Chapter Text
With newfound determination, Percy reached Annabeth’s office, a small cubicle with a wooden desk sporting a single monitor, a small plant in a pot and a cup of coffee which seemed to have been freshly brewed. In front of the desk, Annabeth sat upright, typing furiously on the keyboard.
“Hey Annabeth,” he greeted, causing her to jump slightly in her desk as she quickly turned her chair to face him. She frowned as she turned around but broke into a smile when she saw Percy. Her round glasses perched on her nose, failing to dull the brightness of her grey eyes. She tucked a loose strand of blonde hair back into her ponytail, her plain white shirt neatly tucked into her pants, with her suit jacket draped over the chair.
Annabeth clutched her chest, feigning a heart attack, “Jeez Percy, don’t give me a heart attack!”
Percy chuckled, breaking the brief silence, “You got some time right now?”
“Uh,” Annabeth glanced at her screen, her report partially completed before she put it on screen saver, “sure, anything for you Percy. What’s up?”
Grabbing a chair from the cubicle next to Annabeth’s, Percy at opposite her and pulled out his tablet, opening his notes app and replied, “Artemis wanted a report on Maple Beauty Corporation.”
“Ah,” Annabeth’s eyes gleamed with realisation, “I was just writing the report for Artemis right now regarding it.”
“Oh ok, how long do you think it might take?”
“Probably around a few hours? I am not sure. It will get done before I clock off today.”
Percy nodded as he quickly wrote it down and requested, “Would you be able to CC me the report as well? I think Artemis wants me to basically summarise the whole pitch. I will go and stop by Silena’s as well. Gotta pull Beckendorf away from her so they can get some work done.”
Annabeth laughed at the last comment in response before remembering something as she asked, “That reminds me. Did you go on the blind date that Stolls begged you to go to?”
“Does everyone know about it?” Percy asked exasperated, “First Luke and now even you. Did the Stolls go and tell everyone about it?”
While he asked the question rhetorically, Annabeth’s humorous expression sent dread through his body and he continued, in a horrified tone, “No- Please, tell me they didn’t actually.”
“Yeah… Everyone knows.”
Percy groaned, running a hand through his hair, “I swear to all that’s good in this world, I will not do them a favour ever again. f*cking hell!” Taking a deep breath, he composed himself, “Anyways, thanks for that Annabeth. I won’t hold you for too long.”
Saying that, Percy stood up from his chair, returning it to its respective place and began heading towards Silena’s cubicle but not before Annabeth called out, “Percy, would you like to have dinner with me later?”
“Sorry Annabeth,” Percy responded, “I have plans. Maybe later.”
Annabeth looked downcast for a second before recovering and with a grin, said, “Okay, later then. Now go and get Silena and Drew’s report.”
Percy waved goodbye as he rushed to Silena’s cubicle, dodging a few people along the way. Reaching the opposite corner of the office, he found Silena and Drew deep in discussion about their pitch to Maple Beauty Corporation.
Percy slowed his pace as he approached Silena’s cubicle, not wanting to interrupt their discussion too abruptly. Silena, with her wavy black hair and bright blue eyes, was gesturing animatedly, while Drew listened, her arms crossed and her expression thoughtful.
“Hey, Silena, Drew,” Percy greeted, garnering their attention.
“Percy!” Silena beamed, “Perfect timing. We were just finalizing our pitch for Maple Beauty Corporation.”
“Great,” Percy said, pulling up a chair, “Artemis wants a summary report on this, and I need to get the details from you guys.”
Drew nodded, flipping her long, dark hair over her shoulder, “We’re almost done with the main points. We can give you a quick rundown now, if that works?”
“Sounds good,” Percy agreed, opening his notes app again, “Hit me.”
Silena took the lead, her enthusiasm evident, “So, Maple Beauty Corporation is looking to launch a new line of eco-friendly skincare products. We’re proposing a comprehensive marketing strategy that highlights their commitment to sustainability and targets eco-conscious consumers.”
“We’re focusing on social media campaigns, influencer partnerships, and a series of launch events in key cities,” Drew added, her tone more measured, “We’ve also got some innovative ideas for packaging that align with their green initiatives.”
Percy typed rapidly, capturing the key points. “This sounds solid. Anything else I should know?”
Silena and Drew exchanged a glance before Silena continued, “We’ve identified some potential challenges, like competition from established brands and the need to educate consumers about the benefits of their products. But we’ve got strategies to address those.”
“Got it,” Percy said, finishing his notes. “Can you send me a copy of your pitch as well? I need to compile everything for Artemis.”
“Of course,” Silena replied, already turning to her computer. “I’ll email it to you in a few minutes.”
“Thanks, guys,” Percy said, standing up. “I’ll get out of your hair now.”
As he walked away, Percy felt a sense of accomplishment. He had a clear plan and the information he needed. Now, it was just a matter of putting it all together.
As he walking to his office, Percy ran into Zoe, the latter dropping a pile of documents that she was carrying. “Percy, do you have eyes just for show?”
“Whoa,” Percy raised his arms in surrender at her abrupt tone, “why am I catching a stray all of a sudden? You know that this was an accident.”
Zoe’s expression softened apologetically, “Sorry, I have just been thrown in the deep end with all these projects that have come now because of Maple Beauty Corporation’s cooperation.”
Percy knelt down to help her gather the scattered documents, “No worries, Zoe. I know how hectic things can get around here.”
It was certainly a surprise for Percy though as this was the most he had seen of Zoe around the office and now he had seen her a total of 3 times in a single day.
“Thanks Percy,” Zoe replied gratefully.
Percy shrugged it off, “Don’t worry about it. If you are going to Artemis’ office, could you tell her that I have got the draft from Silena, Drew and Annabeth? They will be emailing me their pitches and final reports and I’ll compile and summarize them before sending it to Artemis before the end of the day.”
She nodded in response and, making sure that no document would slip out, walked off. As Percy continued, he heard two familiar noises coming from nearby and peeked to see the Stolls talking to a huge African-American man, towering them easily, his white striped shirt unable to hide the muscles that resembled those of a professional ballplayer.
“I am telling you, Percy said it worked for him!” Travis exclaimed, “The app works Charles!”
The man – Charles – sighed, “That’s good. I might need to tweak the matchmaking algorithm but I have Leo working on updating the code for individual profiling and verification to avoid any catfishes.”
Despite being the guinea pig of the experiment, Percy decided to be quiet and slipped away before any of them could notice him.
As Percy walked back to his desk, he couldn’t help but think about how everyone seemed to be under immense pressure. The Maple Beauty Corporation project was important, but it was taking a toll on the team. Determined to help where he could, Percy resolved to streamline his report and make it as comprehensive as possible to ease the burden on his colleagues.
Back at his cubicle, Percy began compiling the data and notes he had gathered. He worked methodically, making sure to cover every aspect of the project. Time flew by as he became engrossed in the task, his focus unwavering.
Just as he was putting the finishing touches on the report, an email notification popped up on his screen. It was from Annabeth, containing her completed report on Maple Beauty Corporation. Another email from Silena followed shortly, with her and Drew’s pitch attached. With this, he quickly began to work on the summarized report and finally with a sense of accomplishment, Percy reviewed the final document. It was detailed, well-organized, and covered all the critical points. CC’ing Annabeth, Silena and Drew, Percy sent the report to Artemis.
Leaning back in his chair, Percy allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. The hard work had paid off, and he felt confident that Artemis would be pleased with the report. He glanced at the clock and realized that it was already late. His thoughts drifted back to Annabeth’s dinner invitation.
Maybe it wasn’t too late to take her up on the offer.
He thought as he felt his shoulders stiffen at the thought of cooking dinner at home. He couldn’t even remember if he had any instant noodles left at home. Deciding to check in on her, Percy walked over to Annabeth’s cubicle. He found her still at her desk, reviewing some documents. She looked up as he approached, a tired smile playing on her lips.
“Hey, Percy. Did you finish the report?” she asked.
“Yeah, I just sent it to Artemis,” Percy replied. “I was thinking, if you’re still up for it, maybe we could grab that dinner? I think we both deserve a break.”
Annabeth’s eyes lit up. “I’d love that. Let me just wrap this up, and we can go.”
As Annabeth gathered her things, Percy felt a wave of relief. Despite the day’s chaos, he was looking forward to spending some time with her, away from the pressures of work.
