.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Of Corporate Scandals
Chapter 28. Permits to Alter The Skyline
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
"Goddamnit," Annabeth muttered as she hit refresh once more on her laptop. Her Columbia school email loaded and displayed (0) New Messages In Inbox. Considering how all school emails had ceased being sent to her a few weeks ago, she shouldn't have expected anything more. She thought that maybe, just maybe, she would receive an email from the Dean saying that they made a horrible mistake halting her classes and she could resume attending immediately.
But, alas, she did it anyway.
She slammed her laptop shut before pushing herself out from Percy's desk, and surveyed his office, searching for something else to do. She hadn't been avoiding work, it's just that there was no work to avoid, well, at least all the work there was to do from the safety of Percy's office. She had already filed, scheduled, and organized every form, meeting, and contract for the next few weeks, but there was no way Annabeth was going to venture out in the rest of the floor and do work out there, not where the other workers would stare at her.
But, of course she wasn't hiding. Just...avoiding any unnecessary uncomfortable encounters. Annabeth would 100% always choose being holed up doing menial tasks from behind the protection of Percy's frosted glass office doors over the awkward, tight conversations with her co-workers in the break room. Then, those frosted glass doors opened.
"Hey, babe,"
"Hi," Annabeth greeted Percy, not looking up from the pencil fort she was now constructing on Percy's desk.
Percy endearingly tugged on one of her ringlets before sliding onto the desk in front of her destroying her pencil fort.
"Hey!" Annabeth protested, looking up to glare at him.
"Sorry, I want to show you something," Percy swept the remains of her fort into his desk drawer, a wide grin plastered on his face.
"You're in a good mood," Annabeth noticed as she began to reconstruct her majestic pencil fort on the side of the desk that Percy wasn't sitting on.
"Yeah, I am, but — wait, why are you working in here? Did you see another spider by your desk?"
"No," she huffed, "Well, actually yes, let's go with that."
Percy shot her a look, "Anyway—"
"Oh! I almost forgot," Annabeth stood up, "Grover dropped off a stack of resumés and some forms, but I wasn't sure which project they were for—"
"Annabeth, please," Percy said, grasping her hands, "I'm trying to tell you something."
"Sorry," she pecked him on the lips, "I'm listening."
"Okay, well, to answer your question, I did get those documents from Grover and that's kinda what my news is about," Percy reached across his desk to his bag and pulled out a manila folder, handing it to Annabeth.
Annabeth took it from him and tentatively opened it. Percy watched her eyes scan the papers in front of her.
"These are... building permits," Annabeth glanced at Percy as she stood in front of him
"Yeah," Percy grinned, excitedly, prompting her on, "And?"
"...And we have city approval to build something?" Annabeth answered, not knowing where her boyfriend was going with this.
"Keep reading."
"It says we have the permits to build on a lot a few blocks down...no more than seven-hunred feet...Is Open Seas going to start a new construction project?"
"Yes!"
Annabeth looked at Percy, not really knowing what reaction he wanted from her, "Is this an new office building?"
Percy was still beaming, "Yes, we're building a new Open Seas Tower that's seventy stories, that's tall enough to alter the skyline. It's being built from the ground up from scratch, completely original. And Annabeth," Percy took both of her hands in his. "I want you to design it."
The folder slipped from Annabeth's hand, papers fell and scattered around the floor.
Percy continued, ignoring the fallen papers, "And not only that, if it goes well, I got permission from my dad to start a design department to oversee this project and any new ones. I want you to be the head of it, I want you to be Open Seas' new head architect."
Annabeth pulled her hands out of his grasp, "Percy, I—"
"I've been dying to tell you since you got to quit your classes, and—"
"Wait—"
"What? Aren't you excited, Wse Girl? We should honestly go out and celebrate—"
"Percy, this is amazing, but I can't accept this."
"What do you mean?"
Annabeth shocked her head, bending to pick up the papers she dropped, "I haven't even graduated from my masters program. I haven't touched my designs since I forced to quit school. I haven't even taken the boards, I'm not qualified for this!" Annabeth gripped the permits, creasing the papers in her hands.
Percy stood, "None of that matters, Annabeth. You don't need a degree, I trust you with this project. If you really want your degree, I'll have my dad call Dean Hestia and I'm sure we can—"
"Stop, Percy." She pulled away.
Percy looked at her, his voice quiet, "Is this not making you happy?"
Annabeth turned away, shuffling the permits on his desk, "I—It would mean quitting school officially."
Accepting this job would mean so much more. It would mean giving up. Giving up on school, earning her masters degree, making her way as an architect on merit, starting her own first.
"Annabeth, please—"
"I'll think about it."
"Just—"
"I need time to think about it, okay?" Annabeth turned to him, holding the paper out.
Percy pushed the papers back to her, kissing her, "Take all the time you. Well, not too much time, we want to break ground by the end of summer. After you decide, sign that last page, it's your contract."
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Annabeth sat on the floor, leaning against Percy's desk, staring at the contract in front of her. Maintenance had long since turned off the rest of the lights in the office, only Percy's desk lamp illuminating the dim office.
She probably should've left ages ago, being the last person in the office. She probably should've called Percy to let her know she wouldn't make it to dinner. She probably should've done a lot of things.
It was his fault anyway, ambushing her with a life changing job opportunity. Signing a contract that would make her the head architect and senior executive of a multibillion dollar company hadn't been on her to-do list for the week.
The items that were on her agenda were throwing out all the magazines plastered with pictures of her and Percy. With Aphrodite Love's advice, publications had tired of running the same pictures of Percy and Annabeth happily in love and they'd already been replaced by another scandal in the next news cycle.
She also needed to pick up the last box of her stuff from Thalia and Luke's. All of her clothes were already in Percy's closet that he'd cleared for her. Her drafting table and rolls of blueprints were already stashed away, unused, in his dining room growing dust next to her text books.
She looked down at the contract in her hands, hoping if her stared at it long enough, it would tell her the answer.
She sighed, letting her head fall and bang against the front of his desk.
Knock, knock, knock.
Annabeth's head shot up. She was supposed to be the only one still at the office. She got to her feet, glancing through the disfigured view of the office through Percy's frosted glass doors. The entire floor was dark except for one lit cubicle on the other side, but it was bright enough to show the silhouette standing in front of the door.
"Mother?"
"Hello, Annabeth," Athena breezed into the room, dodging Annabeth's stacks of papers on the floor, "My gods, what is this mess?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you, of course."
"How did you even get up here?"
"I assumed this floor was still open, I saw a light," Athena replied, referencing the lone cubicle lit.
"Someone just probably left their desk lamp on. Besides, the building is technically closed, I shouldn't even still be here and neither should you," Annabeth said, immediately gathering her stuff.
"I was expecting a warmer welcome," Athena deadpanned, not moving, "I need to talk to you."
"Then speak."
"Alright fine," Athena's harsh gaze raked over her daughter's face, "You're going to help me destroy Open Seas and Percy Jackson."