𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒, apollo

𝐢. i threw a coin in a well

I CHEWED MY MINT gum as we drove through New York City. Just like for the past few weeks, the weather was terrible today, at least in Percy's opinion. In mine, I've always loved rainy, dark days, especially the cold, windy storms.

He and Grover sat behind me talking about the new Star Wars show episode I hadn't seen yet, while I was listening to music and looking out the window. Every two months our Latin teacher Mr. Brunner would take us on the field for the entire day.

As we got off the bus, I felt the wind getting stronger and turned to look at my two friends behind me. One of them was busy trying to tie his shoe and failing with flying colours, while the other stared at the sky with a worried expression.

"You okay, Grovs?" I asked as I tied my hair into a ponytail, not wanting to get even more hair in my mouth.

He stared up at the sky for a few more seconds before nodding, "Yeah, I'm okay. How about we get inside?" I shrugged in agreement. Ever since the weather started acting up, he became a bit paranoid. Percy says he hadn't noticed it, but I think that Grover is afraid of storms.

Soon my class and I entered the Ancient Greece museum. Our teacher led us around the museum, while Cy and Grover chatted about the show from before, or more like Percy tried to, but Grover was intent on making Cy and I listen to our professor.

"Now, come closer everyone. I know that you all are hungry, so this is our last stop and then you can wander off or get food."

I paused my music, which I listened to the whole trip, much to Grover's dismay and looked at what Mr. Brunner was showing us. It looked like a fountain, quite similar to the one in Rome, except smaller. "Does anyone know what this is?" Asked our teacher.

"Little pool?"

"Fancy pond?"

"Fountain?"

My classmates guessed around me, but instead of doing the same, I actually looked at what the structure contained before guessing. "A wishing well," I mumbled.

"Correct, Miss Nova. Now can you tell me why is it so special that it's displayed here?"

I bit my lip as I looked into the well again. It looked beautiful, but there was nothing eye-catching about it that made me feel like it was rare.

"Maybe some of the coins, the golden ones. Never seen those." What I said was true. The golden coins that rested at the bottom had weird engravings on them. They were also bigger than a normal penny.

My teacher chuckled at me, "No, not the coins, Bridget, but it's a good guess. Percy, what about you?"

"It looks like one made specifically for gods, I think it's called 'Desire Well'. People would come here and wish for their favoured gods in the hopes that their prayers would be answered." He said, almost as if he was reading it. I scoffed. He was Mr. Brunner's favourite because knew a lot about Greek mythology, but that was only because his mother would tell him stories.

I wasn't jealous of him. I was maybe jealous of the idea that his mom would read or tell him stories every night. Because my mom didn't do that, instead she picked up the night shifts at the hospital. I know that she only did it to keep a roof over our heads and that we could live comfortably in our big apartment, that I could get new clothes every season.

Or at least, I like to pretend that that was the real reason.

I snapped out of my thoughts, seeing a few kids take another step closer to the well and drop a penny, before catching up with their friends. I was about to do the same when a voice interrupted me.

"You should use this. It's more effective." Said my Latin teacher, holding out a similar, golden coin just like the ones in the well.

Taking it, I asked, "What's it called?"

"A Drachma. All you need to say is: Oh dear lord or lady, depending on your choice, please grant me my wish and say what you desire. Then just drop it."

I nodded, turning to my teacher, "For what god should I wish?"

"That's for you to decide." And with that he left, making me turn to the well again. I bit my lip, tasting the mint gum I chewed earlier, rocking my brain, trying to remember a god who would help me. Unlike Percy, I wasn't interested in Greek mythology and only knew the basic stuff needed for classes.

Then my eyes caught a statue of an archer and it took me several seconds to read the nameplate because of my dyslexia, before saying, "Oh dear lord Apollo, please grant me my wish of helping me find true love." With that I closed my eyes, dropped the coin and walked off, missing how the Drachma shined as it hit the water.

As I walked down the steps seeing Grover and Percy a realisation came upon me that instead of wishing for some archer god, I should have probably chosen Aphrodite.

𝕴 sat down next to Grover on the bench as I opened my Lays chips, while Percy was sharing his mom's homemade sandwiches with Grover.

It was quiet and peaceful, we were just joking around about who would win a fist match between Mr. Tanner, our skinny biology teacher who was afraid of absolutely everything, or Mrs. Queens, our hundred-year-old Geography teacher, who we had no clue how was still alive.

"I'd place my bet on Mrs. Queens," I said, sipping my drink.

"You're not serious," Scoffed Cy. I shook my head, tucking in my strands of hair before explaining myself, "No, no, but listen. She would use her cane to swipe Mr. Tanner off the floor and boom! Next thing we know, the guy is crying about how many germs there are on the floor."

Grover snorted, "Yeah, I'm on Gett's side."

"Whatever," Percy playfully rolled his eyes.

After a few minutes of peace, Nancy Bobofit started throwing wads of sandwiches which stuck in Grover's curly, brown hair. Her eyes met mine and she smirked, throwing another piece, that landed straight on top of my friend's hair.

She knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip. "I'm going to kill her," Cy mumbled and I nodded along, already imagining it.

Grover tried to calm us down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter." He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.

"That's it." I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat. "You're already on probation," He reminded me.

Percy stood up too, but this time it was me who pulled him down, "You are too, Percy."

He sighed and sat back down, taking a bite out of his sandwich, and shot glares at the ginger bitch, while I already planned on placing some snakes in her bed. I have heard rumours that in dorm thirty there is a girl who is freakishly obsessed with reptiles.

"You know who will get blamed if anything happens," Grover sighed, taking out the bits of food out of his hair, with me and Cy helping him.

AUTHORS NOTE
I have to say a few things here, so it's IMPORTANT. English? not my first language, so there might be some mistakes, point it out and I'll fix it!

I've only read the first two books of pjo, so I really don't know a lot of shit about the book universe and of Greek mythology I know only some things that my grandfather taught me, I'm learning along the way, so no hate pls.

Also Gett's pronunciation is as Jett. AND (note from future me) I've seen a lot of people confused, so let me explain - Cy is Percy's nickname.

1.3K words

-romanoff