Percy POV
I never thought that I'd see Annabeth Chase at a party. Yet, there she was at the club.
We were celebrating Silena's 27th birthday party. Charles planned a surprise party for his girlfriend, which was very sweet. I watched as they kissed on the podium. Silena was so happy, but it was obvious that she knew about the party.
Silena told me at work yesterday that she knew everything. Of course, I couldn't deny it because lying to Silena is useless. She simply knew everyone's truths.
I couldn't quite enjoy the party.
My boss's presence made me hyperaware of everything that I was doing. I felt like every movement and drink was getting critiqued.
"Bro, will you loosen up? You're usually the life of the party. Is everything all right? Is Tyson okay?" Jason asked with concern.
"Everything's fine at home. Well, it's the same," I paused. My eyes narrowed on the blonde who was sitting at the bar island. She was drinking a cosmo very slowly. Thalia and Piper were chatting with her casually.
The whole club was reserved for our party. Charles and Silena have a lot of friends, especially since Charles is a major-league baseball player. A lot of people were dancing on the floor. Normally, I'd be dancing too, but Annabeth was here. So, Jason and I were sitting at a table near the bar.
"My boss is here," I whispered while leaning forward.
The music was blaring, but Jason smirked at me. "I never thought that you'd be so self-cautious. You usually don't care."
"I know, but you can't risk it with Annabeth Chase."
"Oh, come on, Perce. You're off the clock. You've been working very hard at work, and you need to relax and have fun."
"That's easy for you to say. You cannot get fired."
That was true. Jason held a high position at Olympus Airlines, so he does the firing. Furthermore, his dad owns the company, so no one can mess with Jason Grace. They were powerful individuals.
The whole Olympus family is powerful. While I am a part of the family, I have no control since my father doesn't care about me, Tyson, or Estelle.
"Mr. Jackson, I need to talk to you," her voice rang out.
I yelped while looking up at my boss. I hadn't even seen her walking over to me. I had no clue why she was talking to me when we weren't working. Annabeth Chase was dressed in jeans and a pretty purple sweater. I've never seen her in casual clothes before today.
Surprisingly, I'd never seen her before working for her. Considering she was friends with a lot of my friends, that was a big surprise. However, maybe, I just didn't notice her.
I stood up and followed her to a lone corner of the club.
She crossed her arms as I waited for her to talk.
"Percy, you do realize that we're off the clock, right?" she asked seriously. "You don't need to keep up a professional facade because of me."
"Um, I'm different outside of work. I wasn't sure how you would react to that," I expressed honestly.
"Well, I don't care what you do outside of work," Annabeth said firmly. "Anyway, why don't you give me an example of what you'd do here if I wasn't present?"
"I'd probably get drunk," I half-joked.
Her eyes narrowed on my face. I almost shrunk away from her glare. I couldn't tell if she was mad at me because her face always looked like that towards me. That was her resting boss face.
"I thought that I could be myself outside of work," I muttered.
Annabeth sighed before relaxing her face. Even relaxed, she didn't smile. It was almost like she was incapable of it. "Yes, you can. Do whatever you gotta do."
She walked back to her friends. Thalia nodded towards me and gave me a thumbs up. So, she talked to her friend to make me relax. This is why I love the Grace siblings. They always look after me. Plus, they knew all the stress in my life right now. They were doing what they can to make me feel better.
I smiled while walking to the bar. I grabbed myself a couple of drinks before joining people on the dance floor. A bunch of girls danced with me, and it was a great time.
One of the girls was named Calypso (Cally for short).
Cally took me by the hand and led me towards the side. She seemed like such a sweet girl, not to mention super-rich. Her father, Atlas, owned a bunch of hotels in the city.
"Are you always this handsome?" she asked softly.
We were in the same corner of the club that Annabeth and I were at previously. I smiled at Calypso before tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. She was really pretty.
"Yes, I am," I whispered.
I leaned forward and locked my lips onto hers. It was a good kiss. My lips brushed hers while leaning into her. I have no problem with the ladies. I don't get nervous around them, and I'm confident in my moves.
I leaned back and smiled at Cally. She smiled back.
"Hey, how do you feel about getting out of here?" I asked quietly. My grip tightened around her waist as she nodded.
"We can go back to my place," Cally purred. It was a good thing that she offered because I couldn't take her to my place. That wouldn't be appropriate considering there are kids at my house. Hestia would not approve.
We were walking towards the door, hand-in-hand. I kissed her a few times as we made our way through the club.
Calypso and I were in the middle of a kiss when we were interrupted.
"PERSEUS JACKSON," my boss acknowledged.
I froze before turning to Annabeth Chase. Once again, I couldn't read her facial expressions. She was watching me and Calypso with intrigue.
"Cally, this is my boss, Annabeth Chase. Ms. Chase, this is Calypso Titan."
"It's so nice to meet you, Annabeth," Calypso said brightly while holding out her hand.
I smiled at her kind nature. Annabeth didn't reciprocate the handshake. Instead, she turned towards me. Her gaze lingered on Cally's and my connected hands.
"Mr. Jackson, I need you to go into the office. There need to be a few emails sent by tomorrow for Amazonion."
I frowned. I couldn't believe that I needed to work right now.
"But, I'm off work," I said.
"This has to be done," Annabeth Chase ordered. Her gray eyes washed over Calypso before quickly flitting towards me again. Something didn't add up.
I nodded before turning towards Calypso.
"Hey, I'm so sorry," I expressed while squeezing her hand. Calypso simply smiled before kissing me on the cheek. "It's fine, Percy. If you have work to do, we can continue this night some other time."
Cally gave me her phone number before I left.
I felt Annabeth's glare against my neck even after I walked out of the club. I sighed in disappointment. So much for having fun tonight.
***
Tyson's been having on-and-off chemo regimens. He has two weeks of chemo followed by two weeks of break. Within the two chemo weeks, he gets five doses.
Today, we're starting his second round of chemo.
He was crying this morning because he didn't want to go to the hospital. To be honest, I couldn't even be mad at him. I would be terrified if I was in his shoes. Regardless, I had to force him to go to the hospital.
I promised him that the second time around would be easier. It was a white lie, but he needed to get treatment. His cancer wouldn't just magically disappear.
This isn't a fictional story like the ones I write. This is reality.
"Dr. Apollo, thank you for meeting us today."
"Of course, I'll always drop by to say hello to my favorite patient." He patted Tyson on the shoulder. Of course, Tyson was starting to doze off. The chemicals were already washing over him and having an effect.
The chemo pump was slow today. We've already been at the hospital for over an hour, and Tyson still wasn't done.
I was gonna be late to work, but I didn't care at the moment.
When Tyson has his chemotherapy, Hestia or I have to be there. Hestia has work in the mornings, so I take him to his morning chemo sessions. Usually, we can get done in time, but today was slow.
"How are you doing, Percy?" Apollo asked quietly.
We were sitting in the hospital room. Tyson was laying on the bed while I held his hand. He still needed about twenty minutes to finish.
"It's all right, Apollo. We're really busy, and it's overwhelming at times."
"I understand. I hope that you're having time to relax. Tyson will be okay. Just have faith, and stay supportive."
The hospital room was too bright. I was already sleep-deprived because I was helping Tyson with his school work. He was now attending online school. He, himself, had the idea of finishing as much work before his chemo cycle.
I was never that responsible when it came to school. Hestia (as a virtual guidance counselor) was a good influence on my little brother.
"Oh, Percy, didn't you say that you're a writer?" Dr. Apollo asked.
"Yes, I am. I finished my novel, and I'm currently editing it. If I had more time, I would try to find a credible publisher."
"Well, have you considered Olympus House?" Apollo asked. "I have connections in the publishing company, so I could get you an interview."
Olympus House is a famous publishing company. They publish all sorts of literature and media (very similar to Penguin House). I had submitted my work to many publishing companies, and most of them would ghost me.
I doubted that they were even reading my manuscript. They probably took a look at my profile and tossed my novel in the junk pile.
I hate when people judge you based on the surface. That's a big part of my book. What's valuable is what's on the inside.
"I have considered it, but I haven't submitted my work there. Olympus Hosue is such a huge establishment. I didn't think that they'd consider me. Also, I didn't want my book to be associated with the Olympus Magnate," I explained earnestly. "I have personal issues with Olympus."
"Don't you work for Olympus Architecture?" he asked.
"Well, yes, but that's out of necessity. I don't necessarily want to work for Olympus." I gently squeezed Tyson's hand as his machine started beeping.
Apollo disconnected the chemo bag and bandaged Tyson's arm. My little brother finally got up and drowsily leaned against me. "You did great, big guy. We'll take a nap as soon as you get home."
Tyson nodded and smiled weakly.
"Thanks, Apollo, for your help," I acknowledged politely. I was about to leave with Tyson leaning against me.
But, Apollo stopped me. He slipped a business card into my hand.
"My sister owns a private publishing company. It used to belong to Olympus, but she disbanded from Olympus a few years ago. I understand that the Olympus Magnate is not liked by everyone. She doesn't like it either."
"Percy, I highly suggest that you take your book to the Hunters Publishing group. I can't make any promises, but it's worth a shot," Apollo finished.
The Hunters Publishing Group.
I've heard of them for sure, but I've never considered them for my book. I'm not sure why; they just slipped my mind. I thanked Apollo before leaving. I'll look into Artemis and The Hunters later.
Right now, I was seriously running late for work. I had to take Tyson home before rushing to work. My boss hated tardy employees.
Annabeth Chase was (for sure) gonna be angry today.