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—The sounds of cars honking, people and students talking, and the rush of traffic on Fifth Avenue filled the air. Percy and Grover sat at the edge of a large fountain. Percy's eyes narrowed as he took a deep breath. "Look, I get that Nancy has issues," he said softly, his voice barely audible over the sounds of the city. His voice was tinged with frustration. "I'm just getting tired of her taking them out on me."
Percy and Grover took off the top pieces of bread of their sandwiches before Grover snatched the cheese off of Percy's, placing the slice of cheddar on his own sandwich while Percy snatched the meat from Grover's, putting it on his own—swapping due to Grover being a vegetarian. "I feel like... maybe it's time to do something about it."
"You can make an appointment to see Mr. Kane?" Grover suggested. "He's really good at talking—"
Percy was quick to interject with; "I was thinking more shoving Nancy into the nearest dumpster."
"Oh!" Was all Grover said as he blinked at his friend who simply gave him an innocent sweet smile. "No, if there's one thing I know about bullies, is that you should never, ever stand up to them."
"That doesn't sound right..." Percy muttered.
His eyes scanned the crowd as he searched for something, or more accurately, someone. The girl from his nightmares, the one with pale skin, a heart-shaped face, and deep blue eyes, the girl who was calling to him. It was stupid, really. He understood his mind just made her up, but still... her image had stuck with him, seared into the corners of his mind like a glowing brand.
As if she had sensed his thoughts, Percy's mysterious dream girl appeared beside the food truck. He felt a jolt of recognition as their eyes met, but before he could even formulate a thought, the vision was gone, fading back into the hustle of the students. His eyes widened as he searched the crowd, hoping to catch even a fleeting glimpse of her.
"That..." His voice trailed off, a distant look on his face. Before he could complete his sentence,
Percy turned to look at the boy sat beside him, clearly puzzled. "Huh?" Grover said, his brow furrowed in confusion. Percy felt his heart leap into his throat as the realization hit him.
"The girl in my nightmares..." He muttered, almost to himself. "It's her."
He turned to point, but just as quickly as she had appeared, she was gone. Percy was left sitting beside Grover, his finger pointing to an empty space, his gaze glued to the spot where Rêve had stood just moments before.
Grover looked around, trying to see what Percy was seeing. "What? Where?" He asked, his confusion and concern growing.
"I don't..."
"You should eat." Grover gestured to the sandwich in Percy's lap. "You're hallucinating, dude."
"No, she was there..."
Is he going crazy?
"—Look, I know this place is hard for people like us. But we're not gonna be here forever. There better places out there."
The moment between the two friends was quickly gone as Nancy Bobofit abruptly jerked her arm forward, sending a piece of cheese through the air. She launched it straight at Grover's defenseless face, the abruptness of the throw caused his head to snap to meet her gaze. "Oops." Nancy giggled before going to walk away.
—Percy wasn't in the mood to put up with this anymore, usually Grover's sweet voice alone could ground him, but this time he let his instincts win. He jumped up, abandoning his sandwich, his fist clenched as he marched towards Nancy. He could hear Grover shouting his name, but Percy didn't listen.
Percy had jerked his hands forward before he could even register what had happened. Nancy was now in the fountain, her clothes soaked to the bone, her red curls now matted and clumped together. She stared up in shock. It was as if all the air had been punched out of her lungs.
"Percy pushed me!" Nancy cried out.
୨୧ authors note! ⸻ worst thing i have ever written i just wanted to get something published tonight <3
