Chapter Text
"It's not a bad place right?" Nico asked.
Will looked around the place then nodded.
"It is" He said.
They walked over to the bar counter and sat down on two of the stools.
"This place is an hour drive away from home, Are you sure you'll be there in time for your first session?" Nico asked.
"I'll manage" Will said.
Nico raised a hand to get the bartender's attention so he walked over to them.
"Two shots of whisky" Nico said.
The man nodded and started preparing their orders.
Will looked at his drink for a minute then sighed before taking a sip.
Nico took a sip from his drink as he eyed the dance floor.
"Do you want to dance?" Nico asked.
"Why would you want to dance with me?" Will asked then took an another sip from his drink.
"You can think of it as a goodbye memory" Nico said shrugging.
Will shook his head.
"I don't feel like dancing" Will said.
"Alright" Nico said then took an another sip from his drink.
He looked around the place again as he eyed the dancing customers of the bar.
The place was full even though it was still day time.
And the music was so loud it was actually getting on his nerves.
"I don't get why the man asked to see me here" Nico said.
"The music is too loud right?" Will asked.
"Yeah, It's annoying" Nico said.
He gulped down the rest of his drink then turned to Will.
"Do you have any other place to stay? What are you going to do about the clinic thing too?" Nico asked.
"I'll find an another place to stay, And I'll work from it, Won't be a big deal" Will said.
Nico raised a hand to get the bartender's attention again.
"Two of the same" Nico said.
"Just one for him" Will said.
"It's my last chance to treat you to something, Just have one more drink" Nico said.
"I can't, I need to drive" Will said.
Nico sighed and nodded to himself.
"I should go now, You'll manage fine on your own it's almost time for your interview anyway" Will said.
Nico looked at his watch and saw that it was still too early but before he could say anything Will stood up and walked out of the bar.
Will got into his car and drove away from the beach.
Nico turned to the bartender again and ordered one more drink.
"I'll have the check" Nico said.
The bartender gave it to him so Nico paid then went to the dance floor.
He moved his head from side to side along with the music and started dancing.
He didn't know how much time has passed but he eventually had enough of it and went to smoke a cigarette outside.
He looked at his watch and saw that he still had sometime left so he decided to walk around for a bit hoping he'd sober up a little.
After a few minutes of walking he took a seat on the sidewalk and looked around.
He noticed that people were gathered around a stall that sold souvenirs.
He stood up and walked over to the busy stall to have a look at what it was selling and saw that it was selling some fancy rose gold couple accessories and perfumes.
Across from this stall though there was an another stall with a woman who seemed a bit older then him.
She looked like a foreigner who came from somewhere in Asia.
And she seemed to have noticed him because she turned to him and gave him a smile.
Nico noted that she could pass his list of rare faces because she had a beautiful face and a strangely alluring smile.
He noticed that her stall had some really beautiful flowers and handmade stuff.
Then sighed when he could guess why she didn't get much attention, Her goods were obviously deemed boring and old fashioned and her stall didn't pique anyone's interest because it didn't look as flashy as the one behind him.
He walked over to her stall then picked up two matching bracelets and looked at them.
"What can I do for you mister?" She asked as she gave him a friendly smile.
"What would be something good to give as an apology gift?" Nico asked the stall owner.
"A friend of yours?" The stall owner asked smiling.
"Yeah" Nico said as he looked through more of the items.
The stall owner smiled before grabbing one of the hairpins.
It was a pink floral hairpin that was big enough to pin into the back of a woman's head.
"Well, If she's a dear friend then you can buy her a hairpin, I bet it'll..." She started.
"It's a man" Nico interrupted as he looked at more bracelets.
The woman laughed heartily causing him to frown.
"Well, It's no problem, I'll recommend one of these bracelets" She said.
Then grabbed one of the darker beaded bracelets and gave it to Nico.
"Are you a couple?" She asked.
"Not a couple, He's just a dear friend" Nico said as he inspected the bracelet she gave him.
She gave him a polite smile and nodded.
"What's his favourite colour?" She asked.
"You're an expert right? In the present picking thing I mean" He said.
"I wouldn't want to disappointed you with a wrong guess, But I might be able to help if you tell me more about him" She said.
Nico sighed and put the bracelet back in its place before looking up at her.
"He's kind of stupid, Always helping the people he cares about no matter what and no matter how big of a mess you're trapped in he'll always be there to pull you out of the darkness" Nico said.
He looked at the bracelets again before picking an another one.
"He's always optimistic and hopeful you'd say that he came out of a disney movie and he has a smile as bright as the sun" Nico said.
"Are you sure you see him as just a friend?" She asked.
Nico stayed silent because he was no longer able to answer that question.
Did he really love Will as much as he thought he did or was he just missing the good old days?
"So, He's a kindhearted person who would do anything for the person he loves the most? A beautiful heart is a rare heart" She said smiling.
Then picked out a white jade beaded bracelet before giving it to him.
"Do you know what white jade means?" She asked.
Nico looked at the bracelet briefly then turned his attention back to her before shaking his head.
"It symbolises the purity and strength of love and friendship, The person you described will love it for sure" The woman said smiling.
"What could possibly match it then? A stone that probably fell from hell?" Nico asked teasingly.
The woman described it so dramatically as if the bracelet was really forged in heaven.
"He's kind, But I don't think he fell from heaven" Nico said.
"I didn't say I picked it for him" The woman said.
Nico frowned and looked at her again.
"There's no way you picked it for me, I'm nowhere near an angel" Nico said.
"You came here looking for a present for someone you kept insisting that you don't love which tells me more then enough about you" She said.
"Are you trying to make me laugh? Because the way you talk makes you sound like one of those weird fortune tellers in a low budget movie" Nico said.
"You can judge a person from the way they act and you just did a gesture of kindness" She said.
Then smiled as she admired one of the other white jade beaded bracelets.
"You walked over to a poor stall owner and asked for a present for someone you claimed you didn't love, Which tells me you're kind enough to help a beggar and brave enough to admit your mistakes" The woman said.
"Alright, Now you're starting to sound really ridiculous" Nico said.
Then he took the bracelet and put it in front of her.
"I'll take the white thing and an another black one to match it" Nico said.
He looked at the flowers and picked one.
"I'll buy one of these too" He said as he pointed at the flowers that had the most petals.
"As you wish, Do you want just a single flower? Or a bouquet of them?" She asked.
"A bouquet" Nico said.
She nodded and wrapped a bouquet of pink flowers for him.
"You're the first customer I got in a while, Can you please tell me your name so I can add it to the plaque?" She asked.
"You don't get any customers because you're chatty and nosey and ridiculously superstitious" Nico said.
The girl laughed and shook her head.
Nico sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"I'm Nico" He said.
"It's nice to meet you, I'm Bianca" She said.
Nico looked at the bracelets instead of her face as soon as he heard her name.
"Here are your stuff mister, I hope you'll visit me again" She said.
Nico nodded absentmindedly then took the bag from her and paid for his stuff.
He turned his back on her to leave but before he could do so she put a hand on his shoulder.
"Mister Nico, It's important to know your worth, So instead of hiding your feelings just seek your own happiness" She said.
Then walked out of her stall and gave him a white flower.
"This one is a present from me, I hope you find your happiness" She said.
Then smiled at him again before walking back into her stall.
He walked back to the bar and looked at the bouquet before taking one of the flowers in it.
Then sat down on one of the chairs outside the bar.
"I go in, I don't, I go, I don't, I go, I don't..." He started.
He continued plucking out the petals of the flower until he finally reached the last petal.
"I go in" He murmured as he looked at the last petal.
His phone started ringing so he took it out and saw that it was Annabeth.
"Happiness huh?" He asked.
He ignored Annabeth's call then stood up and walked past the bar heading back to the main road.
Annabeth frowned to herself when Nico kept ignoring her calls.
Then she got a call from her boss so she picked it up immediately.
"Where's your friend Anniebell?" Mr D asked.
"Sorry, He just called me and said that he had something urgent to tend to" Annabeth said.
"Alright then, I guess he'll be missing out on a few drinks" Mr D said.
"Mr D, This is supposed to be an interview, You're not even supposed to meet him in a bar" She said.
"Anniebell dear, Does he know how to use a camera?" Mr D asked.
"Yeah, Perfectly?" Annabeth said frowning.
"Then what else does he have to do to get the job?" Mr D said.
Annabeth smiled and shook her head.
"I'm hanging up now, You know the saying alcoholic drinks means fun time" He said.
"There's no such saying" Annabeth said.
"Whatever, Bye" Mr D said before hanging up.
Annabeth shook her head and put her phone back in her pocket before getting back to work.
By the time she was done with work it was almost six and she was starting to grow more and more anxious.
Not because she was worried about the current design but because she hadn't received any texts from Percy today.
And it was saying something because they texted everyday during their lunch hour.
Could it be that he's too busy?
"Ms Chase, Grover solved the problem with the wood, He sent an email to tell us that he managed to secure an another deal" One of her team members said.
Annabeth nodded and turned to her.
"Have it stored in the storage room and call our latest client to set a meeting date" She said.
Her team mate nodded and went back to work.
"Are we finished with mr Wilson's designs?" Annabeth asked.
"Yes, Grover will send them to the carpentry so they'll start working on them as soon as he arrives at the workshop" The other woman said.
"Alright then, This is a wrap for today you're all free to go home" She said.
Then her teammates put their sketches in their bags before walking over to the door.
"Hold on a minute" Annabeth said.
Her teammates turned to her.
"Don't forget that one of you will have to come with me to buy the decor accessories alright?" She asked.
They nodded and walked out of the room.
Annabeth was finishing up more details when her phone started ringing again and she took the call when she saw that it was Sally.
"Hey Sally what's up?" Annabeth asked.
"Did Percy call you?" She asked.
"No he didn't" Annabeth said.
"He just sent me a text saying that he was still at his friend's house, Which friend? And how come he only texts?" Sally asked.
Annabeth frowned as soon as she registered what the older woman just said.
"He's still there?" Annabeth asked.
"We were supposed to go buy Estelle's school supplies but he didn't pick up any of my calls" Sally said.
"I'll call our friends and tell you if I find anything don't worry" Annabeth said.
"Thank you, I'll try calling him again to see if he's alright and tell you if he ever picks up so let's keep in touch alright?" Sally asked.
"Of course" Annabeth said.
Then the older woman hung up and Annabeth got a call almost immediately.
She frowned in confusion when she saw that it was actually Percy so she picked up immediately.
"What the hell Percy? Just where the hell are you?" Annabeth almost screamed.
"I'm alright, It's just that Travis and Connor asked me to go out on road a trip with them, They apparently decided to go to los angeles for a few days so I'll be away for a while" Percy said.
Annabeth raised an eyebrow in confusion because his voice was really strange.
"Are you alright? What's wrong with your voice? And why a trip all of a sudden?" She asked.
"I'm fine, You know that Travis is a traveller so he invited me, I'll be gone for a few days that's all" Percy said.
But his voice shook again which wasn't the attitude of someone who should be excited for a trip.
"I need to hang up now Annabeth" Percy said.
Then hung up before she could say anything.
She tried to call him again to ask if he was going to stop by the house to get some clothes but he didn't pick up no matter how much she tried.
She decided to call Travis instead to see what this was all about.
