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Of Corporate Scandals

Chapter 34. Mis(take/understanding)

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The door shut with a gentle click as Calypso prowled into Percy's office, clutching the envelope full of incriminating invoices tightly in her hands.

"Hmm, where will Percy find these?" She muttered to herself as she stalked behind the desk. She smirked as she saw the hastily put away work of Annabeth's filing still sprawled across the desk. Calypso lifted up the corner of a binder and shoved the manila folder under it so more than half was peeking out - not obvious, but easily seen. "Oh Annabeth, you really should be more careful with the type of important files you just leave around," Calypso sighed happily to herself.

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"Morning, Mr. Jackson," the doorman greeted, tipping his hat.

"Good morning," Percy greeted, distracted, "Has Miss Chase arrived this morning yet?" He cleared his throat, trying to appear nonchalant.

The doorman shot Percy a confused looked. Since moving in together, Percy and Annabeth arrived to work together for the past few weeks, "Ah, I haven't seen Miss Chase yet this morning, but reception can let you know if she's swiped into the building."

Percy nodded, muttering a quick thanks before going up to the front desk, "Hey, Lacey."

"Good morning, Mr. Jackson, what can I do for you?"

"Is Annabeth here yet?"

He received the same look from the receptionist that the doorman gave him.

"Um, I haven't seen her this morning, but I can check if she swiped her key card to get elevator access."

"If you would. Please."

Lacey typed and clicked away on the computer behind her. "Um, nope, she hasn't swiped in this morning. The last time she swiped was about ten o'clock last night."

Percy grimaced, so she was here last night.

"Thank you, Lacey," Percy stalked to the elevator as he pulled out his phone. He hit the first number on his speed dial. Straight to voicemail. Percy lowered his voice since he wasn't alone in the elevator, "Hey, it's me. Sorry I didn't catch you this morning. Call me as soon as you get this."

She'd come home late last night, barely talking to him before going to bed. And she was gone when he woke up. Percy ran a hand through his hair, starting to get worried.

Percy hung up just as the elevator doors opened to the twelfth floor.

As soon as he stepped into the office, he was rushed by a nervous looking intern, "Good morning, Mr. Jackson." It was the newest intern who'd taken over coffee runs, she was small with dark hair and thick-framed glasses, "I'm so so sorry, but I don't have those notes for your call this morning typed up yet, I was suppose to get them from Annabeth, but I haven't seen her yet—"

Percy stopped at the mention of her name, "Uh, you know what, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."

"Really? Are you sure? I know I was supposed—"

"Yes, positive, don't worry about it, really."

Percy didn't stick around to hear the end of her sentence. Instead, he beelined straight to his office before anyone else could stop him. He pushed opened the frosted glass doors, and immediately sighed in disappointment.

It had been a stretch of a hope, but Annabeth wasn't here either. He sank down in his chair. Annabeth was acting so weird lately, and it worried him. He glanced up at the piles of paper still strewn across his desk.

Huh, guess she was filing late last night. He leafed through the papers - just his regular schedules, meeting notes, project files. A plain envelope stuck out from a pile of building permits. It seemed out of place amongst the blue, plastic folders Annabeth usually used to file his papers.

Percy picked it up and browsed through. They seemed to be...invoices? But what for? Percy's eyes scanned the page quicker and quicker as he realized he did not recognize whatever project these invoices were for.

Percy's eyes widened as he read the records of mass amounts of money being transacted and transferred. Everything on the paper was unfamiliar, and had obscure names on it.

After scanning a few more pages, he realized they weren't even under his name. They were under Poseidon. If these were what he thought they were, years of records showing some criminal embezzling under his dad's name...Oh gods.

Percy flipped through page after page, his growing concern being why Annabeth had these. He scrambled around his desk, rummaging for his phone. He grabbed it, struggling to dial her number.

Knock, knock. Percy's door flung open, "Mr. Jackson?"

"Calypso, what are you doing here?"

"I'm back! My Uncle Atlas sent me to work for you again. I started yesterday afternoon when you left for your meeting."

"Oh, alright. Do you need anything?" Percy said, still clutching his phone and the envelope.

"Nope, just dropping in to say hi. Oh, did you need help with these papers? I could file them for you. Annabeth had me print those invoices out for her. I don't know what they are, but I could figure it out, you know, if you needed me to," Calypso said, flashing a grin and smiling.

Percy's gaze snapped to her. He clutched the papers, "Wait, these?" He held up the folder.

Calypso sauntered over to Percy's desk, and leaned against it with her hip. "Uh huh. She gave me a flashdrive and told me to just print it all," she said with a flourish.

Percy frowned, eyes raking over the documents, "Calypso, actually, could you just give me a minute."

"Alright, are you sure you don't need me?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Calypso turned on her heel and exited with a smirk.

Annabeth placed her sunglasses on top of her head as she entered the Open Seas Inc. building. She hoped to the gods that no one in the lobby stopped her as she walked straight to the elevator.

Oh gods. She was a mess: showing up to work hours late, unshowered, hair a greasy mess, clothes unkempt. The encounter with her mother had her on edge. She'd left before Percy had awakened in fear that he would see right through her with one look.

She entered the elevator, and immediately hit the "door close" button, but a hand shot in between the closing doors before she could.

"Oh hey, Annabeth!"

Annabeth feigned a weak smile, "Hi, Lacey."

"Mr. Jackson was looking for you this morning."

"Oh, really?" Annabeth grimaced, that's what she was worried about. She cleared her throat, "He must've forgotten that I, um, had a site visit this morning."

"Ooh, a site visit? Nice, for what project?"

"Um, you know, all of them."

"All of them? What—"

"Well, this is my floor, nice talking to you!"

"Annabeth, this is the ninth floor—"

Annabeth exited as soon as the doors opened. She'd never been on this floor before. The elevator opened up to a nondescript, carpeted hallway with doors on both sides. Annabeth peered into each door until she found the one she was looking for: the stairwell.

Okay, so now she had to walk up three flights of stairs, but at least now she wouldn't have to talk to anyone. With the height and expanse of the Open Seas Inc. building, no one ever took the stairs; it was the perfect place to avoid people.

Annabeth looked up at the swirling pattern of flights of stairs leading up to the twelfth floor. Might as well start walking. The click clack echo of her heels against the concrete was joined by another pair of footsteps on their way down.

"Annabeth?"

"Percy!"

"What are you doing in the staircase?"

"What are you doing in the staircase?"

"Avoiding people."

"Same."

Annabeth opened her mouth to speak, but words failed her as she looked up at her boyfriend. Percy stood a flight above, and he looked equally at a loss for words.

"Where have you been?" Percy took a step down, "Have you been avoiding me?"

As he descended the steps towards her, Annabeth's voice left her throat.

There was something wrong.

Percy's hair was all over the place, not in his usual boyish way, but the way it got when he raked his hands through his hair when he was stressed. His clothes were disheveled. He hadn't shaved this morning either.

"I—" Annabeth began, she let her foot fall back onto the step below her as Percy took another step.

The worst thing about Percy's appearance was the look in his eyes. Hurt. He was hurting, and it was because of her. She finally noticed the plain envelope clutched in his hand.

"What is this, Annabeth?" Percy's voice cracked, holding out the envelope. His voice hardened, "What the fuck is this?"

"Percy, I—" Annabeth started. Percy cut her off.

"Because it looks like invoices, that I had no idea how you even got, that could destroy this company. My company." Percy's eye flashed, he was furious.

"Percy, would you just—"

"They're yours, aren't they? I found them with your stuff. Why — why would you have papers that could ruin everything my father has worked for?"

"Percy-—" Annabeth pleaded.

"I'm not done, Annabeth." She'd never heard him say her name like that, like it left a bad taste in his mouth. "I took this shit to accounting this morning. They were tipped off about fabricated invoiced and looked it over, and these are null."

She'd never seen him look at her like that either, like the way he looked at other employees. "What were you doing here so late last night Annabeth? Planting them? How could you —"

"Goddamnit, would you listen to me?" Annabeth grabbed the envelope from his hands, "How could I?" Annabeth could feel the prick of tears behind her eyes. "I can't believe you would think—" Her voice cracked.

"My mother was here last night. She heard about your offer, and she asked me to work for her in exchange for planting these." Annabeth threw the envelope to the ground. She was crying now, "I refused. Because I wouldn't betray you like that."

"Annabeth—"

"No! It's my turn," her voice echoed in the stairwell. She felt the distance between her and Percy. "It's like you're waiting, wanting me to fail. To hurt you, to make a mistake. Everyone, my mother, the press, every goddamn employee in this entire building is just holding their breath waiting for me to fuck up."

"Annabeth, please—"

"You jumped at the chance to go at my throat, " she spat, "I'm the one who went accounting this morning and warned them to look for fabricated invoices. To make sure my mother couldn't use these. Because I wouldn't betray you like that."

Percy's face fell. He grasped for words, but none came to him.

Annabeth turned, reaching for the door to the ninth floor.

"Wait!"

"Don't, Percy. Just don't."

She turned and left.

He didn't follow.