in for Piper," Annabeth explained quickly, taking a step back from him when he tried to reach for her. She wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a friendly gesture or a romantic one—lucky for her, she didn't care.
"You don't have approval," Luke huffed, rolling his eyes at her actions.
"I'm approved," Annabeth lied, hoping he might just take her word for it.
"Fine," Luke sighed. He reached behind and picked up a clipboard. He quickly flipped through it before finding something with his finger. He grimaced and looked up at Annabeth. "You're not approved," he stated decidedly. "If you were, there would be a note next to Piper's name."
"I must have been approved before you printed that list," Annabeth tried to argue. "It was only—"
"Annabeth," Luke cut her off, looking extremely bored. "I'm not stupid. You can't fool me into thinking you're right when you clearly aren't."
"Okay," Annabeth replied, staring down at her shiny black pumps. "So I'm filling in for Piper. So what? You and I both know I can work just as hard as her."
"Annabeth," Luke said again, a small smirk flittering across his lips. She wished he would stop saying her name like that—the way he used to. It made her think of happier times, memories that were now coating in a dark sheen. "We both know that I'm willing to overlook the small infraction."
"Mh," the blonde acknowledged, refusing to meet his eyes.
"That is, of course, if you tell me the real reason you came here."
"What are you talking about?" Annabeth questioned, a bemused expression gracing her features.
"I mean," Luke smiled again charismatically. The sight was extremely unsettling. "Did you come down here because you wanted to see me?"
"What—"
"—We both know that Piper told you I was the supervisor. You obviously wanted to apologize for acting so rudely before—"
"No—"
"—Well, you'll be happy to hear that I forgive you, completely and honestly—"
"Luke, stop!" Annabeth shouted. It finally shut him up—well, for a few seconds at least. "I came as a favor to Piper who, despite your belief, didn't tell me you would be my supervisor." She breathed, watching his expression crumble. "Besides, I have nothing to apologize for. What I said to you this morning, was totally within my rights. You fucking cheated on me, Luke. If you think you—"
"You were acting like a right bitch this morning," Luke hissed. "And I was ready to forgive you for all—"
"I don't need your forgiveness!" Annabeth snapped back, feeling her temper rise. "In fact, I don't want your flimsy apology."
"You're so lucky I'm not calling Ariel right now," he breathed harshly, glaring at her the way he used to whenever they'd fight. They always fought.
Annabeth remained silent, unsure how to reply. She certainly didn't want to infuriate him to a point where he might call the head of junior employees. Then she would be completely and royally screwed.
"Piper normally works out front," he said finally, turning his gaze to the clipboard he was still holding. "But that can be a hard job for a newcomer. I'll just make a few changes and put you in the back with me."
"No," Annabeth exclaimed suddenly. Then she smiled, trying to hide her horror at the prospect of spending the entire night with him. "I would hate to be an inconvenience, much less receive special treatment." She chuckled awkwardly.
"Fine," Luke sighed angrily for perhaps the dozenth time this evening. He looked her up and down, his stare lingering uncomfortably long on her legs. "You look good," he remarked lightly, though his eyes light up with a hunger she had long abandoned.
"Thanks," Annabeth chuckled awkwardly, hating the feeling of dread and discomfort that clawed at her heart. "So should I ask Gloria for instructions?" the blonde asked, trying to push past the moment.
"No!" Luke cut in, an abnormally worried look skimming his features before smoothening. "She wouldn't know, she—uh—works back here, with—uh—me. Anyway," he shook his head. "Why don't you ask one of the other girls?"
"That's really specific," Annabeth noted sarcastically. She didn't wait for Luke's reply before turning on her heel and striding out of the kitchen. "Excuse me," she polietly interrupted the conversation of a group of girls standing directly in front of the door.
They all turned towards her, breaking their small circle to let her in. "Hi," one of them greeted. They seemed friendly enough.
"Hey," Annabeth smiled. "It's my first day, and I'm working in the front. Could any of you explain my responibilties?"
"Sure," one of the girl grinned, glancing back at her friends to say something. Annabeth wasn't sure what she uttered as she was too far away. "My name is Katie," she revealed when she turned back around.
"Piper," Annabeth responded and felt the girl's hand on her back, leading her towards the bar.
"You're basically just a waitress," Katie explained. "You and one or two other girls will be given a section to wait on. You will have to fight for tables within the group. Once you've taken a table's order, it's yours."
"Okay," Annabeth nodded. That sounded easy enough.
"The only issue is that the girls here can be very aggressive," Katie warned. "The patrons give good tips and we're all desperate to make the most of it. The only problem you will encounter tonight are the drunks."
"Oh," Annabeth smiled hesitantly, wondering if she was serious.
"I find that rich drunk people are incredibly annoying," Katie expounded. "Most people do actually. They think they are entitled to everything and are not kind with their words when their inhibitions have been washed away by 15 dollar drinks." She pulled Annabeth into an empty seat at the bar and pointed to the bartender. "Nico can help you with anymore questions you might have," she finished.
"I'm sure I can handle that," Annabeth said to assure more herself than Katie.
"You'd be surprised," Katie chuckled with a wiggle of her brows. "You very pretty though, so I'm sure you'll do just fine."
"Thanks," the blonde smiled. "But why does that matter."
"Oh, well," she looked around, as if looking for someone. "The hotel won't admit to anything, but we all know they have a system. The better looking the waitress, the more important clients she serves."
Annabeth frowned, looking at the girl in confusion.
"Basically," Katie rephrased. "If waitress looks a bit sloppy then she will be forced to take care of the rowdier guests. A girl who looks put together such as yourself will serve the clean and not crazy-drunk population."
Annabeth expression visibly worsened. Katie laughed.
"Don't worry," she patted the blonde on the back. "I'm sure you'll be fine."
"Thanks for the advise," Annabeth bid her, smiling weakly.
"No problem," Katie laughed again, clearly amused by the worried stare of the blonde.
Annabeth looked around and spotted the bartender. She flagged him down. He walked over slowly, putting down the glasses in his hands.
"I don't recognize you. Are you new?" He asked, holding out his hand to shake hers.
Annabeth smiled attempting to be as charming as possible.
"Yes, hi, I'm filling in for Piper. My name is Annabeth. You must be Nico." She shook his hand.
"That would be me. Nice to meet you Annabeth. So what has Piper told you about this job?" His dark almost-black eyes narrowed playfully.
"Not much," I replied. "Katie told me it's basically waitressing."
"Well, there's a little bit more to it than that," he said then paused, thinking. "I'll put you in VIP section for today." Annabeth tried not to blush at the implications of that. "Since you're new," he added and chuckled knowingly. "Don't worry," he smiled. "You're not quite my type."
Annabeth forced a laugh to ease the tension.
"You'll have to wear Piper's name tag though," he explained, reaching underneath the bar to find it. "I hope you don't mind." He found it and handed it to her.
"No it's fine" Annabeth smiled and pinned it to her dress and began to wonder how Piper was doing as Annabeth Chase for the afternoon.
~edited 6.15.18~