the biggest of thank you's to everyshadedsilver who beta read this for me.
Summary
Annabeth Chase is just a 25 year old waitress trying desperately to pay her next bill and take proper care of her 13 year old younger brother. Life for her is simple, and as much as she tries to convince her otherwise, she doesn't like it that way.
Perseus "Percy" Jackson is a prominent 27 year old businessman who will do anything to inherit what was promised to him. But getting that inheritance has proved to be a lot more difficult than he'd anticipated.
With the deadline looming over his horizon, how far is he willing to go to get what's his? And how far is Annabeth willing to go to provide her brother the childhood he deserves?
An engagement contract seems a simple enough answer to their problems, but is it?
Perseus
He doesn't even like coffee. What the hell is he doing here?
"Hello, welcome to Trio's Cafe. What would you like to order?" The waitress's voice comes from somewhere to Percy's left.
He speaks into the phone. "Hold on a second." The caller on the other end of the line patiently waits as he nods at Jason to order for him.
Jason nods back to show that he understands and Percy tunes out. His attention is turned back to the task at hand, not even giving the waitress a spare glance. He's trying to land a business deal in the stead of his father. So far, the process is coming along very well, and Percy doesn't want anything to change that.
Call him superstitious, he doesn't care.
"Alright, I'm back." He says.
"Where was I?"
"You were about to agree to the deal?"
"Haha, nice try, Jackson."
The 27 year old laughs. "It was worth a shot, yeah? Now, let's get down to business."
"Yes, of course. I agree with your ideas, and I'm sure Mr. Giovanni will approve. Although..." the caller trails off.
Percy frowns. "Although... what? What's the problem?"
"The location of the factory will undoubtedly cause some complaints."
He sighs a bit under his breath. "Alright. I'll arrange a meeting with Mr. Giovanni and my father to discuss our options."
"Perfect. I'll see you two soon, I assume?"
Percy nods. "I'm counting on it."
The caller laughs and bids his goodbyes before hanging up. Percy detaches the phone from his ear, stares at it for a few seconds, and slides it into his pocket. He turns to study the interior of the diner, finally able to fully register his surroundings since he had gotten out of the car.
It isn't much to look at, to be honest. Ashy green walls and pale grey floors clash together against the light marble tables and leather booths. It's as if the designers had no idea what aesthetic they were going for when drawing this up.
Percy turns to stare at his driver long and hard. Jason is leaning against his side of the booth, watching the other occupants of the diner. "Why did you bring me here, Jason?" His tone is flat.
The man in question turns to look at him and pauses before a slight grin breaks out on his face, his sky blue irises twinkling. "Their coffee is the best I've ever had. You'll see."
Percy has to refrain from rolling his eyes, but cannot resist his scoff. He tugs on the cuffs of his suit jacket. "Why the hell would I pay for coffee when I can get it at home free of charge? It's a bit ridiculous."
Jason leans over the table. "But you've never had TC's coffee before. Only the stuff that Lou Ellen makes from scratch at your house."
Percy shakes his head, folding his arms over his chest. "I prefer to save money, thank you."
"And I prefer spending money at Trio's, thank you." Is his driver's sassy response.
Percy can't restrain his eye roll this time. "Then you can be the one to pay, since you clearly insist. Now," he pauses to change the subject. "What exactly did you order for me, Jace?"
Jason slides the laminated menu across the pale marble. Percy quickly scares it before looking back up at his personal driver and closest friend. His question repeats as his eyebrow lifts. "What did you order for me, Jason?"
He chuckles. "Just a cup of black coffee, a Belgian waffle, and eggs Benedict."
"So I see you've decided that today will be my cheat day. All of that sounds ridiculously fattening." He pauses to slide the menu back over to his driver before hurrying on. "Minus the coffee, obviously."
Jason laughs, loud. "You got it. But you and I both know you're going to work it off today anyways, what with you going all over the place and losing your voice screaming at employees."
Percy shrugs without apology and grabs a salt shaker, spinning it around the table top. "I don't scream at them. I... scold. I scold them." A few salt crystals come out and drift to the dark marble. They look like snowflakes settling against black asphalt. "Some of them deserve it. Others just annoy me. It all happens for a reason." He pushes the salt shaker away and stares at his driver, cocking his head to the side. "You know I won't apologize for pouring my soul into Atlantis Consolidated while some employees are only there for the paycheck."
Jason looks as if he's about to answer, but the waitress appears with their food and interrupts him before he can start. He thanks her and begins eating straight away, but Percy takes the time to study her. Really study her.
Something about her catches his attention. Maybe it's the fact that her hair is very long, and wavy.
What does Hazel call the hairstyle again? Princess waves?
Yes, her hair spills over her shoulders like ocean waves. A few strands are tucked into a small braid in the front, which is adorned with silver jewelry.
Or maybe it's her light grey irises that are nearly silver, focusing roughly on the task at hand.
Percy watches as she nervously chews on her simply shaded full lips, fumbling to set his cup of coffee in front of him. "Careful." He says, his tone a bit gruff. He clears his throat.
She doesn't respond, though. Instead she reaches into her apron pocket and takes out a selection of napkins before placing them on the table. She leans back with a manufactured smile. "Enjoy your meal, gentlemen."
Something about her is very familiar. He knows that he's seen her before, but he doesn't know where from. Percy opens his mouth to thank her, and maybe ask if they know one another, but she's already moving on to the next table, greeting customers, introducing herself, and taking orders.
"Percy, are you alright?" Jason's concerned tone forces the 27 year old to tear his gaze away from the blonde waitress and her decorated hair.
"Yeah," he says. "I'm fine. I just thought she looked very familiar."
Jason eyebrows are still raised, but he nods. He then sends a quick glance at the waitress and fixes his bright blue eyes back on his boss. "And you think she's attractive. Maybe you should put her on the List."
Percy snorts and sets his coffee back on the table before he can take a sip. "Please tell me that was a joke, Jason. She looks nothing like the women I usually date. And she's a waitress. My family would smell the scam from a mile away." He actually laughs this time. "Come on, now."
Jason shrugs, forking another bite of his breakfast into his mouth. "It was just a suggestion, but I can see what you mean when you put it like that." He pauses to swallow before continuing. His eyes narrow as he points his fork over at Percy. "But you do find her attractive, right?"
The 27 year old picks up his coffee mug and rolls his eyes. "I do. But I don't see how my finding her attractive is relevant in any sense." Then he sips his coffee to make a point.
Percy forces himself not to spit the drink all over the table, grimacing and swallowing it down instead. He scowls at it, noticing for the first time that the liquid is a shade of caramel brown.
Hadn't he ordered a black coffee?
"What's with the face?" Jason asks. His expression is curious but his posture reeks of boredom.
"This is the wrong coffee." Percy forces his voice to remain cold. "You did order a black coffee, right?"
His friend nods. "I did. It was probably just a simple mistake. Just call the waitress back over and tell her that."
Percy inhales and pushes the mug farther away from him. "You're right." Then, turning in his seat in hopes of catching the attention of a nearby worker, he calls out. "Excuse me?"
One of them begins to make her way over, but she isn't the one who had served them their breakfast. Her hair is black, her eyes are blue, and her skin is several shades tanner. But she has a genuine smile on her face. "Is there anything that you need, sir?"
The 27 year old gestures to his coffee, his tone flat. "There's been a mistake. I ordered a black coffee. Was this supposed to belong to someone else?"
She frowns, and Percy glances at her nametag. Silena. "I apologize for the mix up." She reaches for the mug and he obliges, placing it in her hand. "Do you know who served you?"
Before Percy can reply that he doesn't, Jason cuts in. "I think her name tag said Annabelle?"
Silena smiles a little at that. "Ah, I see. Annabeth has to work two sections today. Not that it's much of an excuse, but she must've mixed up the orders since this isn't her usual section." She fixes her gaze on Percy, then. "I'll make sure that she brings you your original order, sir."
Jason smiles and thanks her while Percy nods without response. Silena then flashes a pearly smile, this one aimed at Jason, and walks away with the forsaken cup of coffee in her grasp.
His friend leans against his elbow. "That wasn't so difficult, now was it, Percy?"
The 27 year old rolls his eyes and tugs on the cuffs of his suit. "Oh, shut up, Jason." The blond in mention laughs at this. "None of this would've happened if you hadn't dragged me here in the first place."
He chuckles. "Bitterness is very becoming on you, Percy. Have I ever mentioned that?"
Percy rolls his eyes and slices open his eggs Benedict. "Keep it in your pants, Jason." He then pokes at the orange sauce smothering it all with a grimace. "If I had known you were going to order eggs Benedict for me I would've asked them to hold the hollandaise."
"But that's the best part." Jason grins. "Haven't you heard, Percy? You gotta have hollandaise."
The 27 year old's tone is dry. "Of course. How could I forget that?"
After a few minutes of mindless conversation, the waitress reappears. Percy's gaze is fixed to her. She remains silent as she places the new mug of steaming black coffee on the table. Her waves are tied up in a bun this time around, though.
She looks so familiar, he thinks to himself. Why can't I put my finger on it?
Then she straightens, her clear skin nearly glowing from the sunlight that filters through the window. "Is that all you need, sir?" Her words are polite but he can see the fatigue behind her eyes.
Percy's focus is drawn away from trying to decipher where he's seen her before and he roots himself back to reality. Her gray eyes are fixated on him as she awaits his answer. She folds her arms over her chest and leans a little to the right.
He takes a sip of his coffee to make sure it's just as he wanted. Jason pokes at his dippy eggs and soldiers and drinks his tea. Percy suppresses a smile as he turns back to the waitress. He glances at her nametag. Annabeth.
An eyebrow cocks as she repeats her question. "Please understand that I have other tables to wait on, sir. Is there anything you need?"
Percy clears his throat and twists his watch. "I apologize." He glances up at her and for a reason, relishes in the slight surprise that unfolds on her face. His tone remains cold, though. "Thank you for bringing me the correct coffee."
Something flashes in her pale eyes as she nods stiffly and turns to walk away. Percy forces himself not to stare as she greets more diners, and he takes a sip of his coffee.
. .
"So are you going to tell me what the hell that was?"
The 27 year old looks up from his phone and stares into the rear view mirror where he can see only one of Jason's blue eyes. His friend's eyebrow twitches slightly as his gaze flickers back and forth from the road to the mirror. Percy slips his phone into his breast pocket. "What are you talking about?" He asks.
Jason chuckles. "Your patience. With the waitress, I mean. I've never seen it before. I was honestly prepared for you to cause a scene of some sort or another."
"Elaborate please, Jason. What kind of scene?"
"I was expecting you to scold her," his friend mocks his choice of wording.
Percy shakes his head. "Why would I throw a temper tantrum over something that I could have at home for free?"
"Are you sure that's the only reason?" His driver snorts.
Bloody hell.
The 27 year old feigns ignorance. "I don't know what you mean by that."
"Don't think I didn't notice how you couldn't stop looking at her, Percy."
"I forced myself to stop looking at her," he mumbles in response. Percy feels his cheeks warming. He shrugs off the embarrassment and fishes his phone from his pocket, prepared to call Hazel. "And anyways, I don't see what my patience has to do with her attractiveness. There's no correlation, Jason."
Something indescribable flashes in his friend's eyes. "I wish you would apply that logic to your work space, then. People make mistakes, Percy. You know that. It's all a part of being human."
Percy hears his father's voice even though he's the one speaking. "And that's exactly why we can't afford to make mistakes. Again, there's no correlation between that waitress and my employees, Jason."
His friend remains silent at that. His jaw clenches and his eyes stay fixed on the road ahead for the rest of the car ride.
Percy rakes his hand through his hair after a deep sigh and scrolls through his phone. He calls Hazel's number.
It rings once. Twice. Pause. Four times.
Just before he can end the call, a sleepy voice sounds from the other end. "What the fuck do you want, Percy? I'm trying to sleep." She's irritated.
He glances at his watch with a frown. "It's nearly 10, Elle. You should've been at the agency already."
Hazel groans and the sound of sheets ruffling fills his ears. "Danielle hasn't called me yet. So that means I don't have a shoot for today, Brother. Now let me sleep, I have a damn migraine."
He chuckles at that. "Meaning you went to a party last night."
She huffs in response. "Obviously. I, being the idiot I am, allowed Bianca and Zoë talk me into mixing up rum and vodka with a twist of champagne. The last thing I remember is dancing my ass off behind the bar. Now my tongue feels like meatloaf and my throat is on fire."
"Am I supposed to feel sympathy for you?"
"Shut up, Percy." His younger sister growls before being interrupted by a voice that he recognizes.
"Elle? Con quién estás hablando?" [Who are you talking to?]
Percy raises an eyebrow.
Hazel hisses loud enough for him to hear. "Quiet, Leo."
He forces his tone to remain emotionless. "Where are you, Hazel?"
Jason's gaze flickers to the mirror for a brief second before he shakes his head to himself and slides up the window.
Hazel curses in Italian, her voice filling the line. "I'm in New York, Brother. Exactly where I'm supposed to be."
A drop of warning enters his words. "Don't lie to me, Elle. O me lo dici o lo dici a papà." [Either you tell me or you tell Father.]
His sister caves, sighing deeply before whispering into the phone. "Okay, fine. I'm at Leo's apartment. He took me home last night."
Percy pinches the bridge of his nose. "Hazel," he sighs. "You have to be more responsible, please. I can't always check up on you and Leo won't always be there."
"Then don't check up on me," is her bitter response. She continues. "And you're not in any position to say where Leo's gonna be. Plus, where Leo isn't, Frank is." Then Hazel inhales sharply and mumbles out another curse. "Just... don't tell my mom or Dad, okay?"
He doesn't respond.
"Please, fratello." Her words are pleading enough, but Hazel knows better than to be fooled.
"I won't. You know I won't." He begins.
"Thank y-"
"-But next time you beg for something like that, please make sure your boyfriend's mouth isn't between your legs." He grimaces. "I can fucking hear the suction."
Hazel begins to protest in embarrassment but Percy ends the call before she completes her first sentence. He sighs heavily and leans back against his seat, staring at the ceiling of the car. The 27 year old swallows then, before muttering out, "I love you too, Hazel."
.
.
Author's Note-
AGAIN. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STICKING AROUND.
Percy's family situation will be explained later on when the plot calls for it, but YES. Hazel IS his younger sister. And yes, they DO speak Italian (which will ALSO be explained later).
love, April!