See? Am I forgiven for taking so long to update now? No? Okay… I'll work on getting the next one posted!
The gang was hanging out in the basement, Will was swaying to a song he'd happily listened to over seven times. As the song came to an end, Will wandered back over to the cassette player.
"Oh, oh, I just wanna hear the guitar solo one more time," Will chirped.
Nico threw a crushed Coca-Cola can at the blond and managed to hit him in the back. "Not again. Use the headphones." Will made a face at him but did as he was told. "Good, now wrap the cord around your neck."
On the couch, Percy and Jason were going over a newspaper's classified ads looking for Percy a job.
"Would you guys respect me if I worked in the town dump?" Percy asked even as he crossed the listing off with red pen.
Annabeth leaned over his shoulder to read the listings. "The town dump? No. Now, the state dump…"
"Why are you looking for a job?" Piper asked from her perch on the dryer.
"Everything costs money. Gas, clothes, fun," Percy explained.
Leo added, "Dates. Dates cost money."
Frank waved him off. "No, Leo, that is prostitution."
"Dating is prostitution, man. Only you don't always get what you pay for," Nico explained as he slouched further in his seat.
"Said the man who's never had a girlfriend," Annabeth joked.
Percy shot out of his chair and hid his face quickly with the newspaper as he began pacing around the table. The rest of the gang watched him in utter confusion, except Nico who looked ready to kill him.
"I dated Eli, the biker dude, remember?" Nico argued.
"What happened to him, anyways?" Jason asked, choosing to ignore Percy for the moment.
Nico shrugged. "He's dating my uncle."
Annabeth shook her head as she headed towards the basement door. "Well, I'm heading home for dinner. Oh, by the way, Mom and Dad are going to the Playboy Club at Lake Geneva. Do you guys want souvenirs?"
"An ashtray," Nico answered immediately, having relaxed as no one questioned Percy's obvious anxiety.
"A girlfriend for Frank," Leo joked as Frank blushed profusely.
Hazel slapped Leo upside the head before saying, "Leave him alone. And your parents are going to be out of town?"
Annabeth nodded, trying in earnest to get Percy to realize what she was hinting at but he was busy ignoring everybody. "Yeah. I'll be babysitting Leo's brother Harley all weekend. Just me, alone, watching T.V. I might order a pizza." She leaned suggestively towards Percy.
"Careful, Harley may set your house on fire or make chainsaws out of your silverware if you're not watching him constantly," Leo told her calmly. "Happens all the time at home. Between him and Beckendorf, we can't keep any metal in the house anymore. Which sucks because I need metal for my projects."
Will gave Annabeth a serious nod before adding, "But it'd probably be helpful if someone were there to watch him with her, wouldn't it?"
He nudged Percy who mumbled something about the town dump.
"We could have a party!" Jason said ignoring Annabeth and Will's hints. "A toga party!"
Piper shoved at her boyfriend's shoulder but he just gave her a baffled look in return.
"Yeah, I'll bring the beer," Nico said just to make the situation worse.
Annabeth groaned. "Yeah, fine. Seaweed Brain, are you gonna be there?"
Without looking up, Percy agreed absently.
She threw her hands up in the air before storming out of the basement. As soon as the door closed, Piper slapped Jason and Percy's arms.
"You're both idiots!" she declared. She was answered with matching blank stares. "I'm not explaining it, you're just going to have to figure this out on your own."
With that she stormed out after Annabeth.
The two boys turned to Nico for an explanation. The Italian shrugged. "I hate to say it, but I agree with the beauty queen. You're both stupid." Before they could argue, he slowly and carefully explained as if he were talking to toddlers, "Annabeth just put on the full court press, dude, and you dropped the ball."
Hazel crossed her arms and glared accusingly at Nico. "You didn't exactly help, either, Di Angelo."
He ignored her quip, choosing to watch for realization to dawn on Percy's face.
"What are you talking about? All she said was that she'd be alone on Saturday night with a pizza?" Percy dropped the newspaper he'd been holding as realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "Oh. Oh. Oh god! I'm such an idiot!"
(***)
Poseidon found himself sitting in a corner booth of the Hub feeling extremely out of place amongst the many teenagers coming and going. He had received a call from Percy asking to meet up at this diner. So far, Percy was running ten minutes late and Poseidon was debating on whether or not he should report his son missing or keep waiting.
Just before Poseidon gave in to his fatherly concern and called the cops, Percy came stumbling into the Hub looking more disheveled than normal.
"Hey… Man… Uh, Mister…? Um… You," Percy huffed between each word as he struggled to catch his breath. "Sorry… had to... save Leo… He set… himself… on fire… again."
"Leo/s the Hispanic kid, right? Always covered in grease?" Percy nodded. "Yeah, his dad was banned from woodshop after he burned the workshop down, twice, in high school. Arson must be a genetic thing in their family."
Percy's eyes widened and he barked out a laugh. "You're kidding! Leo got banned from workshop for the same thing freshman year!"
The two started laughing as Percy took a seat.
Seconds ticked by as the two sat in uncomfortable silence as Poseidon wondered why Percy was being so twitchy and Percy gathered his thoughts.
"Okay," Percy said at last, "the guys and I were thinking about getting jobs."
Poseidon blinked. He didn't know what he'd been expecting his son to say but it sure hadn't been that. "Uh, okay?"
Percy ran a hand nervously through his hair, a nervous habit he'd learned from his mother. "No, I… Okay, there's a job opening up at the new Acte's Burgers. Which is owned by Pontus who you mentioned the other day was an old war buddy and I thought…"
"You thought I might pull some strings to get him to hire you, right?" Poseidon finished for him. Percy smiled as innocently as he could manage. "What does your mother think of you working?"
Silence.
"Ah," Poseidon sighed.
Percy rolled his eyes and slumped down in the booth. "No, it's not like that. I haven't talked to her about it, yet, because I know she'll just start crying about how I'm leaving her all alone. Then Paul will say something reassuring and mom will take it out of context and then I'll be in the middle of a domestic squabble."
They sat in silence for a few more seconds before Poseidon gave in. "I'll talk to Pontus, but if your mother asks…"
Percy sat up straight while a smile spread from ear-to-ear. "Really?"
"Yeah," Poseidon chuckled. "But don't make it a habit to call me only when you need something, alright?"
(***)
Nico was sprawled out on his favorite chair when Annabeth came storming in. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and her gray eyes were furious.
"You look so excited for your big party Saturday night," Nico said snarkily.
She huffed angrily as she plopped onto the couch.
Nico shook his head. "I cannot believe Jackson missed all those signals."
At that, Annabeth blushed and her anger immediately morphed into denial as she spluttered. "What? Signals? I don't know what you're talking about, Di Angelo."
In a falsetto voice, Nico teased, "Oh no, poor me! All alone in my big house: just me and my nightie. If only there was some scrawny little neighbor boy here to keep me company!" He continued in his normal voice, "Yeah, that could've meant anything."
"He's not scrawny," Annabeth argued weakly. "Why am I even talking to you?"
Nico shrugged. He really didn't know why she didn't just go talk to one of her girl friends but he never gave up a chance to screw with people. Annabeth laid down on the couch like a psychiatrist's patient.
"Everyone knows," Annabeth complained.
With a pencil in hand and a magazine, Nico acted like a dutiful shrink. "'Fraid so."
"I just wanted to spend time with him, you know? Alone. And now I can't!" she continued.
The sound of a pencil scribbling on paper followed her statement. "How does that make you feel?" Nico asked with faux concern.
Unaware of the subtle teasing, Annabeth kept going, "Frustrated! It's frustrating as hell! I mean I really put myself out there and he completely ignored me! Is he that freaking stupid?"
"Hmm, interesting," Nico said gravelly. "And do you have trouble sleeping at night?"
Annabeth's eyes widened in amazement. "Yeah, yeah I do."
Nico nodded solemnly before continuing his questioning. "Do you think you would sleep better if you had a scrawny, little neighbor boy up next to you?"
The look she shot him only caused him to double over in laughter.
(***)
"Okay, let's hear it," Poseidon ordered as they stood in the Jackson's living room.
Sally was folding laundry on the couch, silently watching the father and son go over how to give a proper interview.
Stepping up to his father, Percy held out his hand, "Hello, my name is Percy Jackson."
His father shook his head sternly and released his hand quickly. "No, no, no. Not with a loose hand. Stay firm! Not like a fish. Try again."
Percy tried again but his father cut him off again.
"No, step into it. Stand up straight."
With a slight twitch to the corner of his lips, Percy said, "Straight up and hold the fish."
Poseidon gave him a stern glare which hushed Percy immediately. "Don't be a smartmouth."
"Yessir." Percy stood up straighter and gripped the offered hand firmly. "Hello, my name is Percy Jackson."
"And?"
"And… uh…"
Sally clapped. "Oh, tell them about your junior achievement experience."
"Oh, they don't give a rat's ass about that," Poseidon grumbled. A second later he added, "Forgive my language."
She waved him away absentmindedly. "Well, what about your honorable mention from the science fair?" Before Poseidon could repeat himself, she sighed, "Right, rat's ass."
Paul came down the stairs, his gait stalled for a moment near the foot of the stairs. There was an awkward and tense moment as he took in the scene in his living room. Once he made it completely down the stairs he greeted Poseidon stiffly.
Before the tension could increase, Percy began to explain, "Dad, Poseidon offered to teach me what to say to Pontus when I go to interview for that job at the new Acte's Burgers."
"You could've just asked me, son," Paul said.
"Yeah, I know," Percy said with a shrug. "But, I figured since Poseidon knows the owner, he might be able to give me a few hints on how to win him over. If it were any other job, I'd have gone to you."
He pretended not to notice the way Poseidon winced at that. Percy was trying to give his biological father a chance but he knew without a doubt that he would never see Poseidon as a real father, not in the way Paul was.
The tension in the air shifted, as Paul happily gave him a few pointers as he headed to the kitchen. At least Paul was satisfied with the truth. Poseidon's stiff shoulders and guarded expression, however, told Percy that they needed to have a serious heart-to-heart.
(***)
Acte's Burger Interviewing Q and A:
Q: Why do you want a career at Acte's Burger?
Leo: Money.
Nico: To unionize the workers, man.
Percy: I think it will be a wonderful experience.
Frank: I love the uniforms.
Q: What do you consider your best quality?
Percy: I'm a real people person.
Nico: I don't answer stupid questions.
Frank: I speak French.
Leo: My eyes. And my butt.
Q: Name something about yourself that you consider to be a weakness.
Frank: I love chocolate.
Leo: I'm a fire hazard.
Nico: I'm brutally honest, pinhead.
Percy: I allow people to boss me around.
Q: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Percy: Acte's Burger.
Frank: Hopefully not being deported.
Leo: Rock star.
Nico: Prison.
(***)
Voices could be heard coming from the Chase's backyard as Percy made his way over hoping to fix his earlier mistake. Hopefully Annabeth's offer was still on the table and he wouldn't have to beg for her forgiveness. He paused, one foot hovering over the ground as he thought about Annabeth just forgiving him. Nah, he was going to have to beg or she'd dropkick him back over her fence.
From outside the Chase's fence, he overheard Fred and Marybai Chase instructing their daughter on how to behave. The usual, no parties, no boys. Percy hoped he could be an exception to that rule.
"You have a responsibility, Annabeth, to watch Harley Valdez," Marybai was saying. "You promised his parents that you could handle him."
Fred waved his hand in the air. "Yeah, yeah. But most importantly, no boys. They only want one thing and it is a dirty, dirty thing." He glanced over when Percy entered their backyard and he smiled happily. "Looking sharp, Perce. You gonna be around this weekend?"
Percy furrowed his brow as he tried to decide whether he should answer honestly or not. "Yes, sir."
"Good," Fred said, slapping him on the back. "Make sure no guys are hanging around Annabeth. Capisce?"
As Percy contemplated whether or not he should be offended by that, Fred and Marybai went back inside their house, leaving Percy alone with Annabeth. He turned to her with a sheepish smile and timid shrug of his shoulders.
"So," he hedged. "I got the job. Not that the guys put up much of a competition."
Annabeth just stared at him, unblinking. He swallowed thickly, fighting the urge to squirm under her gaze.
"I work Saturday night, so I'll probably miss your party," Percy explained. "But, if you want I could swing by after work. It'll probably be after everyone's left, though."
Gray eyes shifted away from his face as Annabeth pursed her lips in thought. When those eyes shifted back to meet his sea-green eyes, they were filled with hesitant excitement. "Well, um, you know... If I'm still up I can leave the light on for you."
The lopsided grin that crossed his face caused Annabeth to smile a small smile.
"Sounds good. Yeah," she said as she struggled to keep her smile from getting any bigger.
She made her way to her back door while Percy slowly made his way back to his house.
(***)
It didn't take Percy long to find out that having a job meant having no social life.
On Monday, Annabeth had asked him to hang out with her at the reservoir. He'd answered, "Nope, I gotta work."
On Tuesday, Annabeth invited him to meet up with everyone at the Hub. He'd answered, "Nope, I gotta work."
On Wednesday, Annabeth proposed that they go to the movies. He'd answered, once again, "Nope, I gotta work."
On Thursday, Annabeth told him that she got a new bikini that she wanted to model for him. He'd regretfully answered, "Nope, I gotta go to work."
Now, on Friday, he was mopping the floors at Acte's Burger. When the bell over the door rang, Percy prayed to every deity he could think of that they would just kill him now and save him from the embarrassment he knew was coming. He stood facing his friends who all wore matching shit-eating grins.
"Here, here," Nico announced loudly, "my minimum wage friend, I demand service!"
Percy fought the urge to beat his friend with the mop, knowing fully well that Nico would just kick his ass. Instead, he begrudgingly greeted them, "Welcome to Acte's Burger, how may I serve you?"
Jason leaned against the wall and shook his head sadly. "That is so pathetic, Burger Boy."
"That's Burger Man to you, sir," Percy corrected.
The blond chuckled as Leo and Will sat down at one of the nearby tables. "I just can't believe they didn't hire me," Leo was complaining. "Bet you it's 'cause I'm latino! Racist fuckers."
Will groaned as though he'd heard this same complaint all week. He probably had. Just before Nico could say anything mean and sarcastic to Leo, Will tried, "If you worked here, you wouldn't see me whenever I wanted you to, Lover."
Leo instantly forgot what he'd been angry about and leaned over to kiss his boyfriend. When he turned to ask Reyna something, Will and Nico shared an exasperated look. Percy did a double-take. Since when were those two on the same page?
One look at Jason told him that he'd missed a lot in the one week he'd been away at work.
(***)
Saturday came and Annabeth found herself sitting in her backyard with Nico and Jason. Reyna had disappeared with Harley when he'd informed her that he could make some terrifying-looking armor for her two Russian wolfhounds, Argentum and Aurum. Piper and Hazel were lying on the ground a few feet away whispering to one another and occasionally pointing up at the sky.
A single voice started chanting "Toga! Toga! Toga!" as the owner of the voice entered the backyard.
The group turned their heads to find an embarrassed Will Solace following Leo who was dressing in nothing but a shower curtain. It was clear that Leo was already three sheets to the wind. In his hands was a case of beer.
"Man, you're supposed to get drunk at the party," Jason admonished. "What if a cop stopped you?" He paused. "Wait, how the hell did the cops not stop you?"
Will threw his hands up in the air. "I know right? He's been shouting 'toga' at the top of his lungs for the past hour! Either everyone in this podunk town is deaf or we have some of the laziest cops, ever."
"Oh, yeah, our cops don't give a shit," Nico agreed as he grabbed a beer from Leo's six-pack.
Jason took the six-pack from Leo and tossed two to Hazel and Piper before taking one for himself. Annabeth leaned over and grabbed the last two. She held one out to Will who made a face at it.
Nico rolled his eyes. "Just drink, Sunshine."
"Do you know what alcohol does to your liver? It's toxic and…" Will started lecturing.
With a groan, Leo decided the only way to hush his boyfriend was to flop bodily onto him. The two of them went down before Will could get too far into his mantra. When the two finally untangled themselves and stood up, Nico shoved a beer into Will's hands.
"Do us all a favor and get wasted," Jason encouraged. "No offense, man."
They all opened their beers as Leo took off into the house in search of more alcohol. Will looked hesitantly at where Leo had disappeared to.
"I should really keep an eye on him," Will said even as he stayed in place.
"Or," Hazel suggested from where she was lying near his feet, "you can come make up constellations with me and Piper?"
Will shrugged as he took a seat.
The back door opened a few seconds later and a miniature Leo Valdez came running out with his hair on fire. What the gang could only assume was Harley Valdez ran around shouting as Reyna slowly made her way out the door with a small bowl filled with water. As Harley ran by her, she grabbed a hold of his collar and dumped the bowl of water over his head.
Leo's laughter floated out after them as he made fun of his little brother.
"Being a Valdez and being on fire just go hand-in-hand. You should be used to it by now," Reyna admonished.
Harley pouted as he stomped back into the house.
"Why was Little Leo on fire?" Frank asked. He had silently entered the Chase's backyard while Harley had been on fire.
Nico and jason leapt a good foot in the air out of surprise. A few curses fell from Nico's mouth as he waited for his heartbeat to return to normal. Jason's hand had reared back in a fist ready to strike but, luckily for Frank, he relaxed when he saw who had surprised him.
The girls lying next to Will burst into giggles as Reyna snorted. Jason blushed as he quickly sat back down; Nico grumbled before sitting in a lawn chair facing the backyard entrance.
A few minutes pass as the group talked, before Annabeth huffed. "This party sucks."
Nico smirked. "You know what'll make you feel better? Scrawny, little neighbor boy. Why don't you take off; go see him. I'll watch the kids, huh?"
She smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Nico."
Jason belched before adding, "And don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't kill anyone."
"Thanks, Superman," Annabeth added with a laugh.
(***)
The bell over the door rang as Sally entered Acte's Burger. She saw her son smiling tiredly at the counter and knew it had been a good idea to stop by after her shift.
"Welcome to Acte's Burger, how may I serve you?" Percy said with a monotone.
Sally looked around. "Honey, it's me?"
"I know, I have to say that," Percy explained with a sigh.
She sat the bag in her hands down on one of the tables as she regarded her son sympathetically. "Oh, okay. I just got off and I'd bring you some nice hot soup. With oyster crackers!"
Percy leaned over the counter as he sighed in relief. "Oh, thank God, something to eat!"
"So, how's it going?"
"It's great," Percy said cheerfully.
She tried again, "So, how's it going?"
"It's terrible!" Percy whined. "I'm behind on homework and I think this polyester uniform is giving me a rash."
Sally tousled her son's hair affectionately before continuing, "I swept the driveway for you." As Percy started apologizing, she added, "Oh, hush. You know what? I'll do this, you take a seat and eat your soup." She started picking up garbage from one of the tables while Percy followed his mother's instructions. After a minute, she told him, "If you want to quit, honey, your father and I will understand."
Percy swallowed another bite of soup. "I can't just do that, not after I talked Poseidon into helping me get this job. He'll think I'm ungrateful or something."
"Oh, who cares what that salty, old sailor thinks? If he hates you for something as trivial as this then he's not worth your time, sweetheart," Sally advised. "Also, I'm going to kill him when I see him again for trying to make my baby grow up too fast."
Percy laughed just as Pontus came out of his office.
"Jackson, who said you were on break?" he shouted.
Sally stood up straight and put her hands on her hips. "I did."
"And who are you?"
"His mother," her tone was challenging.
Pontus immediately backtracked. "Good enough."
(***)
At Annabeth's party, Will finally managed to track down Leo who was now clad only in his underwear. He sighed heavily as he led Leo into an empty room where they could talk privately. The room seemed to be Fred and Marybai's, if the waterbed was anything to go by.
"Look, Leo," Will tried.
Leo interrupted him when he ran and bounced onto the waterbed. "Ahoy, Will, welcome aboard the U.S.S. Leo."
There was a tense moment as Will resisted the urge to smack himself. "Leo, sometimes I think you're a real screw up. One day, I want a house and kids and maybe a nice chandelier. But if you can't give me those things, Leo, then I think this," he gestured between them, "is a big waste of time."
He sat down to continue his spiel but he quickly stood back up again.
"Something feels wet," he said bluntly.
Leo furrowed his brow. "Um, you may want to have that looked at because that's not what a dick is supposed to…"
Will slapped his boyfriend. "No, you idiot, the waterbed is leaking. What on earth did you do to pop it?"
His boyfriend shrugged as he stood and ushered them out of the room. "Just don't say anything, I'm sure they won't notice."
"I'm dating a doofus."
"You love me, though," Leo said with a cocky smile.
Will just stared at him for a long moment.
Leo paused. "Right?"
"I'm thinking," Will said seriously.
(***)
When Annabeth finally made it to Acte's Burger, Sally had long since left and Percy was sure he was about to die of boredom.
"Wise Girl," Percy said, smiling. "I mean, welcome to Acte's Burger - aw, screw it. What are you doing here?"
She shrugged nonchalantly in response. "I was bored."
Percy smile was a bit lopsided. "You left your own party to come see me?"
"Wasn't much of a party without you there," Annabeth admitted before she had time to really think about what she was saying.
A beat of silence, then, "You're weird."
Annabeth threw a straw at him. "Shut up! Look, Seaweed Brain, the whole reason I told you my parents were going away was so that we could hang, together," she leaned in conspiratorially, "you know, alone."
"I know, Wise Girl," he stated. "I'm sorry, Annabeth, I would love to come over, but this is my job. It's work and work isn't fun, you know? And only quitters quit or something like that."
She nodded slowly and pursed her lips. "Okay, as long as you think it's important. See ya, Percy."
Hearing her use his real name made his heart constrict painfully in his chest. As she walked out the door and headed back home, Percy let his head hit the counter. He was so over this job.
(***)
Later that night, Percy found himself in the Chase's backyard staring at their back porch light that glowed like a beacon in the night. He hoped that Annabeth would forgive him for his recent string of stupid acts. If she called him Percy again, he was sure it would kill him.
His fist hovered over the door just as it opened. The light above them illuminated Fred Chase's face as he smiled down at Percy.
"Mr. Chase!" Percy said with forced cheerfulness. "You're home. How great."
Fred laughed. "Eh, came back early. Missed our baby girl too much. What are you doing here?"
Percy thought hastily for an excuse. "Oh, uh, I was just coming home from work and I noticed that someone left the porch light on." It wasn't exactly a lie.
"Can't even see that from your house," Fred said, looking impressed. "Good eye."
"Thanks?" Percy said. He was constantly baffled by how oblivious Mr. Chase could be, especially since the man was supposedly a professor. "Anyways, um, I'm gonna just go. Good night, then."
Mr. Chase stepped back and closed the door. A second later and the light shut off. Just as Percy was turning away, though, he heard the door swing open again. He turned to find Annabeth smiling at him. "Good night, Seaweed Brain."
"Good night, Wise Girl," he returned with a grin before heading back home.
(***)
When Percy entered his house, he found Paul sitting on the couch in the living room reading a magazine. They nodded towards each other by way of greeting one another.
"I'm quitting my job," Percy blurted out.
Paul looked up from his magazine again. "Alright."
"Shouldn't you say I'm a quitter? I'm irresponsible? I couldn't kill the cow with a hammer?"
"What?" Paul looked at him in bewilderment.
Percy stopped to think where he'd heard that last one. "Sorry, Poseidon was talking about his first job at a slaughterhouse." He shuddered. "Also, could we not eat any beef for awhile?"
"Everyone quits their first job, son," Paul explained. "It's no big deal."
With a shrug, Percy headed to the stairs with every intent of going to sleep but something made him pause. He turned back to face his stepfather. "Dad, you know Poseidon could never replace you, right? Like, I know he's my biological father and all… But I don't think I'll ever see him as my actual dad. You were the one that raised me and taught me everything I know, not him."
When he finished, he headed up the stairs only to pause halfway up when he heard Paul call after him, "Love you, Son."
"Love you, too, Dad."
Sally came out of the kitchen where she'd been eavesdropping. "Well, wasn't that sweet?"
Paul grunted. "Well, his job was starting to cut into his chores anyway. He did a half-assed job sweeping the driveway."
His head shot up when a dish towel smacked him in the face.
"I thought he did a wonderful job!" Sally said adamantly before stomping out of the room.
Percy slowly walked back down the stairs having heard his parent's conversation. "Dad, Mom swept the driveway for me."
"Oh, crap."
Acte was one of the Horae goddesses and is the goddess of eating and pleasure. It was the best I could do, sorry I know it was kind of stupid but whatever:P What'd y'all think of Harley? He'll probably show up again 'cause I think he's the cutest little psychopath:) Hope y'all enjoyed!