Hi! This is the first chapter of my new fanfic, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of... Donuts? It's about an alternate universe where Annabeth is the president, and Percy is the first gentleman. Eventually, the normal Percy and Annabeth will wake up in this dimension, and president Annabeth/Percy will wake up in the normal dimension. They will have to deal with the sudden change and new responsibilities, all while trying to find a way back to their old dimension. The first chapter is told from the perspective of normal Percy, I hope you enjoy it! Please review!
- Summer
Percy:
Let me just tell you this. From the moment you click on this, from the moment you open this up… there is no recourse. No turning back. Everything that has happened to me recently has changed my understanding of reality. Of what it means to be a demigod, of how far we can go if we just try a little.
But mainly of reality. I'll get to that in a bit. If you're a demigod, or even if you're not - read this. It could save your life if you end up how I did.
I'm not quite sure how to start, so… I guess I'll just start from the beginning. Let me tell you about the day I got a job at a donut store.
"C'mon, Percy," I groaned. Annabeth poked me in the side. "Wake up, Seaweed Brain."
"Ah!" I jumped as I realized that my girlfriend was standing over me. "Wha- How did you get in here?" Annabeth smirked.
"It's not like the doors are locked." She was right. My cabin was open to the courtyard, the windows had been flung open so that the fresh summer air could circulate through my cabin, and I had left my screen door unlocked.
"Ok, fine. Why did you get here?" Annabeth rolled her eyes.
"Dude, remember that conversation we had two days ago?"
"Um…" I racked my brains. "No?" I said hesitantly. Annabeth raised her eyebrows.
"We talked for about thirty minutes."
"No, that doesn't sound familiar," She sighed with exasperation.
"You're so forgetful. We filled out that job application form, for a summer job. You have to go to your interview!" I nodded as it slowly came back to me.
"Ooh. Yeah, ok, I'll just be ten-"
"Five."
"Ok. Five minutes," The cold tiles stung my bare feet. Annabeth kissed me on the cheek and quickly left, closing my cabin door quietly behind her. I sighed. I didn't really want to get a summer job, but Annabeth insisted that it would look good on my resume. Within four minutes, I was dressed and ready. I was dragging a comb through my hair when Annabeth walked in. I jumped.
"I could have been naked!" I protested. She grinned.
"Do you think I would have minded?" I tried not to crack a smile while I finished brushing my hair, muttering about how dirty-minded she was. She held my hand as we walked to the Big House. Annabeth must have talked to Chiron, as there was a white Ford pickup truck parked in the gravel driveway.
"That's our ride," Annabeth said. We didn't wait for Chiron to come out, Annabeth had the keys, plus she kept insisting we were late. I didn't quite believe her, I had seen how she acted when we were actually late, and this was nothing. Annabeth jumped into the driver's seat, which was probably for the best because I didn't really know how to drive. Despite the fact that we were both eighteen, she was the only one with a driver's license.
We rolled the windows down, and the warm air smelled faintly of strawberries. I looked at Annabeth. She was so pretty, a few strands of her curly blond hair floating in the wind, her gray eyes sparkling. She was wearing a worn-out Camp-Halfblood shirt, and jean shorts. She had insisted that I dress slightly nicer, even though we were going to a Dunkin' Donuts for a job interview. I wore a plain shirt, and stiff shorts that she insisted made me look 'professional'. The car rocked back and forth as we pulled into the Dunkins, the parking lot was riddled with potholes and cracks. Annabeth pulled into a parking spot and cut the engine. She turned to look at me.
"Ok, let's review." She pulled out a sheet of paper. "These are the questions they're most likely to ask. Remember, you're trying to suck up to them as much as possible. So, why should they hire you?"
"Um…" I paused, my mind blank. "Because it's always been my dream, even when I was young, to work at a Dunkin-" Annabeth grimaced.
"No one has ever wanted to work at a Dunkin Donuts that much. Just say, your company is really successful, it would help further my experience in business or something like that. Ok, so the next question is-" she paused, checking her watch.
"Oh, gods! Now we are late! C'mon!" She shoved her paper into the glove compartment and hopped out onto the pavement. I did the same. I pushed open the door, and the strong scent of sugar and coffee hit me. The tile floor was sticky, our shoes made a quiet crackling noise every time we took them off the floor. A woman wearing a grease-stained apron came out to meet us.
"You must be the new applicant," she said, her tone uninterested. I nodded awkwardly. "Come this way," she said, her voice monotone. I followed her to a small, rickety office. I glanced at Annabeth while I walked down the hallway. She met my eyes and mouthed 'good luck!' to me. I sat down on the other side of a wobbly desk. The spinning chair creaked as I sat down. The woman shuffled some papers on her desk and took out a clipboard.
"Ok. Let's begin. What is your full name?" I cleared my throat.
"Um. Percy- I mean, Perseus Jackson," I tried not to wince at how I had stumbled. She stared at me for a second before jotting it down.
"What can you tell me about this company, Perseus?" she asked. I drew a blank, my mind empty.
"You…" I couldn't think. "You sell donuts? And coffee?" The woman narrowed her eyes at me.
"Ok. Fine. Why should I hire you?" I knew that I should know this. We had just gone over it, but I couldn't-
"Because it's always been my dream to work at Dunkin' Donuts," I blurted out.
"Are you mocking me?" the woman asked.
"Yes," I said automatically. "No! I mean-"
"Ok, that's about all I need. Please leave." I knew that now wasn't the time to argue. I nodded, trying to salvage what was left of my dignity, and walked out of the room.
