II
The Girlfriend with Good Taste
It took him a little longer than he thought it would to get around the city. A lot had changed in two years – the subway went further now, the streets were more clogged, and the number of skyscrapers allowed on one block had almost doubled. A skateboard would barely get him places on time.
The Olympus Bar and Night Café sat in the back corner of a hotel lobby, with its main entrance tucked in the snug space between two shady alleys. Despite the sketchy location the customers were almost always upper class, rich males, with the occasional daring woman. The tips alone would be enough to sustain Percy a decent living.
As he expected, it was completely empty when he entered, except for one bartender cleaning a glass and a waiter lounging in the seat across from him. They recognized him before he did them, and he found himself tackled by a blonde whose face he hadn’t completely registered yet.
“Percy, you little blue haired brat!”
But the voice hadn’t changed in two years, thank the gods. “Leo, hey,” He un-stiffened to return the embrace and smiled at tender, who set down the glass and reached over the counter for a half hug. “Beckendorf. What are the two of you doing here? Don’t you have college?”
“Night classes,” They chorused. “I’m almost finished with undergrad,” The younger of the two added proudly.
“That’s good,” Percy propped his transportation against a wall and slid himself onto the barstool across from Beckendorf. “I heard Artemis might let me keep the job?”
“Surprisingly,” The bartender shrugged, using the towel over his shoulder to wipe the spotless surface. “You also know how the job’s done, so it saves the trouble of having to train a newbie and waste more time.”
“How have you managed it up till now?”
“Easy. We closed at night.”
Percy almost choked on air. “And she was okay with that?”
“She was pissed beyond belief,” Leo assured, “But she was dead set on getting you back the instant you got out.”
“Well. I’m here now.”
“And your shift starts in twelve hours,” Beckendorf glanced at the clock above Percy’s head. “Seven o’clock on the dot. What are you doing here so early, anyway?”
“I have prison lag,” He watched Leo yawn beside him. “You sure those night classes are a good idea?”
“The professors are better,” Leo hummed. “And it’s not like we haven’t spent more time awake. At least now I’m getting eight hours of sleep a day.”
“That is a plus side.”
Silence, before Beckendorf finally breached the main topic. “So. They just let you out? Just like that?”
Percy shook his head and tapped his left leg. “I’ve got a tracker on me for a year, to make sure I stay within city limits. After that, I’m back in for a psych check, and then I’m out.”
“So you’re stuck?”
“Not exactly,” Percy thought for a second. “I mean, it’s better than living back there.”
“I should hope so,” Leo stood as the door opened for the first guest of the day.
P
YOU ARE READING
trigger warning (Percy Jackson au)
Fanfiction"So you didn't do the do?" "No." "Not even a little bit?" "No." "Did you kiss?" "Why are you not in the least weirded out that you're talking about your own brother?" shippings:...
