“Ask her out.”
Calypso almost dropped her coffee. She looked at Percy, who was smirking at her.
“What!? No! I can't.” Calypso felt her face get hot, and the knowing smirk on Percy’s face confirmed that that she was blushing like crazy.
“Why not?” Percy said, stealing a piece of Calypso’s pie. “What can you lose?”
“Oh, that's rich coming from you, it took you four years to ask Annabeth out.” She smacked his hand when tried to grab more pie.
“That's different, Annabeth was my best friend, and I didn't want to lose her. You, on the other hand, have nothing to lose.”
Calypso sighed, stealing a glance at the beautiful dark haired girl, who was currently reading a book and drinking hot chocolate. Percy was right, she didn't have anything to lose, except maybe her favorite coffee shop. Reyna (she might have heard a barista call her name) was a regular in the coffee shop, and Calypso, to Percy’s amusement, had developed a crush on her, and she had gotten it bad.
In all honesty, it had been a mere coincidence that she and Reyna went to the coffee shop at the same time. Calypso and Percy usually went in the morning, to grab some caffeine and kill time until their next class, and Reyna was usually already there or arrived not long after, ordering the same thing and sitting at the same table, where she read a book or worked on something, always alone.
“I can't ask her out, remember that one time I asked if she could pass me a sugar? I stuttered like an idiot.”
“Blushed like crazy, too.”
“Not helping.” Calypso looked at Reyna again. “What if she’s not into girls?”
Percy took a sip of his heavy sugared coffee. “What if she is? She checked you out a few times.”
She almost started choking on the pie she was chewing. “SHE HAS NOT!” She didn't mean to yell it, but she attracted a few looks to their table, Reyna being one of them, which only made Calypso blush more. Percy’s snickering wasn't helping her calm down.
“She totally has, I’ve seen her.”
Calypso was in shock. “You’re lying.”
“Hey, Callie, I know how much you like her, I wouldn't lie about it.” Percy grabbed her hand. “I mean it, when you stand up or something, she ends up looking your way. I think she might have even smiled a few times.”
Calypso smiled at his friend, and then looked at their hands, just to look back at Reyna.
“Oh fuck!” She said, freeing her hand from Percy’s. “Oh fudgyty, fuckity fuck! This is not good.”
“What!? What is wrong!?”
“She probably thinks we are dating!” Calypso hissed at him. “No, this is bad, this is very bad.”
“Oh, oh no. What do we do?”
“Call Annabeth!”
“What?”
“Yeah, this is good, call Annabeth, make her come and then make out with her.” Calypso probably sounded like a crazy person, but she didn't care. “Make out and be loud, and make sure Reyna sees you.”
“No!”
“She needs to know we are not dating! She needs to know I have zero interest in you, or in men.”
“And how exactly, me and Annabeth making out would tell Reyna that you are not interested in me?”
“You’re right, maybe I should kiss Annabeth.” Calypso said, making Percy raise an eyebrow.
“Yeah, kissing another girl in front of your crush might not be a good idea. And I would appreciate it very much if you don't kiss my girlfriend.”
Calypso groaned and rested her head on the table, and Percy patted her hair in a comforting manner. “This sucks.”
“Okay, I’m gonna ask Annabeth to come with us next time, we act all coupley and Reyna gets the idea.”
“And I’m gonna wear flannel!” said Calypso, she was smiling, feeling better. “Wait, what if Reyna’s not here next time?” It had happened before, that they had gone to the coffee shop and Reyna was nowhere to be seen. It hadn’t happened often, but enough times to make Calypso worried about it.
“Then we tell Annabeth to come next time, too.”
“Or Jason, Jason works too.”
“Yeah, I can’t deny that.”
The next time they went, Reyna was sitting at her usual table, reading a book and absently playing with her braid. Calypso couldn’t help but giggle and look at Percy and Annabeth, who were at the counter, ordering their drinks and holding hands. Her plan was going to work, she knew it. Annabeth had laughed when they told her their plan, but the blonde had accepted to be part of it, and right now she was kissing Percy’s cheek and laughing, grabbing the attention of Reyna, who looked at the couple in confusion. She looks so cute, Calypso thought. Her dark eyes were wide with surprise, and her lips were parted, forming a small o. Her gaze moved to Calypso, and when their eyes meet, she could have sworn the other girl blushed, but she didn’t had time to confirm it, since Reyna went back to reading her book.
“It’s totally working!” She happily told the couple, when they sat down at their usual table. “You guys are the best.”
Annabeth laughed. “We know, I’m glad this is working for you.”
The three of them talked for a while, laughing and sharing stories about college. With Annabeth going to Cornell while she and Percy were in Ithaca, she barely saw the blonde and it was nice to catch up with her friend. Percy and Annabeth acted a little bit more over the top than what was typically expected from them; her friends weren’t fans of PDA, but they were trying to be more touchy-touchy so they could grab Reyna’s attention.
“So, what are you going to do about it?” Annabeth asked Calypso. They were finishing their drinks, and it wasn’t long before they had to go back to class.
“About what?”
“About her.” Annabeth said, tilting her head towards Reyna’s direction. “Are you gonna make the first move?”
“She doesn’t want to,” Percy said.
“Calypso! Come on! What do you have to lose!?” Annabeth said, and Percy moved his arms like if he was saying I know!
“Nothing?”
“Exactly!” Annabeth exclaimed. “I made the first move.”
“She did.” Percy said. “And now here we are.”
“I can’t ask her out!” Calypso half-whispered half-yelled. “I seriously can’t.”
“Okay, then buy her coffee.” Annabeth said.
“What?”
“You say she always gets the same stuff, right?” Annabeth asked, and Calypso nodded. “Then buy it for her, you guys are already friendly with the baristas, I don’t see why they won’t help.”
Percy raised his eyebrows. “That’s actually a very good plan.”
“Oh god.” Calypso looked at Reyna. “Should I?”
“Yes!” Percy and Annabeth said at the same time.
“Okay, next time I get here before her, I will.””
It happened almost a week later; Calypso and Percy arrived and Reyna was nowhere to be seen. It took Calypso a little bit to find the courage to go the counter and buy the drink for Reyna, but she did, the barista smiled at her and agreed to make the drink for Reyna next time she came. But Reyna didn’t arrived that day, and Calypso was a mess. She didn’t dare to go to coffee shop for almost a week, deciding to spend her free time locked in her room, feeling sorry for herself, until Percy had enough and pretty much blackmailed her into going to the coffee place with him, telling her that Reyna had gone all the days this past week and had looked very disappointed every single day when he entered alone. She prepared herself the whole walk to the coffee shop for what she would tell Reyna, and how she would not cry no matter the outcome, and then she almost had a mini breakdown outside the coffee place, only to enter and realize she worried about nothing, since Reyna was nowhere to be seen.
“Your drink is already paid off,” The cashier told her after she ordered her usual.
“What?” Calypso’s voice was probably a little bit too high, and she turned to look at Percy. “Did you do this?
“No! I swear!”
The cashier laughed. “Reyna paid for your drink last week, and we’ve been saving the cup ever since then.”
“The what?” Calypso was in shock, trying to figure it out, while Percy was just laughing next to her.
“Be back in sec,” The cashier said, and started making Calypso’s drink.
Calypso was probably gaping like a fish, her brain refusing to understand what was happening. Not long after the cashier came back and gave her drink, but instead of her name written in the cashier’s handwriting, there was a phone number and it was signed with an R.
Percy whistled. “Well, I guess you have to make a call now.”