The Weeping Architects

Wednesday was The Big Day.

Leo had a pitch meeting with the Harrison Group. They were looking to build a sustainable skyscraper in the financial district. It was the kind of job that could make a career. It was also the kind of job Leo usually lost because his PowerPoint would catch fire or he’d spill coffee on the CEO.

"Stay here," Leo told Thalia as he adjusted his tie in the mirror. "No magic. No serendipity. I need to do this on my own."

"I shall be as silent as a stone," Thalia promised, sitting on his bed and playing with a Rubik’s cube.

Leo left.

He made it to the boardroom. He set up his presentation. The Harrison executives were stone-faced men in grey suits who looked like they ate joy for breakfast.

Leo started his pitch. "The concept is bringing the outside in. Vertical gardens. Natural light..."

He was doing well. He was charming. He was competent.

Then, the door creaked open.

Thalia peeked in. She was wearing a trench coat and oversized sunglasses, looking like a spy from a cartoon.

Leo froze. His eyes widened. *Go away,* he mouthed.

Thalia gave him a thumbs up. She wiggled her fingers at the executives. Just a little nudge. *Make them like him,* she mouthed.

Magic, visible only to Leo as a shimmer of gold dust, drifted across the room.

It hit the CEO, Mr. Harrison.

Mr. Harrison blinked. His lip trembled. He looked at Leo’s blueprint of a lobby.

"It's..." Mr. Harrison choked up. "It's so beautiful."

A single tear rolled down his cheek.

Then the VP started sobbing. "The atrium! It reminds me of my grandmother’s garden!"

"The structural integrity!" the CFO wailed, burying his face in his hands. "It’s so supportive!"

Within seconds, the entire board of directors was weeping openly, clutching each other, overcome with a tsunami of emotion.

"You're hired!" Mr. Harrison sobbed, blowing his nose on his silk tie. "Just build it! Build it all!"

Leo stood there, horrified. He gathered his things and backed out of the room while they applauded him through their tears.

He found Thalia in the hallway, looking pleased with herself.

"Success!" she beamed.

Leo dragged her into the elevator. He didn't speak until they were out on the street.

"What did you do?" Leo demanded.

"I gave them a nudge! Empathy! Appreciation!"

"You emotionally compromised them!" Leo shouted. "They were crying over a ventilation shaft, Thalia! That wasn't real. I didn't win that. You cheated for me."

"I helped you!" Thalia argued, chasing him down the sidewalk. "You got the job! Isn't that what you wanted?"

"I wanted to win because I'm good!" Leo spun around. "Not because some goddess sprinkled pixie dust on them. My whole life, things go wrong. For once, I wanted something to go right because *I* made it go right."

He stopped. He looked at her. She looked hurt, her glow dimming.

"I'm sorry," Thalia whispered. "I just... I wanted you to be happy. I wanted to fill the meter."

"I know," Leo sighed, the anger draining out of him. He looked at her—messy, trying so hard, completely out of place in this cynical world. "Thalia, you drive me crazy."

"I am the Goddess of Happy Accidents," she reminded him.

"Yeah, well," Leo stepped closer. The street noise faded. "Maybe you're the first accident I don't want to fix."

He didn't think about bad luck. He didn't think about the meter.

He kissed her.

It wasn't a tentative kiss. It was electric. Literally.

As their lips touched, a shockwave of energy blasted out from them. The streetlights on the block exploded in a shower of sparks. Car alarms blared. The transformer on the pole down the street blew with a massive *BANG*, plunging the entire neighborhood into darkness.

They broke apart, breathless, standing in the dark.

"Oops," Thalia whispered.

Leo laughed. He pulled her close again. "Best blackout ever."

\---