The sun was beating down on my back as my best friend Percy and I walked to the mall. He wanted to buy Annabeth a gift for absolutely no reason and I wanted to get some awesome new Green Day shirts. As much as Percy didn't want to go shopping with a girl, he finally agreed after I hooked up the biggest sound system I could find and put it at the window near his bed while it blasted Green Day's biggest hits. Let's just say I caught his entire reaction on camera and threatened to send it to America's Funniest Home Videos if he didn't come with me.
I got to the door of the mall first and stepped aside while crossing my hands and smirking at Percy. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a silver disk. It cast a rainbow on his face that was made from the sun and he rushed to open the door for me. The truth was, I didn't actually have the video. Chiron made me give it to him after he found out, but this disk was empty. Ha-ha, sucker.
"Thalia, you know Chiron will find out sometime." said Percy as we walked into the mall.
"Yeah, right Percy." I laughed at him as I stuck my foot in front of his and he stumbled over it, catching himself. "You took on the War God, and won, yet you trip over your own feet?"
Percy kept quite as we kept walking through the crowded mall. We passed by several stores, an ice cream parlor, and a pet shop before I asked Percy something.
"Hey, do you want to get Annabeth's gift first?"
He stopped to think about this.
"Yeah, sure, but what should I get her? I was thinking jewelry or something… Girls like jewelry, right?"
"My Gods, Percy, you're hopeless."
We walked into Kay's Jewelry store. The counters sparkled with all of the diamond rings and necklaces and the red carpet seemed to deflate under our feet as we walked up to the sales counter.
"Well, that one's pretty I guess." I said pointing to a gold necklace with an amethyst stone in it.
"Nah, that doesn't really scream 'Annabeth' to me."
I looked at him with a concerned expression.
"Percy, jewelry doesn't scream to people. Much less a son of Poseidon, maybe Hephaestus or Aphrodite, but I highly doubt that."
"Yeah, Thalia, okay."
"What!?"
"Oh, that one's nice." He said pointing out a sapphire bracelet with engraved dolphins along the side.
"Well, if jewelry could talk, that one would definitely say 'My name's Seaweed Brain, don't ware it out!'"
"Very funny."
Percy stuck his elbows on the glass and pressed nose against it, squinting at the tiny rings that could fit a baby doll.
"Can I help you?" asked a lady with a British accent and huge hair.
Percy looked up suddenly, but I answered for him.
"We're trying to find something for Lover Boy's girlfriend."
Percy shot me a look that said "shut up", but I just stared intently at the lady behind the counter.
"Very well. Well, over here we have some very nice aqua-marine necklaces."
She led us over to the opposite side of the counter where there was even more jewelry. Percy crouched down to get eye level with the jewelry.
"That one," he said confidently, "Definitely that one."
He was pointing to a silver locket with an aqua-marine stone placed in the middle with engraved wave shapes spinning around it.
"What a lovely choice." said the lady, acting very annoyed but trying not to show it.
She took it out of the big glass case and placed it on the counter for us to examine more closely.
"Yes, most definitely that one." said Percy smiling up at the lady.
"Okay," she said while walking over to the cash register to ring up our purchase; well Percy's purchase actually. "That will be $2,346.97. Now, would you like it gift-wrapped? That will be an extra $40."
Percy mouth dropped to the floor. Mine followed along with it.
"Two-thousand…" mumbled Percy. "Three hundred and forty-six dollars and ninety-seven cents? Holy, Zeus."
I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow while smiling up at the lady with a forced grin. You don't go around saying the names of Greek Gods in front of a mortal!
"Excuse me?" inquired the lady looking at us like we were crazy.
"Holy moose!" I chimed in thinking on my feet. "You know moose, Canadians love moose, mooses, we're Canadian you know? Ay…"
"Um… Okay." Said the lady. "Now would you like to pay debit or credit?"
Percy had woken up from his stunned silence. "Debit!"
He started to reach in his pocket and pulled out a leather wallet. He pulled out a lime-green card with purple cursive writing on it and a flower.
"Are you crazy?" I whisper-shouted at Percy. "You don't have $2,000 bucks in your account! Do you even have an account?"
He crossed his arms waiting for the lady to the swipe his card. The register began to beep loudly and on the little screen wear a number should be, and infinity symbol had popped up. The lady's face was priceless.
"Oh, sir," she stammered. "Would you like it to be gift wrapped? Oh, and Your Highness," she said looking to me, "Would you like a foot-rub?"
I'm gonna have to get me one of those cards.
"That wont be necessary, thank you." said Percy.
Stupid Percy, I wanted my foot-rub.
She handed back his card reluctantly and Percy grabbed my hand dragging me out of the store.
"I wanted my foot-rub!" I yelled at Percy as we walked out of the store.
"Yeah, okay." said Percy laughing at me while he stuffed the little green case that held the locket in his pocket.
"So, it's my turn now, Percy. Hot Topic here we come!" I said joyfully grabbing his hand and dragging him to the nearest mall map.
"Oh, Gods…"