𝑻𝑶𝑮𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹 ⁽ᵖᵉʳᶜʸ ʲᵃᶜᵏˢᵒⁿ ˣ ᵒᶜ⁾

"𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚."

PERCY

I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY MISS LANA.

As much as Percy Jackson wanted to convince himself that his obsession with Lana Castellan was fading, he knew he was lying—more than any of the Olympian gods themselves ever could.

That same night, he drifted into a deep sleep with anticipation in his chest. All of his worries faded away when he found her there, waiting for him. The dream unfolded just like the others before it. Her joyful laugh ignited a spark within him, her smile wrapping him in warmth, the smoothness of her tan skin glowing with an angelic hue to it, and the sweet scent of strawberries enveloping him. In those moments, everything felt perfectly aligned.

All his favorite memories of their time together played like a beloved movie, yet none could compare to the actual moments they shared in real life. His heart brimmed with love, overflowing with the feelings he always held for her. This time, he could even sense the love she had for him.

But then reality struck as he woke up the next morning, throwing him back into his nightmare—his life without Lana by his side.

Sometimes, he would further torment himself and imagine her just outside his room. His mind would create the scenario that she was in the kitchen with his mom, whipping up blue pancakes while the record player played his mom's favorite tunes. He envisioned walking in to find her turning to greet him with a sweet kiss and that radiant smile.

Yet every time, he was met with the crushing weight of her absence the second he stepped through his bedroom door.

I need to get her out of my mind, he would scold himself. Yeah, but do you really want to?

It felt like an angel and a devil were perched on his shoulders, each pulling him into their own personal hell.

Every day felt like a tug-of-war. One moment, he imagined a life where he could be free and no longer feel the ache in his chest. But in the next, he would picture her smile and everything they shared. That thought paralyzed him, leaving him stuck in fear of losing those precious memories. It was exhausting to be trapped in an endless cycle of hope and heartache, caught between clinging to the past and trying to let it go.

He wished he could find a middle ground, a way to keep her close in his heart without getting lost in the memories. But for now, he was stuck in limbo, forever torn between two worlds.

When Percy arrived at school, he made a conscious effort to avoid talking to anyone he knew. The last thing he wanted was for his friends to approach him with questions about his abrupt disappearance with James after the coffee shop incident. It was a headache he'd rather not deal with.

As he walked through the halls, he made the mistake of locking eyes with Natasha. The older girl shot him a piercing glare, her friends mirroring her attitude like a well-rehearsed squad. He rolled his eyes in exasperation, clearly emphasizing his annoyance, and muttered a string of incoherent curses in Greek under his breath.