Percy Jackson was not someone who got nervous easily. He was not someone who got a pit in their gut just by the thought of what the future may hold. Granted, Percy didn't try to dwell on his future as he never knew what was going to happen. Walking into the unknown was something that he did every day. The best plan was to not even have one. He always just winged his problems.
Today was an exception. He had been thinking about this for a month now, ever since he applied. Percy didn't think he would get the job. For one, he didn't have any actual management experience. Also, his degree was in marine biology. It had been useless so far, and he hadn't been able to find a better job. Until now. While Percy would rather take advantage of his degree and work with sea animals, he was halfway there. Customers could be animals sometimes.
Okay. Assistant manager of a store wasn't exactly his dream job, but it paid pretty well. He got around fifty thousand dollars a year after taxes. It was much better than being a cart pusher, cashier, and everything else under the sun. All with minimum wage. There was also the other situation at his old job, but he wouldn't think about it.
As Percy pulled off of the highway, his eyes glanced at his phone. The message from Thalia stood out, and his gut twisted at the thought of being late. Percy wanted to make a good first impression, and he had stayed up all night tossing, turning, and going over his texts from Thalia. He wanted to be ready and prepared. Instead, he slept in.
Percy was going to get fired on his first day. How was this going to happen to him? He had been so happy to start this new job, and he already ruined it. Percy swallowed painfully and forced his eyes to stay on the road. Hopefully, Thalia could cover for him. They had gotten each other out of plenty of sticky situations before.
Percy's eyes focused on the sign for his new job: Gracchus Co. He let out a shaky breath as he stopped at the stoplight. His eyes moved to the left to see if any cars were coming, and his heart dropped as he saw the other store across the street. That was his old store, and his heart ached at the thought of it.
That old store gave him some great memories but also bitter ones. Percy couldn't and wouldn't focus on it now. He had to make up for his mistake. Percy pulled into the parking lot and tried to think. Should he park close to the front door, or should he park away from it? If he parked close, wouldn't that be taking a spot away from a customer?
It would let him be closer to the door though. And, he really needed to get inside. Percy gritted his teeth and parked towards the end of the lot. He parked next to Thalia's motorcycle, even though she was going to yell at him for it.
Percy jumped out of his car and closed the door. He ran towards the front doors of the store. If someone was timing him, Percy was pretty sure that he broke some kind of world record in sprinting, but he should have been faster than that. Percy stopped at the door and let out a few deep breaths. He did his best to fix his clothes.
For his first day, Percy was wearing a dress shirt and slacks. He tried to wear a tie but couldn't get it to work. There was no time to stop by his mother's house for help with the tie since he slept in late. How could Percy be such an idiot? Of all the days to sleep in, why this one?
Percy finally managed to calm his breathing, and he stepped into the store. It took him a few moments to look around. His eyes moved to the carts that were near the entrance. To his right was the customer service desk. In front of him were the registers. Only two people were working so far. One of them was working the self-checkout machines, and another was working the other register. They both wore blue jeans and a purple shirt. That made Percy feel even more overdressed.
Now, he needed to figure out how to find the assistant manager. Percy turned his head and saw a flash of movement. A hand grabbed his shoulder, and nails dug into his skin. Percy almost yelped and looked at Thalia. His cousin gave him a piercing glare.
"Perseus Jackson, I am going to kick your ass," Thalia hissed. "What are you doing?"
"I overslept," Percy began. He looked down. "I know I messed up. How mad is the other manager?"
"Reyna was in a foul mood when she arrived today. I know she didn't get enough sleep, and I think she hurt her shoulder or something. She keeps rubbing it," Thalia said.
"How long have you been staring at her to know that?" Percy questioned. Thalia hit his shoulder hard. "Hey! Don't wrinkle the dress shirt."
"And don't be late," Thalia snapped. "Come on."
Percy held his hands up and followed behind his cousin. Thalia led him through a door and into a long hallway. Percy stared at the ground as he followed behind. He spoke softly, "I screwed up so bad. I'm sorry."
"It happens," Thalia said. "I'll tease you about it later, but we have to smooth this over."
"How are we going to do that?" Percy whispered. Thalia didn't answer as they passed by a man. Percy moved his eyes to the side. Even though they were inside a building, the man was wearing sunglasses. He was almost as tall as Percy but much skinnier, like a scarecrow. Blue eyes looked Percy up and down.
"Is this our new assistant manager?" the man questioned. He also wore blue jeans and a shirt. Now that Percy was closer, he could see the purple shirt had the logo of the store, a crown of wreaths, that was wrapped around the name of the store. Yeah. Percy was overdressed. He was overdressed, late, and just wanted to throw himself into the freezer.
"I am," Percy said after a few moments. He held out his hand. The blonde man shook it and just stared into his eyes. Percy felt a little uncomfortable, but he didn't say anything.
"This is Octavian. He is the head of HR," Thalia said. From the look on her face, she didn't like Octavian. "We were just going to see Reyna."
"She's in a foul mood today," Octavian commented. He turned around and walked into the office. "I will look for you later, Perseus. We have some paperwork to go over. After you have the grand tour. And if Reyna doesn't throw you in the baler first."
Octavian closed the door before Percy could process the words. It took him a moment to look at his cousin and open his mouth. Thalia nodded.
"Wait. Your assistant manager, the woman you have a crus-".
Thalia's hand shot over his mouth, and she dug her nails into his face. Percy made a noise of pain and shoved her hand away. Thalia grabbed his jaw, "Do not go announcing that for everyone to hear. Do you know how many people know about this?"
"Not many," Percy assumed. Thalia let go of his face and continued to walk. Percy followed behind her.
"Me, myself, and I. That's it," Thalia hissed. "Just me."
"Also me. You kind of gush about her all the time," Percy said. Thalia stopped walking and turned on him.
"I will castrate you. Do you understand that? I will castrate you and kill you if you say another word," Thalia threatened. Percy wasn't scared by many people in his life, but he had seen Thalia take out men twice her size. She also carried around a can of mace that she was not afraid to use.
"Thals, you forgot one important detail. I am the ultimate wingman. I am going to get you and Reyna together so help me God. I promise you," Percy said. Thalia looked at him and smiled slightly. Percy smiled back.
"Hey Perc, I'm sorry it didn't work out with Annabeth," Thalia began. Percy lost his smile. Thalia grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it. "I know it probably doesn't help much, but she does miss you. She kept texting me asking when you were starting."
"Yeah," Percy muttered. He looked away. Annabeth Chase had been his best friend and secret crush for years. Then, she got a boyfriend because Percy was too scared to share his feelings with her. That boyfriend proposed a few years later, and Percy just stood there. He just stood by and watched the love of his life be engaged to another man.
"It's cool. I moved on," Percy said. He was moving on. Step one was to leave his old job. He had spent years there just to be with Annabeth. Percy stayed at a crappy job with worse pay and almost as many responsibilities as the manager. It was time he got paid what he was worth.
"Yeah," Thalia said. She gripped Percy's shoulder and led him towards an office. The door was already open. Thalia knocked on the door anyway. "Reyna, I brought you a gift."
Percy took a moment to fix his hair, which was immediately followed by Thalia pushing it back to how it had been. Percy spared her a glance, fixed his shirt, and then stepped into the office. He studied the woman that sat at the desk. Obsidian eyes stared back at him.
Percy, once again, felt overdressed. Compared to him, the other woman, Reyna, wore a purple jacket. It had her name stitched onto it. A coffee cup was in her hands, and she was sitting back in her chair. Reyna placed her cup down and stood. She extended her hand.
"I'm Reyna. You must be Perseus Jackson. It's nice to finally meet you," Reyna greeted. Percy studied her. Was this an insult? Was Reyna giving him a backhanded insult? Percy was overreacting. He felt like he was overreacting. Percy really needed to calm down.
"He had car trouble."
"I overslept."
Percy and Thalia looked at each other. So, Percy felt like he was right about the backhanded insult thing. He also appreciated Thalia trying to help him, but she didn't need to lie for him. This was the worst first impression that he could make.
Reyna studied both of them for a moment. There was no emotion on her face, "Well Perseus, do me a favor. Get your car fixed after work today so it doesn't happen again."
"It won't," Percy promised quickly. "And please call me Percy. The only one who calls me by my real name is my mother, and that's when I'm in trouble."
"He's always in trouble," Thalia commented. Percy side-eyed her with an annoyed glint in his eyes. "Promise to take care of him. I should get back to work."
"You should," Reyna agreed. Thalia winced and backed away. Then, she turned and left the office. Reyna motioned to the chair opposite her. Percy sat down and studied his fellow assistant manager.
"Let me finish checking my emails. Then, I'll give you the tour," Reyna said. Percy nodded and sat back in the chair. It only took him a few seconds to start fidgeting. Sitting in a chair and doing nothing did not bode so well for his ADHD. If Reyna was bothered by the constant movements, she didn't say a word.
Hours, well three minutes and twenty-two seconds but it felt like hours, passed. Percy found himself examining everything on the desk. There was a half-finished coffee cup and Reyna's laptop. There was also a single picture that he couldn't quite see. It had to be a picture of a family member or maybe a boyfriend. Well, for Thalia's sake it better be a girlfriend. There was no ring on Reyna's finger which was the most important thing.
"Tell me about where you used to work," Reyna said as she closed her laptop. She stood and grabbed a backpack. A small wince came to her face, and she lifted it. Reyna handed the backpack off to Percy. He slowly took it. "Your company laptop, a few shirts, and some paperwork are inside."
"My own laptop," Percy repeated. He smiled slightly. Reyna walked out of her office and towards the office opposite of them. She flipped on the lights. Percy stared at the empty room. "Is this mine?"
"It is," Reyna answered. "Tell me, Percy. What did you do before this job?"
"I worked across the street," Percy began. A look passed through Reyna's eyes, but Percy couldn't quite catch it. He knew there were plenty of jokes about the two stores being rivals, and there would only be one winner when one store made a second building in the ashes of the other. It was just jokes though. He hoped.
"What did you do there?" Reyna asked, and the look disappeared. Percy looked away and focused on the room. There were a few filing cabinets, a desk, a chair, and a few handbooks.
"In high school, I started as a cart pusher. I worked my way up to cashier, then the returns desk, and even to watch the front lanes at night sometimes," Percy said. "My title was still officially cart pusher."
"Did you get paid extra at all?" Reyna asked. Percy shook his head. "Hmm. Sounds like they took advantage of you."
"It wasn't like that," Percy defended. "I never asked for a raise or anything."
"Why should you have to ask?" Reyna questioned. Percy didn't answer. He just set the backpack down and looked around at the office. His office. "Did you ever help with stocking the floor?"
"If they ever needed help," Percy replied. He followed Reyna out of the office and down the hall. "I'm not completely familiar with all of it, but I'm sure I can pick up on it."
Percy couldn't tell what Reyna thought about him, and it was starting to make him nervous. The two of them stepped out of the hallway and onto the main floor. Percy shifted and tried to get over his nervousness, "What's with the uniforms? It seems a little casual."
"It's a form of unity," Reyna said with a slight shrug. Percy noticed that one of her shoulders moved more than the other, and he felt like Thalia was starting to rub off on him. "And our store manager feels that none of her underlings should look better than her."
"Does she wear a jacket and jeans every day?" Percy asked. Reyna nodded. "Oh. In that case, I feel a little overdressed."
Reyna didn't say anything. She just led Percy towards a woman. The woman was standing next to a rolling cart full of candy. There was a small frown on her face. As they stopped by her, she quickly turned towards them.
"Percy, meet Hazel. She is our morning manager for the front of the store," Reyna said. Percy examined the woman in front of him. She was shorter than him, and her curly brown hair seemed to bounce around her shoulders. Her eyes almost seemed to be a golden color. "And also the kindest person here."
"I'm not the kindest person here," Hazel said with a small blush on her dark skin. "That's Frank. It's nice to meet you, Percy."
Percy shook Hazel's hand and smiled. Thalia had briefed him on everyone who worked there, but it was all one jumbled mess in Percy's head. Percy spoke, "If you're the morning manager, do we have one for the nighttime?"
"Her name is Gwendolyn," Reyna replied. "When they are off, we have a few cashiers who act as back up, but the assistant manager for the day will handle the cash."
"Does the store manager come in when we are off?" Percy questioned. Reyna didn't answer. A small frown came to Percy's face.
"Reyna never takes a day off," Hazel said. The look that Reyna gave the younger woman was piercing, but Hazel didn't seem to notice. "I think Lupa made her take a few days off against her will."
"We should move on," Reyna groaned. She turned on her heel and started to walk. Percy waved at Hazel, and she waved back. Percy hurried and followed after Reyna. They walked away from the lanes and towards the clothing section.
"We have two managers for upfront, but every other department only has one manager," Reyna said. Her gaze was focused ahead. That made Percy nervous. He knew that he had already made a bad first impression. Ever since that last question of his, he felt like more words would just dig him into a deeper hole.
The two of them walked towards a cart full of clothes. A woman was digging through the cart and setting clothes up on racks. Her brown hair was thrown over one shoulder, and her blue eyes focused on the cart. Upon seeing their shoes, her eyes flickered up. Then, a grin broke out on her face.
"Percy!" Silena called. She rushed towards Percy and wrapped him in a hug. Percy smiled and hugged her back. "What are you doing here?"
"I guess we're both traitors now," Percy joked. He had worked with Silena for two years at his old store. She had gotten a better job across the street, and while all of them were happy for her, they kept joking that she was a traitor.
"I'm the original one. You're just a copycat," Silena teased. She looked at Reyna. "How are you doing today, Reyna?"
"Fine," Reyna answered. Silena smiled at her. "It seems like you two already know each other. Silena is the manager over our clothing sections and beauty. If you have a fashion-related question, she is the person you go to."
"I have helped Percy dress a few times," Silena stated. Reyna didn't smile, which only made Percy feel worse. If Silena couldn't get Reyna to smile, the woman had to be in a foul mood. Silena looked at both of them. "Reyna, do you want me to finish showing Percy around? I know you have a lot of work."
"I can handle it," Reyna declined. Silena nodded and shot Percy a sympathetic look.
"You two have fun, and when you have free time Percy, we're going to find Beckendorf," Silena promised.
"We better," Percy shot back. He smiled at Silena and then followed Reyna away. Before they could get twenty feet away, Reyna's radio crackled. A voice spoke, "Hey Reyna, can I get you up at the front?"
"Just a moment," Reyna said into the radio. She pivoted, and Percy almost ran into her. Reyna walked towards the front. She spared a glance back at him. "I don't like to be called unless it's something important or something they can't handle. So, this is probably going to make our day worse. Let's hope for the best."