Alternatively

Rag Time

When she opened the door, she expected Piper to be dangling a cup of coffee in her face. Not a kindly man in a crisp button up and a wheel chair.

"Expecting someone else, I'm sure," he chuckled.

"I, um," she blinked, brushing her hair back. "You're from yesterday, right?"

He sighed and nodded. "To the point. I'm Charles Brunner, the Jackson's chauffeur."

A frown pulled at her lips before she could stop it and she craned her neck, eyeing the black car idling by the curb. "Oh, uh, good morning?"

"On behalf of Mr. Jackson, I'd like to offer this as an apology."

"An apology?"

He raised his eyebrows and she grimaced; all the yelling, fumbling, cameras flashing, blood on her only good sundress...she would have never asked for one, but an apology wasn't the worst thing to follow such a wild rager. She accepted the box warily, peeking under the lid.

"He's really sorry the party went how it did," Mr. Brunner said earnestly, brown eyes sincere. "And he would be here in person, but the doctors recommended he stay in bed."

"Yeah, that makes sense, I can't accept this," she closed the dress box.

"Is it not to your liking?"

She laughed, holding it out to him. "No, it's beautiful, just way too expensive for a sorry bribe."

"No bribe," he insisted. "He genuinely feels terrible about the events that occurred and wishes to make up for his behavior tomorrow at lunch."

Annabeth shifted her weight. The Percy who invited her to his party at his sister's demand was sweet and funny, and the Percy over text was clever -however short their conversations were-, but the Percy she saw at the party was exactly how she imagined the son of a billion dollar company CEO would be. It wasn't anything she wanted to get involved with, designer dress or no.

"Ms. Chase," the chauffeur gently said. "I've been working for the boy's father for awhile, and have personally tended to Percy since he was six. I've watched him grow and mature and I can say with full honesty that who you saw last night was not himself."

"I'll think about it."

"But you'll keep the dress?"

"He did ruin my first one."

Mr. Brunner smiled, nodding as he unlocked his wheels. "Fair enough. Take care, Ms. Chase."

And he was gone in the golden morning, the shiny Sedan silently zipping through the Main Street traffic. She stared after it for a second, taking note of the unusually fit mothers jogging with their strollers and oddly fancy people walking their dog before work before closing the door.

Leo stared at her expectantly from the couch, hair still sleep tousled. "Well? What was that?"

She shook her head, absently wandering to the kitchen. "S'nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing!"

The box skidded across the counter, hitting their blender with a dull thud. The party had been the play by play of any Hollywood telling of "comfortable" teenage life, only it wasn't normal house party status, no; it was a bunch of kids playing dress up with their parents' beautiful decorations and getting crossfaded on the best inhibitors money could buy. She and Piper had walked in, accepting flutes of champagne in their underage hands, fully prepped to make fun of anything and everything they saw.

"I gotta say," Piper muttered, gesturing to the couple making out on top of a huge speaker. "Random hook ups were the best things about these parties."