A/N: I know, I know. Im going a bit fast for ya. I just really like the story I am making. Also, for context, it was the last day of November at the start. Starting next episode, it will be December. Specifically around Christmas.
Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan. I dont own Percy Jackson. I dont even own this idea, cause I am unoriginal. I am just putting my own spin. ENJOY!
Chapter the Third:
Percy
"Heyyo!!" Jason called through the phone. "Where you at, Perce? Its been like almost five hours since you left."
"I was studying Calc in the Library." I tried to sound as nonchalant about it as possible, maybe trying to make it seem like it was normal.
"For five hours? I know you, cuz. You cant study for more than an hour and a half. And thats with Grover's help." Jason laughed. "So who's the girl?"
"Why does it have to be a girl? Why couldn't I have been studying?" I tried to laugh it off. "Piper is a bad influence on you dude. I am about to be at the coffee shop. If you wanna know more, come in for a cup of coffee."
"You know Piper and I have a date tonight. I'll get it out of you one way or another." I could tell Jason had winked after that statement. "Tell Piper I said 'hi' when you get there. And don't let her forget a blueberry muffin when she leaves."
"Gotcha, Mr. 'Son of Zeus.'" I hung up the phone. My father was an Olympic trainee for the swim team. He had plans to go all the way to the top, hence the nickname 'Poseidon' he got in college. He and my mom had met in college during a seminar and mom describes it like a 'mutual love at first sight.' A year and 9 months later, I was born. My mother had her degree, and my father had drowned while saving a group of kids from being pushed out to sea. He was the hero I want to be. My uncles have similar nicknames too. My Uncle Zach was nicknamed Zeus for his insane speed and I don't even want to know hown Uncle Henry god nicknamed 'Hades.'
The bell on the door threw me from my thoughts as I walked through the front door of On the Line Cafe. I was greated by a exhausted looking regular and Piper gasping that I actualy showed up. "You're here. Thank the gods!" Piper shout whispered. "You know I cant bake! And you arent here 15 minutes early? Since when is Percy Jackson not 15 minutes early?"
"Since I spent four hours studying for calculus so I don't fail." I tried to play it off. I know nothing gets past Piper. She can read people like books, which is why she is Majoring in Psychology and wants to be a relationship therapist.
"You dont't spend two hours studying. Who is it?" I could almost see the gears turning in her brain. "It has to be a girl, you arent into guys. Someone you don't know..."
"It doesn't matter. I doubt I am gonna see her again. Im gonna go bake the muffins." I walked into the kitchen, my home away from home.
"Please don't forget the cakes, too!!" Piper called from up front as the bell from the door chimed.
I got to work. Cooking has always been one of my favourite hobbies. Ever since my mom started baking blue deserts, I have been in love with baking. I wonder is Annabeth likes baking? Why was I thinking about a girl I just met. I shook off the thought and set back to work. It was about 15 minutes later when I got the cakes into the ives, the muffins near finished baking when I began cleaning up. About five minutes later the timer went off and the muffins came out of the oven. I heard Piper yell as I pulled the muffins from the oven and set them on the cooling racks. I walked back toward the shop area when I heard two girls giggling.
"Panpipes, Muffins are done!" I got near the door. "Cake still has a few minutes before-" I got to the door and saw the one person I wanted to see again. I probably stared for too long, thinking back on it.
"Oh, yeah. I never got to introduce you two." Piper casually chatted. She pointed at me, "Annabeth this is-"
"The Perseus Jackson." Annabeth took a sip from her coffee, covering her cheeks that were turning pink.
"What is it with this whole 'the Percy'," I laughed. "Piper, what have you been telling people about me."
"Wait, I, whaaaaat? Since when do you two," Piper looked between us, "Know eachother."
"About 5 hours ago, Grover didnt show up to the library to help me study, so I called him, Juniper's sick by the way, and he couldn't show. Miraculously, as if the gods sent her, Annabeth overheard that I was SOL for a tutor and we studied for a bit." I couldnt help but smile at that last part. I enjoyed Annabeth's company. She is really good at telling bad jokes.
Piper lit up at this knowledge. She looked at Annabeth with eyes that could see through her like glass. "You never told me that this," Piper motioned with her hand toward me, "was the hot guy you ere studying with for FOUR hours." Piper beamed at me. "Percy. Mind if I have a word with you in the back?" Piper practically pulled me into the back room. She filled me in on the fact that Will was going to be off for the next two weeks and that Annabeth was going to be filling in. "You, and you better not screw this up, are going to be helping her out. I'll get Mr. D to rework the schedule so that its all gonna work out and you guys will be on the same shift so she has someone she knows helping her out."
"Aye, captain!" I feigned a salute. Piper handed me an apron from the rack.
"She'll need that. Ill text you two the schedules you will need." Piper grabbed my arm and i felt her nails dig in slightly. "And Perce, I swear to the gods if you hurt Annabeth in any way, I will make you not a man."
"I got the memo." I cringed at the thought of what Piper might do to me, knowing exactly what she meant.
"Let's go. Don't leave her waiting, Fish Head." Piper pushed me towards the door.
I placed the apron on the counter. "You're gonna be with me if you are covering for Will. No one covers his shift but me, usually."
Piper laughed. "That's cause he usually misses to go on dates with Your cousin."
"Who am I to get in the way of young love?" I said, possibly too dramatically.
Piper grabbed a cup of coffe and began putting cream and sugar in it. "I really appreciate you covering for Will. This is on the house." Piper clicked the lid onto the cup and passed it to Annabeth, who accepted it like it was a gift from the gods.
"Thanks, Pipes." Annabeth took a sip of the scalding hot liquid.
"No problem. Now, I have a date with Jason in an hour, so I am gonna go get ready for it." Piper closed out the register ans I logged into the system. Piper mouthed 'good luck' and winked before she walked towards the door.
"Say hi to Thalia for me!" I turned to Annabeth who was a little pink. "Isn't she great?"
"She's wicked cool." Annabeth set her coffee cup down.
"I'm surprised Jason ended up with her."
"Im surprised she ended up with Jason." We spoke in unison. "Whoah, stop that!" We started laughing.
"How come I never met you before?" Annabeth spoke quietly after recovering.
"I've only been back in New York for a few months. I was studying in SanFran for a bit, but got homesick." I poured a cup of hot chocolate and began the process of making it blue.
"That would explain it." Annabeth was focused on her coffee cup, thinking hard about something.
"Look, I am sorry if Piper said anything to embarrass you." I took a drink from my concoction. "I've known her since the sixth grade and she likes to tease me when it comes to girls. Probably because I am the only one in the friend group that has been single forever." Annabeth tensed up at that statement.
"It's alright. She has been doing the same to me since we started college. I met her and Hazel in an English class and so far I am the only one of us that hasn't had a date since like, highschool. And that date was a mistake." She looked away for a moment. It was be a touchy topic, so I didn't prod.
"Well, we are about equal then. I went on one date with a girl. RED, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, in Highschool. She's great and all, I just didn't have that kind of connection that Piper and Jason have, you know?" I dont know why I started rambling.
"Well, seems like we have rotten luck when it comes to relationships." Annabeth sighed as she stretched in her chair.
"I don't believe in luck. We just havent found the right person yet. It took my mom years and a few bad relationships to find her second love of her life. After My dad died, she married a guy named Gabe Ugliano. He was a terrible person. Abusive, too. I don't know why she married him. Maybe he was great before we moved in. After he got sent to jail, my mom met this guy, Paul Blofis-" I smiled.
"English Teacher, Paul Blofis?" Annabeth cut me off.
"Yeah. Great guy. You know him?" I was surprised to say the least.
"He was my English Teacher in highschool back in San Francisco. He left at the end of a semester to come to New York. I always wondered why he left. We had a terrible English sub after that." Annabeth cringed at the memory of the substitute.
"That's neat. Maybe he'll remember you. Anyway, they dated for a couple of years then got married my freshman year of highschool. He and my mom had my little sister Estelle the next year." I cleared my throat. Its been a while since I have been home.
"Your family sounds great." Annabeth looked down again. I could tell that she wasn't happy about something.
"Hey." I put my hand ontop of hers to attempt to comfort her. "If you got anything you need to get off your chest, I am here for you."
"Its just that my Dad and my Stepmom arent the kindest towards me. Ever since my younger brothers were born I was put on the back burner. Now I get compared to them all the time because they are smart and sporty, and have beautiful girlfriends, and its just... not a fun situation. I got out of San Francisco as fast as possible in order to get away from it. Everytime I go home during the winter I have to deal with their constant comparisons and my stepmom's incessant nagging." Annabeth shied away from my hand. She used her hands to talk alot, so I didn't misunderstand. "And everysingle time I go home, she is like 'So, Annie, when are you going to bring your boufriend home to meet the family', knowing full well that I don't have one to bring home.
"Then bring home a fake one." I offered up a solution, crude but still a solution.
"You think I haven't thought of that. The only guys I am friends with couldnt act romantic toward me if they were paid." Annabeth sipped her coffee.
"I would do it." I blurted out, Annabeth's ears turning red to match mine.
A/N: alright. This is ya boi, author-nim here. I am working on this. I have an idea for the next chapter. Its gonna be a time skip forward though. Trust me. I think you might like how its gonna start. It will be Christmas in May!!
I am trying to break my southern habit of using "y'all" cause you guys up north dont use it, as I have personally experienced.
Also! If anyone would be so kind as to leave reviews, point out any and all errors I make, or just make general suggestions. It would be greatly appreciated.
I love you all. Goodbye, for now!