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?
Annabeth
It's only 10:30.
Annabeth forces herself not to complain as another ache shoots up her back. For the past 2 and a half hours she's been traveling back and forth between the kitchen, the counter, and the countless tables of customers awaiting their food.
Her feet are cursing her, her back already warned her, and her bun is pulling on her scalp tight enough to herald an oncoming headache.
But she loves her job and it pays well. She'll never truly complain.
Annabeth bends over her work. Her sleeves are rolled up to her elbows as she plunges the sponge and the numerous dirty plates into the grayed soapy water. Behind her, the kitchen door swings open, but she doesn't pay full attention.
After cleaning the last plate, she drains the water and sets it on the shelf where Calypso (or Caly, as she demands to be called) will take it to dry. Annabeth dries her hands on a towel and pushes through the door. She grabs her apron from where it hangs on a rack and quickly ties it around her waist, slipping the cord through her belt loops.
Silena catches her attention and points her to her usually assigned section. Annabeth smiles to herself in relief. That means Silena's covering for Piper for the time being. She nods at her boss gratefully and grabs a pen and notepad, making her way to her first table.
Waiting for her is a family of 3- a brunette man with green eyes and a blond with brown eyes. Seated between them is a little boy with blond hair who seems to be around 3 or 4.
Annabeth smiles genuinely at the sight of the child, despite the fact that her body is screaming for rest. She recites the required greeting. "Hi there, and welcome to Trio's Cafe. My name is Annabeth," she pauses to tap her name tag thrice before continuing. "And I'll be your waitress this morning. What can I get you folks?"
The man with brown hair looks up with a smile. "I'd like the buttermilk pancakes and a mug of hazelnut coffee, please."
She nods, scribbling the order down. "Would you like any creamer, milk, or sugar in that, sir? Maybe some half and half?"
He pauses to think about it before confirming he wants vanilla creamer and eight sugars.
The waitress nods, forcing her expression to remain pokered at the sound of all the sugar. The blond man reacts, though.
He frowns. "Mason, don't you think that's a bit too sweet? You know Type 2 is already common on your side of the family-"
Mason waves it off. "Don't worry about it, Hunter. I'm already prescribed. Besides, all of it is under 400 grams of trans-fat and sugars. I checked."
The blond, Hunter, nods warily while he turns to Annabeth. He clears his throat. "I'll have the sunny side up eggs and your Nutella swirl waffles."
She writes it down. "And to drink, sir?"
"Just a water is fine, thanks." He offers.
Annabeth points towards the little boy who's playing with a toy car on the surface of the table. She can't hide the smile from stretching on her face. "And for him?"
Both Mason and Hunter look at the boy and answer in unison. "Chocolate chip pancakes and chocolate milk."
She chuckles at this and writes down the rest of the order. "Alright, I'll have your food out quicker than three shakes. Sit tight, folks." Annabeth forces herself not to cringe at the required exit.
The men nod and turn their attention to the little boy.
She smiles at that as she walks back to the kitchen. The sight of the boy reminds her of her past, way back before Harley was born and back before everything went sour.
She misses it.
The 25 year old forces that thought from her mind and pushes through the door that separates the dining area from the staff only section. She can't afford to think like that.
And besides, she mentions to herself. You have Harley all to yourself now.
Annabeth rips the page of order from her notepad and goes into the kitchen. She sticks the sheet on the bar above the stove for the cook to see and exits back to the dining area. A dirty table in her section catches her attention, so she makes her way over.
Barely two minutes into cleaning it off, she feels a light tap on her shoulder. Annabeth straightens and spins to see Calypso standing behind her, arms full of dirty dishes and face wearing her trademark smirk.
Annabeth wipes her hands on her apron and sets the plate she's holding on a nearby cart. "Hey, Caly. What's up?"
Calypso tosses her head, her loose curls flying in the opposite direction. Then she looks back at Annabeth and her smirk widens.
"...What?"
Calypso rolls her eyes and drops her armload of dishes onto the cart. Her light brown irises lighten a little. "Hotties at 3 o'clock. That's what."
Annabeth looks towards the direction that Calypso had pointed out earlier. A few rows away she sees two men sitting at a booth.
Her coworker continues. "I passed by their table earlier. They're both amazingly handsome- especially the blond one. They're both foreign, I think. The blond one has an English accent and the other guy was on the phone speaking in another language. Maybe Italian? I don't know."
Annabeth forces herself not to stare at the men and turns back to her friend. Her head tilts to the side. "And why exactly do I need this information, Calypso?"
Calypso ignores that she's been called by her full name (one of her pet peeves) and places her hands on Annabeth's shoulders. "Beth. Tell me when you last went on a date."
"Why do you care? I need to work."
"Just tell me." She pleads.
The blonde sighs heavily. "I don't know... my first semester of college, maybe? I don't remember."
"And that was what, six years ago?"
"Seven." She corrects her by reflex. "But Caly-"
"-Do me a favor and just get one of their numbers. Please."
Annabeth steps away from her embrace. "You don't even know if I'm into dudes."
Calypso arches an eyebrow.
"Okay, I am. But that's irrelevant." She turns back to her work. "I still have Piper's work to get done once Silena's done covering for me. I can't get distracted now."
"I'll take over your work for you in the meantime." Calypso offers. "I was just about to start my break anyways."
That raises Annabeth's eyebrows. "Why do you want me to serve those guys so bad?"
Her coworker shrugs. "I don't really know. I just really want you to, though. What's the worst that can happen?" She nudges Annabeth in their direction. "C'mon..."
Annabeth huffs and shakes her head. "Fine. I'd rather be waiting on customers than cleaning tables anyways."
Calypso smirks again and pats her shoulder. "Atta girl," she says and walks away with the cart.
Annabeth heads back towards the kitchen to get the family from earlier their breakfast. She grabs a tray and loads their plates, desperate not to keep them waiting. She needs a good tip.
She places a steaming mug of coffee before the man named Mason and shoots off. Maybe he was going to complain, because Annabeth catches a glimpse of a frown forming on his face. But she's long gone before the first sound can come out.
The 25 year old slows her pace halfway to the men's table. The one facing her is on the phone, his posture a bit tense. His face is angled towards the window, but she can see his stubbled jawline just fine. The nearer she gets to their table, the clearer she can make out his words. She doesn't know for sure what Italian sounds like, but the language he speaks sounds a lot like what she assumes it to sound like.
As if that makes sense.
For a reason she cannot decipher, Annabeth feels a surge of nervousness in her chest. She can't say that she likes it. After all, she's survived too many tedious custody court trials. She's survived an uncalled for attack via plastic ladle from her bitch of a stepmother (a story that's too long to talk about).
She didn't get nervous then. Why is she nervous now?
She takes in a deep breath and releases her blonde tresses from their bun, deciding that her hairline is in need of a break. Then Annabeth makes her way to the table and begins a different required greeting. "Hello, welcome to Trio's Cafe. What would you like to order?"
The Italian-speaking man to her right speaks into his phone. "Aspetta un secondo." Then he turns to the blond across from him and nods a little.
The blond understands and looks towards the waitress, beginning to order.
Annabeth swallows as she catches sight of his bright blue eyes and tousled hair. She takes a deep breath and opens her notepad, pretending to be unfazed by the fact that he has the looks of a god. "Hi! Welcome to Trio's Cafe. My name is Annabeth," she repeats while tapping her nametag. "And I will be your waitress this morning. What can I get you?"
The man scans his menu and licks his thin lips, seemingly out of habit. Annabeth waits patiently. After a few moments, he looks up with a boyish smile and an English accent filters his words. "I'd like the dippy eggs and soldiers with a cup of lemon tea. Thank you."
The corner of her lips involuntarily pull up into a smile and she points her pen towards the man on the phone. He casts a glance at her, and she catches sight of deep, stormy green eyes. When he turns back towards the window, however, his irises are the same shade as stainless steel.
"-Coffee." The English man finishes.
She inwardly slaps herself. Focus. "I'm sorry," Annabeth begins with a flair of embarrassment. "What was that?"
His eyes twinkle with unshed laughter as he repeats with a smirk, the scar on his lip curling into a half-circle. "As for my friend here, he'd like Belgian waffles, eggs Benedict, and a mug of black coffee."
Annabeth bites her lip as a way to cope with her humiliation (and fails) while nodding. "Alright." She slips her notepad into the pocket of her apron. "I'll be out with your orders very soon."
She can't force herself to say the required lines all the time. Sue her, she doesn't care.
. .
"Annabeth, you served-" Silena begins.
The 25 year old lifts her hand to cut her boss off. "I know," she sighs. "I served the wrong coffee. The man at the table just informed me of that. I accidentally switched the mugs in my hurry to get them their food."
Silena gives her an understanding smile and takes the cup of long cold coffee from her hands. "I'll make another one of these. Go serve that handsome guy in your section."
Annabeth stares at her with incredulity lacing her expression.
Silena shrugs. "I saw them for myself. Caly doesn't lie. They're attractive."
"Caly isn't even attracted to men."
"Which makes her opinion that much more profound. Now go."
Annabeth sighs for what feels like the eightieth time that day and brews a cup of black coffee. Her hair goes back into its bun. When the drink is ready, she picks it up and makes her way over to the men's table.
The fact that she'd failed in serving the correct order the first time weighs heavier on her than she likes. But she can't shake the embarrassment from her gait as she approaches their seating. The walk is over far too soon.
Both men turn to look at her. The blond one gives her another one of his smirks and continues to sip on his tea. But Annabeth can feel the Italian-speaking one's gaze on her as she sets the new mug in front of him.
Then she straightens. "Is that all you need, sir?" Her words are polite. She makes sure that they are, but for some reason Annabeth is more tired than usual and all she wants is rest. The 25 year old folds her arms over her chest and shifts her weight to the right.
Their gazes meet and she finds herself forcing to stare into those swirling green eyes of his. He breaks away to take a sip of his coffee, and Annabeth holds her breath.
She's always strived for the approval of customers. She'll never know why, though.
The blond pokes at his dippy eggs and soldiers. The Italian-speaking one turns back to her, and she can see that he's fighting back a smile. He glances at her name tag.
Annabeth has to refrain from smiling back. Even though his gaze is still... cold, his smile seems genuine enough. But on the other hand, that fact alone is enough to put her off. She cocks an eyebrow instead. "Please understand that I have other tables to wait on, sir. Is there anything else you need?"
The man clears his throat and twists his expensive looking watch. She isn't expecting his voice to be so deep, or an apology to sound out either. Annabeth can't hide the surprise from unfolding on her face. He continues, his tone still cold. "Thank you for bringing me the correct coffee."
Something about that last statement is a jab to her emotions, but she tries not to let it show. She's never been good at poker faces, to be honest. Annabeth nods stiffly and walks away. But even so, she can still feel his eyes watching her as she begins greeting other customers.
It takes several moments for that feeling to go away.
. .
Annabeth is beyond thankful when she finally takes a break for her lunch. Beyond thankful.
She walks into the lounge and glances at the clock even though she already knows that it's past 1:30. She chooses one of the plush armchairs and drags it over to a table. Calypso follows suit, swinging her Paul Frank lunch box (yes, the company with the monkey). Said girl then plops down beside Annabeth and groans before bundling her loose hair into a lazy top knot.
Annabeth goes to the fridge to pull out her chilled pasta. Calypso tosses her a plastic fork after she sits down and the pair dig into their lunches.
Several minutes pass before the silence is broken. Calypso swallows down a bite of her cheese and avocado sandwich. "So," she begins. "How was McHottie Thing 1 and 2?"
Annabeth laughs under her breath before sobering. She has to think about it. The Italian-speaking man's deep green eyes and cold expression flashes across the forefront of her mind. She settles for a shrug instead. "I don't... know."
Calypso frowns. "The hell does that mean?"
Annabeth shrugs again. "Exactly what I just said. I don't know."
"Did you get either of their numbers?"
"No."
"Why not?" Another bite of sandwich.
Annabeth sips at her water. "I was more preoccupied with getting him his right coffee. Getting his number didn't even cross my mind. It seemed inappropriate given the situation, anyways." She pokes at her ravioli.
Calypso nods a little. "'Kay, that actually makes sense." She finishes off her sandwich. "What impression did they give you, though? 'Cuz I was getting really weird vibes from them."
"Me too," Annabeth admits. She frowns a little.
"That's... weird."
"Definitely weird."
.
.
Author's Note-
Thank you again for reading and sticking around! I hope you enjoyed.
Leave a review or something or whatever
(Update schedule = whenever I feel like it)
love, April!