Requested by: @morganhades666

Percabeth are 19 and in college (not at NRU)

Elena sighed at her appearance in her mirror, black hair in a messy bun and big brown eyes staring back at her. She tugged the bun out, it just wasn't working for her. It was one of those days where her hair just did not want to cooperate.

Settling with just leaving it in a ponytail, she grabbed her purse and left the bathroom. She was pulling on her shoes when her roommate, Annabeth Chase, cleared her throat. "Where are you going? It's barely ten in the morning."

"I got hired at Starbucks, remember? I start today at 10:30," Elena muttered and grabbed her keys off the small desk at the end of her bed. "Why don't you get a job?"

Annabeth stuck her tongue out. "I'm worrying about school right now."

"Yeah, yeah. Get back to studying those blueprints you've been looking at ince two in the morning!" Elena joked and opened the door, waving before shutting it.

----

"I'm so sorry!" Elena exclaimed as she entered the cafe. Customers looked away from their friends, school work, or significant others to stare at her weirdly. She ignored them and walked up to the counter where her manager was standing, his arms crossed. "I woke up late."

He threw an apron at her. "Make sure it doesn't happen again."

She nodded and tied it on. "Of course. Where do I start?"

"Cash register," he said before heading to the back.

Elena nodded. "Okay, then." The bell atop the door rang and she snapped her head up. "Oh my gods." That was the hottest dude she'd ever seen! Black windswept hair, sea green mesmerizing eyes, and muscular. But not in the gross way. He came up to the counter and smiled. "Hello, what could I get for you?"

The boy glanced up at the menu saying, "One grande java chip and one grande caremal frappe, please." He dug out his wallet.

"Two drinks? I didn't see anyone with you," Elena said as she typed his order into the cash register. "That would be $12.38."

He handed her the money. "I'm bringing my girlfriend a drink. She's got a big exam on architecture today and I know she stayed up all night studying."

Elena laughed. "That sounds a lot like my roommate, actually. Maybe they're in the same class. Where does she go?"

"NYU," He answered. "I go there too."

"Yeah, that's where I go. What are you studying?" Elena asked, grabbing the drinks out of her coworkers hands then handing him to the boy.

"Thanks. I'm majoring in Oceanography and minoring in Marine Biology," He answered her. "But I've got to get going, my girlfriend's class starts in ten minutes and I need to get to her dorm before then."

Elena nodded. "Before you leave, what's your name? I'm Elena."

"Percy. Nice to meet you, Elena," Percy said before walking out of the cafe.

"Percy," Elena sighed, loving the way it rolled off her tongue. Elena and Percy. No, she shook her head. He has a girlfriend. But... what if he started to like her instead? "I hope he comes back."

------

"How was the first day on the job?" Annabeth asked as Elena flopped onto her bed, exhausted after a day of working and going to classes.

Elena smiled. "Great. I met someone."

"Oh." Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

"He's got a girlfriend," Elena told her.

Her face dropped. "Oh. What's he like?"

"He's so hot!" Elena exclaimed as she pulled her homework out of her backpack. "Unruly black hair and green eyes. He's so nice too."

Annabeth pursed her lips. "I see. Did you happen to catch his name?"

"Percy," Elena sighed. "Isn't that a great and unique name?"

"It's great all right." Annabeth quickly grabbed the empty starbucks cup off her bedside table and set it on the other side of her, out of Elena's sight. "I'm gonna spare you the heartbreak, Elena."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"What I mean is that you should just leave him alone," Annabeth told her.

Elena's eyes widened. That was not what friends said to each other when they met a guy. They were supposed to be excited and tell them to go for it. "That's not what you're supposed to say. You're supposed to be supportive and tell me to go for it."

Annabeth sighed. "It's not fair to Percy or his girlfriend for some other pretty girl to be flirting with him. He's taken and probably in a happy relationship, leave it at that."

"But-"

"If he wants to date you, wait for him to make that decision himself which he most likely won't."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Elena glanced at her skeptically.

"Because I wouldn't want another girl hitting on my boyfriend of three years," Annabeth said.

Elena rolled her eyes. "And here we go again with the made up boyfriend no one knows about. Seriously, Annabeth, you don't have to pretend to have a boyfriend. It's okay that no one likes you right now."

"Excuse me?" Annabeth widened her eyes.

"Uh, yeah, not the best choice of words." Elena took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. What I meant to say is that you don't have to be in a relationship right now. You know that."

Annabeth laughed humorlessly. "And you don't have to try to get with a taken guy."

"I never said I was," Elena defended.

"But you thought about it." Annabeth's grey eyes pierced into her own.

Elena sighed, defeated. "Yeah, I did. But you're also not the boss of me so you can't tell me not to go and try to get with him. Ha-ha!"

"He won't," She sing-songed.

"And how would you know?" Elena narrowed her eyes.

Annabeth grabbed the Starbucks cup and waved it in the air. "Because he's my boyfriend and I am telling you not to hit on him. Besides, he'll just reject you."

"You know, out of all the things you were going to say, I did not expect that," Emily laughed.

"Just leave him alone, alright? It may seem like he's flirting but he's just being nice, trust me. He's not attracted to you." Annabeth turned her attention back to her laptop.

"You're not Percy, you can't tell how he really feels. Maybe he found something cute today, who knows!"

Annabeth shook her head. "I would know if my boyfriend was falling for another girl. I've been friends with him for seven years and dated him for three, I know when he likes someone other than me."

"Did he seem like he was?"

"No."

"How?"

"He gives me the lovey-dovey eyes everytime he sees me."

Elena snorted. "That's just a thing in movies."

"Nope." Annabeth popped the 'p'. "Just leave him be."

Elena groaned. "Fine."

-----

The next couple weeks were great. Percy came into Starbucks two times a week to get a drink or something to eat while he was on his way to his classes. Every time Elena was at the cash register so she got to chat with him.

If she was being honest, Elena felt a connection through herself and Percy. Like they were just meant to be together. And- sorry Annabeth- she was going to try and get him to make her his girlfriend.

So on Tuesday on an early November morning, Percy walked into Starbucks and ordered his usual. Elena didn't even have to ask anymore.

"How's your girlfriend?" Elena asked, placing the money in the cash register.

"Great." His eyes lit up. "She passed that exam with an A though. I was really proud of her and took her out to dinner the other night because of it."

Elena raised an eyebrow. "Because she passed a test?"

"And because I love her." His smile widened. "I'm actually planning on proposing on her birthday this year. She'd be turning twenty and I think that's a good age."

Elena's eyes widened. "P-proposing?"

"Yeah. Her birthday isn't till July though." Percy shrugged. "I know she was hoping for a proposal on her last birthday. I felt bad but I didn't have the money yet."

"Oh." She never thought of Annabeth as the- wanting- to- get- married- still- during- college type of girl. But whatever. "Aren't you supposed to date around before getting engaged?" Last week he told he only ever dated his girlfriend, vice versa,

"Nah. When you know, you know." Percy grabbed his drink out of her hand. "Thanks."

"Your welcome. You'll be coming on Thursday right?" Elena asked.

Percy nodded. "I'll see you then."

-------

"You didn't kiss him, did you?" Annabeth asked right when Elena stepped foot into their dorm.

"No!" Elena shot back. "I just asked him if he was coming back to Starbucks on thursday and he said, 'I'll see you then'. Doesn't that mean something?"

Annabeth snorted and rolled her eyes. "No, he's just being nice."

"Sounds like flirting to me," Elena said.

"If he was flirting, you'd know he was flirting because it's weird," Annabeth told her.

"How so?"

"I don't even know. He gets all fidgety and his face gets red when he does it. It's really hard to focus on what he's saying,"  Annabeth laughed.

Elena hummed in response then got started on homework.

-----

Elena snapped her head up, a bright smile on her face, when the bell above the door rang. However, the smile was wiped off her face when another figure entered in after Percy, her fingers laced with his.

They walked up to the counter and Annabeth made eye contact with her.

"So this is the girlfriend?" Elena asked.

"Oh shut up. Don't act like you don't know me, Elena." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

Percy looked between the two. "Um, okay then. Wasn't expecting that."

"Anyway, what can I get from both of you?" She asked kindly and typed their orders in. "That would be $23.56." They ordered breakfast along with their drinks.

Elena didn't have her normal conversation with Percy so she just stood there awkwardly while they conversed quietly. The drinks and food were handed to her and she gave them to Percy and Annabeth.

"Thank you," Percy said and turned around to go find a table.

She had to make a move. She couldn't let him get away this easily. She grabbed a quarter out of the counter and said, "Percy, you forgot your change."

He turned around and Elena stepped out from behind the counter, surging forward and pressing her lips to his. It was amazing and she felp sparks. That is until he pushed her off him after a couple seconds.

She looked at Annabeth who was staring at her with an amused expression, slowly shaking her head. She mouthed: rejected and heartbroken.

Elena rolled her eyes and turned back to Percy who was wiping his mouth on his jacket sleeve. Her heart broke a little. "W-what? Didn't you feel anything because I sure as hell felt sparks."

"No!" Percy practically shouted at her. "I didn't feel anything because I have a girlfriend."

"Then break up with her!" Elena said loudly back.

"What? No!" Percy said. "Look, I don't like you like that. I have a girlfriend whom I love very much so please, just- just stay away." Then he turned around, grabbed Annabeth's hand and left.

Elena watched, frozen where she stood, as Percy tried to apologize to Annabeth after setting their food and drinks down on a table outside.

But Annabeth just laughed, grabbed his face in her hands and crashed her lips to his.

Elena walked away, her heart broken. How was she going to show her face to Annabeth tonight?

Let's just say Annabeth gave her quite the talking to that embarrassed her to no end.