FINDING A HOME | PJO

/ thirteen /

"Adrian!" Nancy stood, brushing herself off when she spotted him, making his way across the sand to her position by the lake. "What are you doing here?"

The son of Tyche gave her a smile that ignited a miniature fire within Nancy, jogging the rest of the way to meet her. "Hey, Spitfire. You kinda left me at the campfire back there, so. . .”

“Oh.” Nancy turned away. “Sorry.”

“You don't have to apologize.” He laughed, placing himself beside her. “I get it.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Get what?”

“You got claimed. That's a lot in itself. But then. . .well, I guess you weren't very happy to find out who it was, huh?”

“Not at all,” she agreed.

“That's understandable, totally,” Adrian assured her. “I would've gotten out of there as soon as possible, too.”

Nancy shoved her hands into her pockets as their conversation trailed off. The two demigods looked out over the lake, watching as the last of the sun glistened on the dark water, surrounded by vibrant pink and orange hues. It was beautiful. Nancy only wished that she could enjoy it.

She didn't know what pushed her to do it, what came over her in that moment, but suddenly she wanted to talk. She wanted to talk to Adrian.

“You know I used to bully Percy,” she blurted, wincing even as she said it. It was a foreign concept to her –– to open up so blatantly, so profoundly. Especially to someone she only just met.

Adrian barely reacted, somehow. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Nancy took his silence as an invite to continue, ignoring the way he glanced at her from the side. “I was really frustrated when I was younger. So I took to bullying.”

“Somehow I can't see that.”

Nancy froze. It seemed Adrian liked to surprise her, with every word from his mouth. “What?”

“You? A bully?” Adrian faced her. “You've been trying really hard to be a good person here, it's been obvious to me since I ran into you at the bathrooms.”

“Well. . .yeah, I have.” Nancy kicked at the sand and leaves beneath them. “I'm not exactly the person I used to be.”

Adrian reached over and set a hand on her shoulder. “Okay, so maybe you used to be a bully. And you were frustrated, and unfair, and––”

“Adrian. . .”

“But you had no idea who your real mom was then, right?”

Nancy looked up. “No. . .I had no clue.”

“Exactly. You made the decision to better yourself before you knew of your godly parentage. That's an effort you get credit for. Now. . .all you have to do is decide if you'll keep going with it. Don't let Ate or anyone else decide who you're going to be.”

Nancy soaked in his words, let them enter through her ears and soothe her aching heart, steady her beating pulse. “I appreciate you saying that, really, I do.”

Adrian tilted his head. “Then. . .?”

“I thought this place was a good idea. It's fun and cool and unbelievable. New people, people I've never met before, just so I could start over. But it's ruined––I know who I am now and so do they. I don't think I can stay here.”

The son of Tyche watched her pour her heart out, feel sorry for herself, and throw her own pity party. Nancy felt pathetic. But if she was going to say it, she wanted him to be the one who heard it.

“Nancy. . .”

Spitfire. He dropped the nickname.

“Did you forget that I'm one of those 'new people?' You've never met me before Camp, so I only have the impression you've made since we ran into each other.”

Nancy studied his face. “So?”

His brown eyes were gentle, his soft lips tilted in a kind smile, and his round nose was upturned with his optimism. There was an underlying determination there, in his face, that sparked a bit of hope in her.

“So. . .I think you're an amazing girl. I never once thought you could be the daughter of some evil goddess. You're bubbly, and fierce, and loud, and. . .pretty.” Adrian removed his hand from her shoulder to tap her nose, and Nancy knew it wasn't just to annoy her, or tease her––it was to cheer her up.

He cared.

She tried to ignore the smile forming on her lips, tried to force it to disappear, but it stayed, growing larger even as she refused it. “Yeah, but you're. . .you're not everyone. You're. . .”

Adrian stepped closer, and suddenly, they were nose to nose. “I'm what?”

His voice was a whisper, so gentle Nancy barely saw his lips move.

She abruptly laughed, face lighting up with each giggle and intake of air. “Why are you like this?”

Adrian smiled, though it was more of a smirk, and reached down to grab her hand. “Come back to the campfire with me, okay? You can make a decision in the morning.”

Nancy sighed. “Alright, alright, Lucky. Since you want me to so badly.”

Without missing a beat, Adrian swooped in a placed a light kiss on her cheek. “I do,” he promised, pulling her along behind him as he took off away from the Lake.

“Adrian! Let me go!”

a / n

omggg i hate this 😂😂

there was really no way this could've ended less cliche tho, so it'll do for now.

the next chapter of this might be the last one 😳

sorry for the longest wait in the history of waits, only to upload w / this :'(

yours in demigodishness and all that,

- grace ! 🧡🧡🧡🧡