The Hate

Percy POV

I hate my boss. She's the worst.

I know that a lot of people hate their bosses. Now, I am understanding why. Annabeth Chase lives to scare or intimidate her employees. Ever since the car wash incident, I kept my interactions with her to a minimum. However, that's easier said than done since I am her secretary.

Regardless, I stayed out of her way unless I was called. I still had to organize her meetings and process files. However, I did it on my own and informed her later.

I thought that she would have it out for me since I told her off last week. Surprisingly, she ignored the incident and moved on as if it never happened.

"Wait, Percy, you yelled at our boss?" Silena asked.

"Yes, I did. I was just pissed off and slightly embarrassed. Besides, she deserves it for being such a mean, horrible-"

"PERCY JACKSON. Come into my office now," a voice commanded from behind. I turned around to see Annabeth standing in the doorway. I've never seen her come to the break room, yet here she was. She heard everything that I just said.

She stormed back to her office. The weight of her heels clicking on the floor indicated that she was angry. Why wouldn't she be?

"Percy, you have the worst luck," Katie expressed sympathetically.

"I'm surprised she hasn't fired you yet. I mean, you're pretty vocal about how you feel. But again, the boss probably doesn't care about your feelings," Silena continued.

"I feel like she's not firing me just to torture me," I stated. I got up from the table and walked towards the doorway. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck," they cooed.

Ms. Chase was waiting for me in her office. Her arms were crossed as she sat in her leather chair. She wasn't doing anything except watching my movements. I walked towards her desk and sat down in the guest chair in front of her.

Her stormy gray eyes gazed into my soul. I shifted uncomfortably; we both knew how I felt about her. She repeatedly interrupted my life. Annabeth didn't hesitate to give me extra work that would force me to spend more time at work. She interrupted my date with Calypso. She made me wash her car because I was late one time.

I just don't appreciate her whatsoever.

"You wanted to see me?" I finally asked. She wasn't speaking, so I guess I could start the conversation. The faster we get through this, the sooner I can leave.

"Nothing gets past me, Mr. Jackson. I know exactly what you and all my other employees are saying about me." Her eyes narrowed on mine. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm not lying or anything. Just expressing my feelings."

"Well, I don't want your feelings in the workplace. How you feel about me is not going to influence the work that is done at Olympus Architecture. It's shameful that you feel the need to trash-talk me behind my back."

I sat quietly even though my hands were enclosed into fists on my lap. A part of me felt guilty while another part was mad. So, now, I couldn't even talk about her to other people.

What does she want from me?

"Let's cut to the chase, Ms. Chase. We don't like each other. Why don't you just fire me and put us out of our misery?" I acknowledged.

"I'm not going to fire you."

"Why not?"

"Because I like you," Annabeth said simply.

I blinked once and then twice. I was not expecting that. She was so straightforward about it, and I didn't know what she meant. I was too stunned to speak though.

"You're not a bad employee. You understand my schedule, and you accommodate my meetings well. You even put timed breaks for me throughout the day. I'm usually so busy all the time, and I've never had an assistant accommodate time off for me to relax and enjoy myself," she paused to think.

She wasn't smiling, but she was looking at me with some reassurance. I don't think that I'll ever forget her warmth.

"Furthermore, you make great coffee with little designs. I enjoy the smiley faces in particular. Most importantly, you're honest with me. You don't fake it for the sake of the job."

"What are you saying?" I asked in shock.

"I'm saying that I'm not firing you because I like having you around. I don't appreciate your comments, but I understand that they're probably true. I have a proposition for you, Mr. Jackson."

I simply stared at her. I didn't know what to say. I was thinking that she hated me as an employee. I was astonished when she didn't fire me. However, I never considered the idea that she liked me as her assistant.

I waited for her to continue.

"I don't admire the notion of being a rude boss. You're one of the only employees that have been honest with me. I could use your assistance to become a better boss. In return, you'll get a better boss. That's what I want."

"But, you're already a great boss. You get work done. Even if people don't like you, they respect your intelligence and passion."

"Well, I want them to like me. I believe that it will make the company better."

Annabeth stood up and got closer. She leaned against the desk and crossed her arms again. I find that I like when she stands up. It gives me the chance to study her whole body, which is a masterpiece on its own. I'm surprised that she has the time to take care of her physique while running a company.

I shook my head to erase my thoughts. She's my boss, I reminded myself.

"I can help you," I expressed with a smile.

"Tip #1: you stand up when you talk to people. That's fine for me because I like it. But, some people would interpret it as a way for you to look down on your employees. That can become a problem."

Annabeth uncrossed her arms and shrugged. She sat back down.

"I'll try not to be so strict towards you. Meanwhile, will you help me become a 'kinder' boss?" she asked. Annabeth extended her hand towards me.

I shook her hand firmly, absorbing the connection between us.

"We have a deal."

***

Because of my last conversation with Annabeth, I realized that there was more to her. I never looked at it from her perspective. It probably didn't feel great to have a bad reputation in the workplace. I assumed that she liked it that way.

I never considered that Annabeth needed help to change her image. However, it got me thinking again about what made her that way in the first place.

Because I like you.

Her words repeated in my mind. I smiled while thinking about those words coming from Annabeth's lips. I liked it. I liked it a lot.

I wasn't even paying attention to the movie. I brought Calypso on a date. We went out to dinner first before coming to the movies. While I was lost in my mind, Calypso was enjoying the romantic comedy.

"Thanks for bringing me out, Percy. I was afraid that you wouldn't call me after the party." She leaned her head against my shoulder and held my arm.

"Of course, I'd call you. You're cool and beautiful," I whispered. Calypso smiled while snuggling deeper against my side. The smell of popcorn permeated around us.

"Not as cool and beautiful as me though," I added jokingly.

Melodious laughter reverberated from her mouth. I chuckled while stretching my arm around her shoulders. We shared a sweet kiss.

However, of course, it was interrupted.

For a second, I thought that it was Annabeth calling me. That wouldn't be a surprise. She's already interrupted one of my dates with Calypso. This time around, I didn't tell my boss about my date (because the topic didn't come up).

When I checked my vibrating phone, it was Zoe Nightshade.

"Hey Calypso, I have to take this. It's about my novel," I whispered. She nodded while I stood up. A few people behind us yelled at me to move, so I rushed out of the theater.

"Hello, Zoe?" I asked.

"Hi, Percy. How are you doing? I hope that I didn't interrupt anything. I know that it's a Saturday night," Zeo expressed.

"No. It's all good. I'm just on a date. Do you have any news for me?" I asked.

"Oh, you're on a date. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called at this hour. Your girlfriend is probably cursing me right now for pulling you away."

I chuckled while reassuring Zoe that it was fine. "It's all right, Zeo. Calypso is cool. Besides, this is only our first date, so it's not a big deal."

"Wait, Calypso Titan?" she asked immediately.

I froze in the empty hallway of the movie theater. How did Zoe know Calypso? That was strange considering The Hunters don't work with many large businesses.

"Um, yes."

"Oh. Well. Then, this is awkward. If you want to continue working with the Hunters, you can't date Calypso Titan," Zoe's tone was serious.

"Hold on, why? Did the Titan industry have a falling out with the Hunters? How do the Titans and the Hunters even relate to each other?" I asked. I was so confused now. The Titans run a series of hotels and resorts. The Hunters are a publishing company. They shouldn't be connected.

Calypso and I weren't that close. Technically, I don't have a problem with breaking things off, but I couldn't understand why.

"The Hunters are an isolated business. The organization broke away from the Olympus Magnate and Titan industries. We vowed to never go back to either brand."

"But, this is a personal relationship. It shouldn't matter."

"It matters to me because Calypso is my sister. I chose to break away from my family because of the type of business they run. Calypso is a possible heir to the Titan industry."

I was too stunned to speak. I was expecting good news about my novel. I wasn't ready for this kind of news. While I knew that Calypso belonged to the Titan industry, I didn't think that they ran an illicit business.

However, publishing my novel was my dream. I'm not going to let an innocent relationship block that. While I liked Calypso, I didn't like or know her that much.

"Any news about Say Hello to the Stars?" I asked quietly.

"It's excellent news, Percy. Everyone at the company (all the Hunters) loves your book and its inherent message. It's beautifully written and developed. The message needs to be heard, especially amongst the target population," Zoe explained.

I wrote the book for younger individuals. Kids have to grow up with messages of kindness and morality, so my book was targeted with the language that pertained to them. The main character is a kid, after all. Furthermore, my writing style is pretty amateur as well.

I practically laughed at the news. The Hunters weren't an easy group to impress, especially since I'm a male author. I was jumping up and down in excitement.

"We're currently editing your novel, Percy. You will have a bunch of revisions as you probably have guessed. However, I wanted to inform you that we will publish and advertise your book. Congratulations."

"Thank you so much."

We spoke for a couple of minutes before hanging up. I couldn't believe it. This was excellent news, and I wanted to shout it to the world. I've been waiting so long for this.

I walked back into the theater with a huge smile. Calypso noticed as well and embraced me in congratulations. Before I even told her, Calypso suggested that we just stay friends. Obviously, she knew more about the Hunters than I did.

Regardless, I appreciated her friendly support.

Something told me that Calypso would be a great ally to have. If she was stuck under the Titan name (in a bad type of industry), I'm going to help her.

We finished the date as good friends before going our separate ways. I had almost made it home when another phone call interrupted me.

Boy, I was popular today.

I sighed while looking at the caller ID. Time for work again. So much for having a nicer boss if she's calling me on a Saturday night. The smile faded from my face when Annabeth spoke. Her tone was frantic, and she seemed to be in a rush.

Something was seriously wrong.

"HEY, PERCY. I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP," my boss exclaimed.