Percy tried. He really did.
He went back down to his cubicle. He started working, but after telling the millionth person to try turning it off and on again - and that worked - he was ready to pull his hair out. What was he even doing?
At 3 p.m., instead of getting coffee, Percy went to Annabeth's office. Thankfully, she wasn't on a call. He didn't want to get thrown out of her office.
"Alright, I have a confession," Percy said after sitting down in the chair across from her desk.
Annabeth closed her laptop. "What?" She asked.
"Remember how I asked you about the Greek myths?" He paused and waited for her to nod before continuing. "I've been having dreams about fighting the monsters from them. And, not just me, you're there too. We fight and kill these monsters."
"What, like we hunt them or something?" Annabeth asked.
"Yes, exactly!" Percy said.
"That's not possible. I have a life here. What should I just pack it all up and leave? How would we have any money to do anything? Run credit card scams? Live out of hotels and motels?"
"If that's what it takes."
"That's not a life, Percy!" Annabeth said.
"Okay, and what about your life here - have you talked to anyone lately, like actually, talked to them? Because I 'supposedly' moved here after breaking up with my girlfriend Rachel - only I called her number and it was an animal hospital for horses! That isn't the result of a blocked number, that's something else entirely." Percy challenged.
"You should leave," Annabeth said.
Percy let out a sigh. "I want the dagger that I made."
"No," She said.
"Fine, then," Percy said, angrily. He wasn't going to fight her for it. "Have a nice life." He mocked her.
He didn't even bother quitting. He just left and got in his '67 Chevy Impala.
As Percy left her office, Annabeth pulled out the dagger. She ran her fingers over it. For something that was fashioned in ten minutes, it was incredibly made. It fit perfectly in her hands as though she'd been using it for years.
Her boss stopped by just before the end of the day. After checking in, he offered Annabeth a bonus. Then he started listing out the next five years of her career trajectory if she wanted it.
Annabeth was starting to think that she didn't. "Actually, I want to give my two weeks."
"Is it another company? We can be competitive in our counteroffer." He said.
"No, I'm just not where I'm supposed to be." She said. She would have to chase after Percy and try to find him.
"Finally," Her boss let out. Then he reached over her desk and rested his hand on her head.
Annabeth shook her head to clear it. "What is going on? Why am I in a pantsuit?" She looked around her office. "Oh no, are you a god?"
"Ares, at your service," He said, smiling at her.
"What was this some sort of lesson?" Annabeth mocked. "Was the fury a hallucination?"
"No, this was real. We put you in the middle of a hunt to show you that this is what you are meant to do. You don't hunt because of your mother or how you grew up. You hunt because it is who you are at your core. You do a lot of good."
"Yeah, until what end, a monster kills me or Percy? This is never-ending. The monsters just keep regenerating. How can we do this for the rest of our lives?"
"You'll do everything you are destined to do. This isn't a cure; it's a gift. Did you enjoy the past three weeks - do you want to stay here and climb the corporate ladder? Or do you want to get back to what you and Percy do, saving people and hunting things?"
"Fine," Annabeth said. "Where is Percy?"
"In the '67 Chevy out front," Ares said.
Annabeth grabbed the dagger and ran. She didn't care that the workday wasn't over. She didn't care about how it looked to her coworkers. She had to get to Percy. It was almost a physical ache to be away from him.
When she got out front, Percy was no longer in that awful purple shirt and khakis. He was in jeans, an orange shirt she gave him as a gag gift, and his signature leather jacket. He was leaning against the front hood of the car.
She ran to him. When he saw her, he stepped forward and opened his arms to her. "Hey, wise girl."
"Seaweed brain," She hugged him tightly. "I missed you," She whispered into his shoulder.
"I was here the whole time," He said gently. "Can you believe we took out a fury with no memories? I'd say that's pretty badass." He kept his arms around her.
She smiled into his shoulder. Then she mouthed 'I love you.'
"Love you, too. Come on, let's get some grub and then we can call Grover and Tyson with the update." Percy said, walking her to the driver's side of the car. Opening her door, he waited until she got in before closing the door and heading to the passenger side.
The End