I was very careful getting dressed and ready. Al Frecio's was a very expensive restaurant, and I wanted to look nice. I took a shower, put a comb to my hair for the first time in days, and pulled on the tuxedo I'd gotten for my 14th birthday. All in all, I thought I looked well groomed.
However, my family apparently thought otherwise, for as soon as I came down the stairs they all burst into laughter. I gave them confused looks.
"What's so funny?" I asked, and Odis, who was doubled over, looked up and managed to wheeze out a sentence.
"Why the hell are you wearing your headphones with a tux? You look ridiculous!" Then he burst out laughing again. I felt my face grow warm as I fingered my sea-green (i changed them) headphones. Try as I might, I simply couldn't force myself to part with them. Grover had given them to me when we first became friends in first grade, during a party.
I felt a sudden pang as I remembered Grover's jealous anger, and wondered if he was still mad. I wished there was something I could do to convince him I had told the truth, for the fact that he didn't believe me hurt worse then getting punched in the gut a billion times.
Okay, maybe not that much, but you get my drift.
"Bye, I'm going to Al Frecio's." I said quickly, and my mother looked up in surprise. She had been the only one not to laugh at my ensemble, for which I was grateful, though she had a broad smile on her face.
"That expensive restaurant by the Castellan house?" She asked, and I nodded. I didn't want to tell them I was meeting Annabeth there, for the anger of Odis is terrible to behold. Even though he seemed cool about it so far, I didn't think I could take it if another person I cared about started to hate me over a girl.
"Yeah, bye." I said a little too quickly before stepping out the door. Racing to the nearby train I boarded it, anticipating my arrival to the restaurant in my head. I pressed my face against the window and watched the countryside slide by, deep in thought.
Why did Annabeth want to meet at a restaurant? Did she really have a way for me to turn down Thalia's offer without hurting her feelings? Could she even pay for such an expensive place? I certainly had enough money, but… I shook my head; I was reading into this too much. I'd worry about everything when I was supposed to.
I got off the train (with people pointing and giggling at my headphones) and immediately headed over to Al Frecio's. The place was one of the most expensive in Tokyo, with hundreds of rooms, excellent service, delicious food stuffs from all over the world, and more. Again I wondered how in the hell Annabeth planned to even get in the restaurant, she certainly wasn't even close to rich enough to even set a toe in there.
I was recognized immediately as the famous Jackson boy and rushed into the place. Several customers waiting in the huge line to get in cast me the evil eye, and I waved by nervously.
"Um, I have an accomplice named Annabeth. Do you know if she's here or not?" I asked the waiter, praying he wouldn't say that the insolent girl had been thrown out. To my surprise he stopped dead and gave me a wide eyed look. Then he hurried away for several minutes before coming back.
"This way please." He said in a hushed tone, and I followed complacently, wondering what in the hell was going on. To my surprise I was taken to the top of the restaurant, the most expensive place to be. And there, sitting at a large table groaning under the wait of food, sat Annabeth! Across from her was a middle aged man wearing a stained white apron and one of those weird hats chef's wear.
My eyes widened even further, if possible; it was Chef Finn! The man was said to be one of the best cooks ever to live, and also a recluse who lived in his own private kitchen cooking up delicious delicacies day and night.
Another incredible thing was the fact that Annabeth was conversing with the man in rapid French and- get this! – Laughing and smiling! It was incredible. It was stupendous! It was…
"Percy," Annabeth said (she switched back to english so fast it made my head spin) once she noticed me, her eyes glittering with fire. "What the hell are you wearing? And why are you wearing those stupid headphones with it?" I blinked and glanced down at my finery, slightly abashed.
"I dunno, I wasn't really thinking," I said, and Annabeth rolled her eyes, not even pretending to be surprised by my lack of thought. "I just thought since we were going to a famous restaurant, I should look nice." Finn spoke up at this point, looking faintly amused.
"Ah! So you must be the boy Annabeth here was telling me about," Finn said, a crooked smile in place as he spoke in accented english. "You are Percy, no? Quite the handsome boy you have ensnared Annabeth." I felt heat rise to my face, and was surprised to see a faint tinge on Annabeth's features as well- was she actually embarrassed?
"You've got it wrong Francis," She spoke stiffly as she grabbed a piece of bread and bit into it. "Percy is my partner for a project and is having problems. I agreed to help him." I stared at Annabeth, awed that she would call Finn by his first name.
"Ah, I see," Finn said, though his blue eyes twinkled merrily. "I presume it is girl troubles no?" He asked, and I blinked in bemusement.
"Err, well, um, yeah." I said lamely. "How'd you know?" Finn burst into laughter as though he knew something neither Annabeth nor I knew about. I shot the aforementioned blond haired girl a questioning glance, and she simply shrugged. When Finn had finished he wiped away a tear and smiled at me.
"My dear Percy, did you know I was born in raised in beautiful Paris?" Finn asked, and I shook my head slowly, unsure whether or not I was supposed to know or not or what it had to do with anything. Finn had another round of laughter and shook his head.
"Of course you wouldn't! You're just a leetle boy." He said with another merry laugh, potbelly shaking from his laughing. I wasn't sure whether to be offended or not by the fact that Finn had called me a little boy, so I just dismissed it.
"Well Finn, you see-"
"Call me Francis, just call me Francis. Now take a seat and eat!" Francis interrupted, and I followed his directions like the good boy I was. Annabeth gave me a look that said quite plainly "Behave or I'll kick your ass." So I was content to just sit there and enjoy the delicious food while Annabeth and Francis took up their conversation in French again. Suddenly Fin- Francis looked at me with disarming blue eyes, and I blinked innocently.
"Annabeth- here told me about your leetle girl problem. We have come up with a plan, and you must follow it to the letter! Do it right and you'll have the perfect crembule, wrong and you'll have a blackened mess. Do you understand boy?" Francis rumbled, and I found myself nodding furiously.
"Yes sir. To the letter. EXACTLY." I said quickly, and Francis smiled, his wrinkled face splitting in half from his broad smile.
"Exactly, you'll make good chef someday boy." Francis said proudly, and Annabeth gagged on her caviar. Francis gave her mildly curious look.
"Is something wrong Annabeth" He asked, and Annabeth shook her head while I sent her a betrayed look. Francis gave me a look and then glanced at Anna. He smiled mischievously but didn't comment.
"Anyways, here's what you're going to do…" Francis began.
"Thalia?" I asked from the phone the next day, and I heard Thalia's voice catch.
"Y-yes Percy?" She asked excitedly, and I felt a nervous pit form in my stomach. I scratched my head and quickly glanced down at my attire. Just a regular white shirt that I'd unbuttoned and blue jeans.
"Hey Thalia," I said, feeling like an idiot as I said it. "Do you want to meet me at the koi pond were we first met? I want to talk to you." Thalia mumbled some indefinable words under her breath before speaking.
"O-Oh! Of course Percy, I'll be waiting for you!" She said breathlessly before hanging up. I stared stupidly at the phone before shrugging and hanging up as well. Trotting over to where my brother was watching T.V (this was becoming a routine) I poked him until I got Odis's attention.
"What?!" He demanded irritably as he took his eyes of his precious T.V show and gave me an annoyed look.
"Can you drive me to Thalia's house bro?" I asked hopefully, taking on the bro for effect. My brother's eyes softened at this, as I'd known they would, and he thought hard even though I knew I had him.
"Well… alright. But you owe me!" odis said, and I grinned.
Score for the "leetle boy"!
I jumped out of odis's car and waved as he drived away, feeling pleased with my success. I made my way over to the koi pond where we'd first met, and fond memories of my childhood swarmed through me. I broke into a jog as I caught sight of my black haired friend, and she turned and blushed before smiling at me.
"H-hello Percy… how are you?" She stammered, and I flashed a brilliant smile in her direction.
"I'm great, how 'bout you?" I asked, and Thalia turned a further a shade of red.
"Uh, I-I'm great too." She said nervously. I gave her another reassuring smile before taking off my sandals and dipping my feet into the cool waters of the pond. I watched in fascination as the fat, lazy fish shot away at an incredible speed, only to slowly and cautiously return to nibble at the foreign object that had entered their domain.
Thalia watched me for several minutes before slowly easing herself next to me. Taking off her sandals she also put them in the water, and we sat there in companionable silence for a long time. Finally I spoke.
"Remember when we first met?" I asked, and Thalia let out a laugh.
"Of course, how could I forget?" She laughed, not stuttering for once. "I fell in the pond and you dived in after me. You cried like a baby afterwards because you thought you ruined your headphones." I joined in, grinning at the memory.
"Ha ha, that's right. Then Odis made fun of me and told me to see if the person was really in danger before diving into a pond to save them. Grover and Odis made fun of me weeks after that incident." I said good naturedly, and Thalia's smile faltered.
"I'm s-sorry if I caused you trouble back then." She stammered, and I shook my head, still smiling ruefully.
"Don't apologize Thalia. It's not your fault I'm a numb skull." I told her, but Thalia didn't laugh or smile.
"I don't think you're a numb skull." She said quietly, throwing me off guard. What the heck was I supposed to say to that?
"Oh…well, it doesn't matter. What's in the past is in the past, so why worry about it?" I said cheerily, and Thalia gave me a shy answering smile.
"I'm glad you're my friend Percy." She said with a peaceful look on her face, and smiled.
"I'm glad I'm your friend too Thalia." I said, and my pink haired friend flushed with happiness. Suddenly she frowned.
"These past years have been… awkward. I always feel hot and confused around you Percy, and I didn't know what to make of it. I thought maybe if I asked you out, it would make the feelings go away. But then you started crushing on Annabeth Chase, and I didn't know what to do."
I didn't have anything to say to that. I knew exactly how she felt, especially during the time that Odis was dating Annabeth. I'd been so confused and guilty; I didn't know what to think.
"But you know what?" I said slowly as an idea hit me, and Thalia glanced at me. "Maybe… maybe it's like you told me once. Maybe you were meant for someone else. Just like I guess I'm not cut out to be with someone like Annabeth. Maybe we're just destined to be friends, and theirs someone nearby whom you're overlooking." I couldn't have felt prouder of my little speech, though it also gave way to the reality I'd made in my mind, but never voiced aloud.
"I guess I'm not cut out to be with someone like Annabeth…"
Thalia stared at me for a long time, and then she smiled. It was a really nice smile, different from the ones she had been giving me all year, up until now. It was a true smile.
"You know… I think you're right Percy. But… it's such a big change, thinking of you just as a friend. It might take awhile to get used to, but until then," Here Thalia grinned at me. "I guess we're through." I pretended to look offended and lightly shoved her shoulder.
"You're dumping me already? How rude!" I said obnoxiously, and we both burst into laughter. Much to my surprise, Thalia laid her head on my shoulder, looking absolutely exhausted.
"It's nice to be able to talk with you one on one like this Percy. We should do it with the others as well." She said, and I grinned and nodded.
"Definitely." I said, and we sat in silence for a long time, until Thalia started to hum. It was a nice hum, and I listened to it and felt an incredible sense of peace. When she finished I stood up and put on my sandals before offering my hand to Thalia. She took it and I heaved to her feet.
"Well, I best get going. Annabeth says I have to do extra chores for her today since she let me off yesterday, so she's going to pick me up." I told Thalia, who looked sympathetic.
"Try not to let her work you too hard Percy." She called as I jogged away, and I waved a hand flippantly in response. I was surprised to see Annabeth's car already parked outside, but shrugged off by thinking she was just being punctual. Then there was Annabeth, a faraway look in her gorgeous grey eyes. I swallowed heavily and shook my head before jogging over to her.
"Hey there Annabeth." I said with a grin, and Annabeth blinked, looking slightly startled to see me. Then she gave me a cool look, and I couldn't help but shiver.
"Hi. What was with the shenanigans at the end?" She asked, and I froze. Had Annabeth been listening in to our conversation? I began to sweat heavily as thought of how I'd admitted to crushing on her, and glanced at her nervously. Annabeth's face was a carefully blank mask, as always. I began to relax, she must've just listened in to the end, when she first got here, or she probably would've mentioned it.
"What do you mean?" I asked in confusion. "Thalia's my friend, so I treated her as a friend should." Annabeth gave me a long look, and then shrugged.
"Whatever. Just get into the car." She said, and I hopped in, wondering why there was such a frigid silence in the air. Annabeth pulled into the drive way of Inn and got out. I soon followed her, wondering what I had done wrong this time.
"Grover. I know you're there and you're just not answering the phone. You told me about how excited you were about getting Caller ID. Anyway, I just called to say I wasn't lying about Thalia and we're not going out. If you don't believe, call Thalia and ask her yourself. See ya, Percy."
I hung up the phone and slunk down in a chair next to Odis, dispiritedly watching the T.V show as well. I missed Grover so much, I wished he would just stop being such a mule headed jackass and realize that he was being jealous for no reason. But I wasn't going to apologize, not when it wasn't my fault.
As the minutes turned into hours, I began to despair that Grover would ever be my friend again. Then, lo and behold, the phone rang. Jumping up, I raced to the phone and picked it up.
"Grover?" I said breathlessly, and there was a pause on the other side.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Luke snapped irritably. "Do I sound like that idiot to you?" My heart sank and I felt my face heat up with embarrassment.
"Odis, its Luke." I muttered and my long haired twin got up and grabbed the phone. He shooed me away and I went into my room, feeling slightly depressed. I wished Nico or Thalia were here, so then I'd have someone to talk to about Grover, but there was no one. Not even Annabeth.
"I miss my best friend." I whispered, feeling a painful knot in my stomach as I remembered what had happened the day Thalia had asked me out. Suddenly my door banged open and Odis stuck in his head.
"Phone for you Percy." He said, tossing it carelessly into my lap. I stared at it dumbly for a moment before placing it to my ear and mouth.
"Hello?" I said dully, not really expecting much.
"Hey Percy! Is that really anyway to treat your buddy?!" Grover yelled, and my eyes widened.
"Grover?!" I exclaimed in surprise, and I could almost imagine Grover's grin.
"In the flesh- err, voice." Grover said cheerfully, and I felt myself grin.
"What's up dude?" I asked him in elation, wondering how my day could get any better.
"Well, I got your message and I just wanted to say… I'm sorry. I shouldn't-"
"Don't worry about it," I interrupted. "We're cool, right?" There was a brief hesitation before Grover answered.
"Right." He said firmly, and I felt a grin break across my face.
"Then that's all that matters."
