guess who wrote a nerve au? this girl did! it's the movie with emma roberts and dave franco if you haven't seen it. in it the basis of the game is that you accept dares and you have to complete them in order to get cash. this is the scene: watch?v=gBfzfX_AHVk&t=4s that i am trying to depict in my writing...depict? transfer? alter? i don't know the right word.
but anyway, here is the percalypso nerve au, i suggest watching the scene afterwards if you want to watch, but you're more than free to see if beforehand as well!
There were butterflies in her stomach.
Not just any regular butterflies. They were the make-you-woozy-naseaous-and-jittery all at the same time type of butterflies, and with each breath she took it felt as if they'd escape from their cage and fly right from her mouth. Her phone was warm in her clammy hands as she read the words on the screen over and over again.
Dare: Kiss a stranger for five seconds. Dare: Kiss a stranger for five seconds. Dare: Kiss a stranger for five seconds.
"A stranger?" She choked out, the shock finally dispersing. "For a hundred?"
"Calypso, come on, I will give you a hundred dollars," Leo murmured from behind her. "Do you really have to do this?" She could feel her face scrunch up in determination as she stared at the screen.
"Shut up, Valdez. I am." Without another word, she swiped Accept across the screen and watched the timer appear. It blinked at her, like that one light on car dashboards that never turned off—irritating and nerve-wracking. 3:00 minutes, 2:59, 2:58, 2:57.
"Well, go. Go, go." Leo's voice jolted her back to reality and she started walking, clutching her phone close and taking tentative steps through the dinner. The neon ceiling lining that ran through the building bathed the room in a pink glow, making it seem as if she was wearing rose-colored lenses. Funny, she thought, the symbolism seems to fit at least. "What about him?"
"Huh?"
"Him," Leo pointed to a gentleman two booths down, who was dressed in work attire from head to toe and was so clearly in the middle of his dinner. "You've got two minutes, thirty seconds."
"Weren't you objecting to this like five minutes ago?"
Leo looked frazzled, but spit out a defense quick enough, waving his hands all the while. "Well, you already clicked the button. Don't you like have to do it now?"
"Yeah, but…" She glanced over to the man again. "He looks like someone's dad."
"Okay, well then," He pointed to another man sitting further down. "What about that one?" As they passed by, she glanced at him and the man who was sitting across from him; they were holding hands.
"Boyfriend," She whispered. "He's taken." They entered the back of the dinner, where a long row of booths sat up against a wall of glass windows. She huffed as she glanced around, the list of possible temporary suitors was becoming very slim.
"What about that one?" Leo asked, pointing to the girl who was hunched over several textbooks.
"She looks a bit busy, don't you think?"
"Oh, I'm sure she could use a break. And I bet if it's girl on girl you'll get a bunch more viewers."
"You're a pig, Valdez." She rolled her eyes and took one last glance around the room. A family, a waitress, an elderly couple, and— "Hey, what about him? He's got a book in his hand, I'm sure he wouldn't mind being interrupted for a quick second."
Leo looked annoyed, but responded nonetheless, "Yeah, I guess. Well, go on, clock's ticking." Calypso took a look at her phone, 1:20, 1:19, 1:18. She jumped where she stood and handed the phone to Leo, before hastily shoving him into a nearby booth. "Alright, go."
A few booths down, sat the guy alone with the book in hand. He had it open with one elbow propped up on the table, so it covered his face entirely, but as she moved closer she was automatically intrigued by the title. The Odyssey, was written in exaggerated, golden cursive across the cover and she smiled fondly. That's my favorite, she thought. With each step forwards she wondered just exactly why he was reading a book like that in a cliche-themed 24 hour diner, but hey, it wasn't her place to judge. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of his table and spat out the only thing that came to mind, "That's my favorite."
The book disappeared and it took everything in her not to gasp. He was absolutely and utterly gorgeous. Tousled, raven-black hair stuck up in all directions and his face was outlined by a strong, chiseled jaw. Staring up at her, right into her very soul, was a pair of striking, green eyes. Deep like the ocean, yet they shined like jewels. He smiled at her, revealing a perfect set of pearly whites, "What is?"
"Oh! The book, The Odyssey, that's my favorite." She smiled timidly.
"Really? This Odysseus guy seems to be going through a lot."
The seconds were counting down in her head. It had to be 40 now, 39, 38, 37. "Yeah, he does, but actually I like it because my father named me after one of the characters in there. Uh, Calypso it is. She's pretty cool."
"I see, can't wait to read about her."
"Oh my gosh, sorry. I hope you do like her, I'm probably totally ruining your reading session."
"No, no, it's alright." He placed the book down on the table and bit at his lip. "I'm not bothered." She glanced back at Leo and saw him wave his hands, ushering her to go go go. Her head whipped back towards the guy in the booth and there he was, still so completely focused on her that it may have been as if she was the only person in the room. A giddy feeling rose up in her chest and she smiled wide, leaning down to press her lips to his. Five seconds, her mind reminded her, five seconds. His lips were soft, warm, and he let out a breath through his nose that made her skin tickle. After a moment, she realized the five seconds were up, but as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss she decided she didn't really want to stop.
"Done. Done, done!" Someone's voice was shouting in the background and reality hit her. That someone was Leo, she had won her dare. She pulled back and before the handsome stranger could even get a word out, she ran off and ducked into the booth Leo was in.
"Did you get it?" She asked. "Did you film the dare?"
"Obviously!" Leo said. "You have triple the amount of viewers than you had before." She grabbed her phone back and watched the numbers on the screen rise. Absentmindedly, she touched her lips.
"Cool."
Adrenaline pumped ferociously through her veins and her mind was reeling, but for once in her life, she did not have a single regret. Slowly, she peeked over the back of her booth to watch what he was doing, but the mystery man was nowhere to be found. "Huh, what happened to him?"
"No idea," Leo shrugged. Suddenly, from across the dinner there came a rattling noise and they both sat up taller in their seats to find its source. Calypso smacked a hand over her mouth when she saw who it was. The same guy she kissed was walking through the dinner, tapping a spoon against a mug. He jumped up on a table, spread his arms out wide, and began to sing along to the jukebox that was playing in the corner.
"Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away to the dark side," With every line, he hopped from table to floor to chair. He kissed a man's hand and then pulled a woman from her chair, only to spin her around and sit her back down. "There's this movie that I think you'll like, this guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City." With every step, he came ever closer to her and she could feel heat rise in her cheeks as he pointed her out. He hopped from one table, to the next, and landed right in front of her. "'Runnin' down to the riptide, taken away to the dark side, I wanna be your left hand man." A round of applause erupted as he bowed and she wondered idly, how exactly he hadn't been kicked out yet. Maybe it was his good looks.
"You're nuts," She remarked.
He smirked, "Only when I have to be." A girl walked up to them and handed him a phone. Everything clicked.
"Oh," She said. "Congratulations on your dare."
"Thank you."
"At least yours was a bit less cringe-worthy."
"So the kiss was a dare," He said, moving to sit down. Leo slid back reluctantly. "I didn't think it was cringe-worthy though. Of course, I promise I can do better."
"I'm sure you can," She laughed. He smiled in reaction and she noticed how the corners of his eyes crinkled.
"My name's Percy, by the way. After Perseus, from the Greek myth."
"So you're a myth baby, too!" She said. "How interesting."
"Yes, I am, and you said you're Calypso…"
"Yeah," Leo cut in. "Calypso was actually the nymph who trapped Odysseus because she fell in love with him. Pretty wicked—" He stopped short when he caught sight of the daggers she was sending his way.
"Trapped him for love?" Percy asked. "Pretty extreme measures." She nodded her head, glancing away as tension filled the area. "Well, I should probably be going, more dare's to accept and all that." Her shoulders sagged but she gave a half-hearted wave still. A thousand things ran through her head and she wanted so badly for him to stay, but as he stood his phone rang…and hers. She read the notification.
Dare: Go with him to the city. Dare: Go with him to the city. Dare: Go with him to the city.
Leo looked between them, before he grabbed the phone from her hands and read it himself. "Calypso, you can't even go to the city."
"Are you sure?" Percy asked.
"No, he's right. I can't. Dad's rules."
"Yep, Dad's rules." Leo seconded and Percy cocked an eyebrow.
"Is this guy like your bodyguard or something?" He asked and she paused for a moment.
"No, he isn't," Her voice was much harsher than she'd expected. "But I…"
Percy lifted his hands up and took a step back, "I'll be outside if you change your mind." She watched his retreating figure, phone heavy in her palm. The dare played again in her head, again and again and again. Going to the city? That was harmless.
"Hey," Leo said. "Are you really considering this? Calypso, you can't." She shook her head before shrugging her shoulders.
"Sorry, Valdez. Can't stop me this time." She jumped from her seat and ran out of the dinner, each step feeling lighter than the last. The cool, night air hit her hard, waking her from the dreamy stupor her giddiness had given her, but she pushed on nonetheless. Percy was sitting in the parking lot, straddling a motorbike, with a helmet in his lap. She approached him silently. When he saw her, he sat back and grinned.
"I knew you'd come."
"You did?"
"No, I didn't, but I was wishing really hard on those stars up there so I knew it would come true."
"Um, I don't know if you've been around here long enough, but those definetely aren't stars. Not in New York. Those are all either satellites or planes."
"My wish still came true though."
"Very optimistic," Calypso shuffled her feet back and forth. "That reminds me, just want to let you know, I'm not going to be a very good partner."
"I don't believe that."
"You should. In fact, you should actually be partner's with my friend. She's much braver than I am, she loves getting dared."
He was staring at her again and her heart fluttered. There seemed to be a thousand things hidden in those eyes, but whether they were promises or lies, there was no way to tell. No matter what they were though, she couldn't help but feel safe as she stared back. "That might all be true," He took the helmet from his lap and held it out to her. "But I didn't meet your friend, I met you and you're the one the watchers want me with." She took tentative steps towards him and grabbed the helmet with steady hands. They were close enough for her to feel his breath against her face, "And as far I'm concerned, you're the only one I want with me. You feelin' the same way?"
She took a deep breath before pulling the helmet over her head. "Completely."
"Awesome, hop on." She straddled the bike, wrapped her arms around him, and waited for him to slip on his own helmet. The bike purred to life beneath them and adrenaline coursed through her veins for the second time that night. His voice was almost lost over the engine. Almost. "Ready for an adventure?"
"Yes!" She screamed at the top of her lungs and they sped off into the night.
as always, thank you so much for reading, i hope you enjoyed it! xxx
and js, i'm very interested in writing another chapter for this au, and reviews really motivate me to write faster lol