So…how's it going? Good? Good!
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
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"So lemme get this straight," laughed Thalia. "You didn't like your coffee and so you spilled it on some random guy?"
"I didn't spill it on him on purpose," growled Annabeth. "It was an accident!"
"Yeah, well, whatever. I doubt that he even remembers you. Besides, it's not like you're ever going to see him again!"
"Yeah," agreed Annabeth. "Yeah, you're right. So, let's talk about something else."
"Sure." Thalia looked up from her coffee, which she was sprinkling a packet of sweetener into.
The two of them were in a tiny coffeehouse, not a big chain like Starbucks. It was a nice place, warm and cozy. Overstuffed armchairs only added to the image. There was even a small courtyard outside, with Victorian-style twisted metal chairs that were covered in December snow.
They talked about small things for a while, and then Thalia asked, "When are you going sightseeing? It's your first time in New York, right?"
"Well, I've been here before, but that was a while ago. I want to see the Metro, the Statue of Liberty, and of course the Empire State Building."
"You're such a nerd," chuckled Thalia. "Why would you wanna see the Metropolitan Museum?"
"If I'm a nerd, then you're goth!" protested Annabeth.
"Hey, I'm not goth, I'm ninja!"
"No, you're weird," smirked Annabeth. "And now I'm going to get something to drink because so far all I've had is this cookie."
"Yeah, whatever. I'll be outside, in the car. Come out soon!" ordered Thalia, and then she was gone. Annabeth shook her head good-naturedly and headed towards the counter in the back.
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"What should I get?" asked Annabeth of nobody in particular.
"Try the caramel brulée latte," suggested the green-eyed, black-haired guy behind the counter. Annabeth started. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he said.
"It's okay," smiled Annabeth. "So…the caramel brulée, huh?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's pretty good. Well, I think so," he said.
"Okay," agreed Annabeth. "Sure, that's what I'll get then."
He smiled at her and said, "Gimme a minute." He was back in a minute with the drink. "Here," he offered it to her. She took a sip.
"This is delicious!" she exclaimed.
"Isn't it?"
"Thanks for the suggestion," said Annabeth. "Hey, what's your name?"
"I'm Percy," he introduced himself.
"Yeah?" she asked. "I once knew a guy named Percy."
"It's not such a common name," he remarked. "Speaking of, what's your name?"
It was on the tip of her tongue to say, 'Annabeth Chase,' but then she thought that if the company wanted her to wear a wig, then they certainly wouldn't like her giving out her name in public.
"I'm Ann," she said, shoving her hand into her pocket shyly, hiding the old silver-coloured ring on her first finger. It had been given to her from a childhood friend. In fact, it was given to her by the Percy she spoke of.
"Nice to meet you, Ann," said Percy. Annabeth nodded, and probably would have said something, but just then, Thalia tooted her car's horn outside impatiently. Almost everyone in the small café turned to look at the ostentatious yellow convertible. Annabeth blushed.
"Um, I better go," she said, but then hesitated. It seemed rude to cut off the conversation. On a last minute thought, she snatched a napkin from the holder and pulled out a small blue pen from her pocket. She wrote down her number on it quickly, along with the name 'Ann'.
"Here," she thrust it at Percy. "I'll talk to you later." She rushed out of the café, leaving a slightly muddled look on his face.
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"Jeez, Annabeth, you gave him your number?" asked Thalia incredulously.
Annabeth blushed and asked, "Yeah, why?" defensively.
"Do you even know his first name?"
"Yeah. He's Percy."
"Fine," Thalia admitted. "Do you know his last name?"
"Well…not quite." Thalia laughed at Annabeth.
"Does he know your name?"
"Um, well, I told him I was Ann."
"Ann?"
"Look, if they wanted us to wear a wig and contacts, then they'd just love us giving our names out, right?" Annabeth said sarcastically.
Thalia frowned. "Does that mean I shouldn't have told that guy who I was and where I live?" Annabeth almost spit out her latte. Thalia cackled. (Thalia never laughed, she cackled.) "Nah, I'm just kidding. I didn't tell anyone anything. But come on, if you guys keep in touch, then he's going to find out your real name someday."
"No, he won't," declared Annabeth. "Well, maybe I'll tell him later, but he won't find out until I tell him," she said with conviction.
"Okay, if you're sure," said Thalia skeptically. "Good luck. So where do you want to go now?"
"Back home."
"Why? Why do you want to go home?"
"My stomach hurts. I feel sick," lied Annabeth. Nothing was wrong with her. She just wanted to go back to her apartment, and all of a sudden Thalia was irritating her. She knew that Thalia wouldn't let her leave easily, so she lied about being sick.
"Okay," said Thalia, stretching the word over two syllables. "Okay, I'll take you back. But I'll drop by this evening, okay? The nightlife here is amazing…and today's New Year's Eve. It'll be fantastic. Believe me, New York is totally different at night."
Hey, just a little bit longer to 1910…whoops, I mean 2010! Ah…2009 was a great year…
…half the stupidity was caught on You Tube, and the rest in Reader's Digest!