The Library

Note: This story is set right after they talk to Ella on the roof of the library, before Percy and Phineas make their deal. Please enjoy!

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"Hazel, I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'll meet you guys outside, okay? Wait, do you think you can get Ella down without me?"

     The young girl nodded, turning her attention back to the fearful, red-feathered harpy.

     Percy opened the door labeled ROOF ACCESS, and jogged back down the stairs. Man, there were a lot of them. On the second flight, Percy finally noticed the gray doors. They were labeled ELEVATOR. Percy chuckled humorlessly. "Of course."

     Once inside the library, Percy scanned the signs that sat above the shelves of books. He made his way through the aisles, smelling the musty scents of stale paper and silence. One of the shelves, he noticed, had a dent in it. Percy blushed.

     "Mystery…Romance…Cooking…," Percy mumbled out loud. "Architecture. Here we go."

     His eyes roamed the bookcase. What was that architect's name? Something with a G, or…an M? He had the same name as that chef his mom liked, he recalled.

     Percy glanced at the clock. He was running out of time; Hazel and Frank would be waiting for him.

     He looked over at a stand alone shelf at the end of the aisle, displaying cookbooks by Beau…MacMillan! That was it. Percy got down on his knees, looking through the M section. After what felt like hours of searching, Percy pulled out a blue book. It was fairly new, and the pages were still white. Some of them contained colored pictures of, Percy had to admit, beautiful buildings. He couldn't blame Annabeth for liking this guy's designs so much.

     The dark haired boy walked as quickly as he dared over to the front of the library, glancing out the windows. Frank and Hazel where no where to be seen, so Percy figured he had a couple minutes until he was supposed to meet up with them.

     A small, blonde girl stood behind the counter, talking loudly on her cell phone. "I know, Tiffany! Yeah. He never pays any attention to me—no presents, no walking me to class…Uh-huh…"

     "Um, excuse me?" Percy asked, setting the book on the counter.

     The girl looked up, sighing. "Tiff, I gotta go." She turned to Percy. "How can I help you?"

     "I'd like to buy this book," Percy said, picking up the book so she could see it.

     She choked out a sarcastic laugh. "Buy it? This isn't a bookstore, dude."

     Percy sighed. "Yeah, I know." He remembered the conversation he'd overheard. "I was planning on buying it for my girlfriend, but that's alright." He started to walk away, but, as he'd hoped, the girl called him back.       

     "Wait a sec!" She said, looking around cautiously. "How much can you pay?"

     Percy shot her a smile as he dug trough his pockets. "Uh, seven dollars and seventeen cents," he said sheepishly.

     The girl didn't look too surprised—after all, what rich person wears muddy, torn up clothes? She just nodded, taking the money out of out of his hand. "You know, most people get their girlfriends perfume or jewelry…"

     Percy smirked. "My girlfriend doesn't really like either of those things, but she's crazy about architecture." Percy shoved the book in his, erm, rainbow satchel. "Thanks."

     The girl nodded, eyeing the bag questioningly. "Hey, you're welcome. I hope she likes it."

     "Me, too," Percy admitted. With one last nod to the girl, he walked over to the large, glass doors where Frank and Hazel waited.