¹𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒 ! - percy jackson

-001

ESTELLA CRUZ WAS GOING to the movies. At least, that was the plan.

She had intended to meet her best friend, Percy Jackson, after his transfer orientation at his new high school uptown. Being the first week of June, it had been over five months since she had last seen him.

The weight of those months hung heavy, like a canvas stretched tight over the distance that had grown between them.

They had Iris-messaged throughout the spring, but the frequency of their calls dwindled as time passed. Stella's training at camp proved to be much more time-consuming than she thought, along with some distractions that developed.

But it was hard to feel guilty when he had also let their communication slip, their promise from the holidays seemingly worth almost nothing.

After some weeks of silence, they finally spoke again and agreed to meet in the city and go to the movie theatre the following week. For some reason, Stella felt equally nervous as she felt excited to see him.

The anticipation bore the weight of unspoken questions, the uncharted territory of what had transpired during those months apart. Would they slip back into the ease of their friendship, or would it feel inexplicably different?

"Are you sure this isn't a date?" Lee Fletcher teased, lounging on one of the Apollo Cabin's brown leather couches as she got ready.

"It's not a date. We just agreed to go to the movies, that's it," Stella rolled her eyes as she pulled on her black Converse.

He chuckled, "You're going to the movies! That's a date thing!"

"Oh, shut up," She grumbled, not having the energy to keep the same back-and-forth going.

"Stella's going on a date!" Lee started to sing before he paused and stared at her. "Wait—hey! You better tell Jackson to watch his hands, or your older brother will personally deliver the message."

Stella couldn't resist laughing out of frustration. "Oh my gods, for the last time, we are not going on a date!"

He narrowed his blue eyes, "I'm just saying—"

Walking over to him, she reached up and placed her hands on his shoulders, steadying him. "Not a date. Relax. Plus, after spring..."

Lee's eyes widened in realization, "Oh shit, right. Does he know?"

Stella shrugged, "No, but there's nothing to know."

She turned away from him and glanced in the mirror one more time, running a hand through her dark brown hair as she ignored the scrutinizing stare her brother sent her way.

"Okay, well, I'm off. I'll tell you about our friendly outing when I get back!" Stella declared, heading to the door, gone before he could even respond.

The ride into Manhattan was strange. She hadn't been back since she left after Christmas. New York was her lifelong home, but it felt so oddly foreign as the taxi crossed the Queensboro Bridge.

Stella started to recognize her surroundings as the car managed the traffic, driving up the east side to get to Goode High School. The cityscape unfolded around her, a tapestry of honking cars and towering buildings.

Abruptly, an unexpected vision came to her.

Stella saw different images flashing quickly before her like a rapid-fire montage, each fleeting second replacing the previous scene.

She first saw a gymnasium, the walls adorned with big purple-and-white banners that said WELCOME FUTURE FRESHMEN AND TRANSFERS, GOODE IS GOOD, WE'RE ALL FAMILY. Then it shifted to two cheerleaders in the same color uniform as the banners entering a band room, clutching onto their pom poms. Finally, the last thing that flashed before her eyes was an arrow piercing through an empousa.