Summary: Just a classic coffee shop run in with the one person that Percy never wanted to see again. Short One-Shot.
~oo0oo~
Memory Mondays
It was a chilly August morning when he saw her.
Just the classic coffee shop run on his way to work, something so normal and routine that he barely gave it a second thought anymore.
He had pushed open the glass doors, and stumbled in line, wiping the sleep away from his eyes. The shop was loud and bustling with customers, but Percy couldn't care less.
He just wanted his caffeine.
Maybe a caffeinated drink wasn't the best idea for a demigod with ADHD, but all his hyperactiveness had drifted away after pounding out four worksheets, two papers, and one project the night before.
Gods, he hated college.
Of course, he would never complain to Annabeth and his mother. They had pulled enough strings to get him into the school, afterall.
Just sometimes, he wondered how anyone (Annabeth) could even like school.
He made it to the front of the line, and mumbled out his usual order, barely looking up.
"Hey, sorry if this is weird, but you look really familiar. Do I know you?"
Percy looked up from his phone and met eyes with the red haired barista.
No.
Gods, no.
Of course this would happen to him.
He remembered those eyes clearly. That face that curled up into a smug grin every time she pulled back her arm to chuck a peanut butter sandwich at Grover's head. Time had changed her, but she looked so similar.
Nancy Bobofit.
Percy gagged on his tongue.
He wanted to vomit.
Percy was about to turn tail and run out of there, when he suddenly felt ashamed of himself. He had been twelve when they had last seen each other. He was the Hero of Olympus and had saved the world multiple times. He had survived Tartarus. He could handle this.
"Uh… no." He fibbed, avoiding contact. It'd be better if they just parted ways and never saw each other again.
"Okay then, sorry about that." She smiled brightly, and Percy almost reeled back from the gesture.
Since when did Nancy Bobofit... smile?
"Can I have a name for the order?"
Caught off guard by her friendly demeanor, he blurted out his name.
"Percy."
Her marker paused against the styrofoam cup, leaving a small dot of blotting ink.
They met each others eyes again, and Percy knew that she knew.
Because, after all, how many people were named Percy?
"Oh." Her mouth formed a perfect circle, and Percy began contemplating possible escape routes once again.
"Nancy! Stop flirting and get back to the job!"
Her face turned bright red, just like a tomato. Percy scowled slightly and whipped out his credit card to pay for the coffee.
"No, it's...it's on me."
Free coffee for him, then.
He, however, didn't want her pity, or apology.
He shoved the card back into his wallet and grabbed the steaming cup. Finding an empty table to sit at, he pulled his laptop out of his bag, and opened his email.
Spam, spam, spam….
Nothing interesting, really. One of the disadvantages of being a broke college student was he basically lived off coupons.
"Hi, uh, can I sit?"
He let out an internal groan as he saw Nancy Bobofit, once again. She stood next to his table, nervously wringing her hands against her barista uniform.
"Don't you have to work?" The words came out harsher that he meant them to, but Percy held her stare unflinchingly. He really didn't want to have this conversation.
"No, I have a short break."
Percy sighed, and motioned to the empty seat, praying to every deity out there that short meant short.
She quickly sat down, probably waiting for him to take it back. Percy went back to his email.
They sat in a few moments of entirely uncomfortable and awkward silence, before she finally spoke.
"I wanted to say sorry."
Percy raised his eyebrows and lifted his head from his computer. "Excuse me?"
"For, you know, being mean to you at Yancy." Nancy paused, and Percy came to the realization that she was expecting some kind of response from him. For him to say "oh Nancy, it's perfectly fine. I'm completely over it now."
But the more he thought about it, he really wasn't.
"I hate to be rude, Nancy, but I really don't want to have this conversation right now…. actually let's never have it. I don't really even want to see you. What you did to Grover and I, basically tormenting us for the year, is something I don't think I'm going to get over."
She blanched, staring at him with wide eyes. "Look, Percy Jackson, I was going through some hard stuff back in sixth grade. My parents were getting a divorce, and my home life was honestly pretty terrible. I know that isn't an excuse for what I did, but I want you to understand a little bit why."
Nancy brushed a piece of hair out of her face. "I wanted to start to make things right."
"Thank you for your apology."
It was somewhat nice to know that she hadn't just been picking on him because of something he did or was like. That there was a background behind it.
But there was also the fact that without her, he wouldn't have been thrown into the hands of a very angry Fury.
He had been going through stuff too, and that really shouldn't give her any excuse to be a jerk to them.
But he also really wanted her to leave, so he kept his mouth zipped tight.
"I'm glad." She stood and straightened her apron. "I should get back to work. If you ever want to talk, I'll be here."
Nancy gave Percy a small smile.
He just nodded and began to pack up his stuff, wanting very much to be out of this awkward situation.
He pushed open the door, stepping into the chilly air, and clutching his coffee cup like a lifeline. He didn't want anything more than to never step a foot into that coffee shop ever again, but Percy knew deep down that Nancy really could have changed for the better.
Possibly.
But he wouldn't know unless he gave her a chance, right?
She deserved at least a chance.