Since the Sandbox
The first time Percy Jackson met you, he was five years old and convinced you were magic.
You were sitting cross-legged in the sandbox at your preschool, carefully building a castle while he watched, wide-eyed, as the towers stayed standing even when he accidentally knocked into them.
"Are you a fairy?" he asked, dead serious.
You giggled. "No, silly. I just know how to make it stay."
Percy decided right then that you were the coolest person in the world.
As years passed Percy was used to weird things happening around him. But when you also started seeing things—shadowy figures in the alleyways, whispers in the wind—he didn’t feel so alone.
One night, after a nightmare, you called him, voice trembling.
"Percy, there’s a thing outside my window."
He didn’t hesitate. "I’m coming over."
You met him halfway, barefoot and clutching a flashlight. He held your hand the whole way back to his apartment, where Sally Jackson wrapped you both in blankets and let you sleep on the couch.
"You’re stuck with me," Percy whispered.
You squeezed his hand. "Promise?"
But the monsters got worse.
When a fury attacked you both after school, Percy grabbed your wrist and ran, his heart pounding in his chest. You didn’t even question it—you just ran with him, like you always did.
It was Grover who finally found you, panting and wide-eyed in an alley.
"You’re both demigods," he wheezed. "And you’re in so much trouble."
Adjusting to camp wasn’t easy.
Percy got claimed immediately. You didn’t.
He saw the way your shoulders slumped when another day passed with no sign from your godly parent. So he did what he always did—he stuck by you.
"Who cares who your dad is?" he said, throwing an arm around your shoulders. "You’re my best friend. That’s better than some glowing symbol."
You got claimed a week later. Percy cheered louder than anyone.
Something happened in the middle of a battle.
A monster lunged for you, and Percy moved faster than he ever had before. Water surged from nowhere, slamming into the creature with enough force to shatter stone.
When it was over, he was panting, his hands shaking as he grabbed your shoulders.
"Don’t do that," he growled.
You stared at him, heart pounding. "Do what?"
"Almost die," he said, voice cracking.
Something shifted between you then. Something deeper than friendship.