You've Got Mail

Impression

Percy's POV

It was Friday. The day. I never saw her since the first day; it was as if she was ignoring me on purpose. I was unsure of how I would approach the situation. Do I pretend that I didn't know her? Would that be too cold?

I stepped out of the apartment to get some fresh air. It was early in the morning so the sun was not glaring down on me. A walk around the neighbourhood would clear my mind. After Jason and Piper's renewed relationship, Jason spent more time next door. Sometimes Piper would come over too but I locked myself in my room. I didn't want to know what they were doing together.

The outdoors always felt welcoming to me. A gentle breeze tickled my ears as I strolled through a nearby park. Since it was Spring, Demeter decided to grace us with a variety of different flowers.

In a patch of grass, there were wild sunflowers that added a burst of bright colour to contrast the grey city. In another, magenta tulips and crimson-red roses coexisted in harmony. They blended together to form a pretty purple hue. This continued for random patches of grass in the park: fuchsias, marigolds, lilies and hyacinths. I kept walking until a blue hydrangea popped into view. It was the only flower in the sea of grass. It looked lonely, and since it was blue, I quickly dug around it and rushed home to put it in a flower pot.

Once home, I fumbled around to find a home for my new friend. I filled the pot with soil and slowly inserted the plant into its new environment. Looking up at the clock, I realised that I had about two hours left to get to work.

I took a quick shower and gathered my notes and cue cards. Speaking in front of strangers was not my forté but hey, money is money. Plus, if I could see Annabeth, maybe I would have the chance to explain myself. Or maybe not. The timing was all messed up.

Then there was her family too. I doubt they would be happy to see me. Malcolm and Magnus Chase. I shuddered as I thought about the latter. He was one powerful demigod, equipped with an Ancient Nordic sword. I vaguely recalled the sword himself trying to go on a date with Riptide. Norse mythology was weird but I would not want to mess with that guy.

After saving the world from Ragnarök, he decided to stay with his partner, Alex. They moved all around the world, never really settling down. However, I heard from Piper that he frequently visits Annabeth to see how she was doing. I hoped that today was not one of those days. Over the past five years, literally all of our mutual friends have punched or slapped me for breaking Annabeth's heart. I felt like I deserved it, so I did not bother telling them the full story. Only Jason knew what actually happened on that day.

Either way, the day could turn out really well, or I could cause irreversible damage to our already broken relationship. No pressure.

Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I stepped out of the apartment. To my horror, the one person I was fretting about was standing right in front of me.  I quickly shut my jaw and thought of what to say next, knowing that I had to choose my words very carefully. If I screwed up my first impression, she would ignore me for the rest of the day.

"Nice shoes!"

I mentally facepalmed. She looked at me curiously as sweat beaded on my forehead. She could probably tell that I felt nervous.

For a split second, a flicker of a smile formed on her face. Just as fast as it appeared, it was gone.

"Erm. Thanks," she replied as she scrummaged through her bag for something.

Judging from her choice of clothes, I was pretty sure that she was heading for work. At Malcolm's company. Could my day get any worse?

Oops. I probably should not have said that.