ARCANE

026

The only two who could sleep that night were Erik and June. Everyone else felt as if they had slept for days and could not sleep no matter how desperately they tried.

Having actually slept for days, Hope feels well-rested. Her father won't explain to her why he's been crying for the last hour. Doctors have been in and out of Hope's room, dozens of them all staring at her chart. She hasn't asked why yet. The only explanation offered is that they are going to give her a few tests.

Thankfully for Percy, hospitals seem to exist out of time. When she made her way up into the intensive care unit, no one thought that it was odd to see a young woman, wearing a leather jacket over top of a green dress with the energy of someone in mid-afternoon. Everyone here is too preoccupied with their own injuries, illnesses, and medical bills to even notice Percy. Not that they would know that she is wearing the only dress she owns.

It occurs to Percy that whatever magic she has previously described as a plague, is anything but.

She smoothens out the bottom of her dress, as if she hadn't ironed it twice before heading here. Her curly hair smells of the cheap perfume her sister bought her for Christmas two years ago, and Percy hopes it is enough to impress.

Percy decides she should express her gratitude to Cara, after all, Cara gave told her which room was Hope's, so that Percy wouldn't have to sneak around to get there. The door to Hope's room is propped open.

She sees her. Her hair is dirty, and messy, but otherwise, Hope looks untouched. The girl flashes a bright white smile at her Dad, before she looks up.

When she sees Percy, her brow furrows. Not because she wasn't expecting Percy (although she wasn't) but because when she sees her, she watches Percy smooth out the bottom of her dress. It is green, and it looks cozy and homey, but it is absolutely not Percy.

Then, Hope's father stands. Before she can say anything, he steps into the hallway and shuts the door.

Though Hope is weak, she pulls herself out of the bed. When her feet touch the ground, she feels her world shake. It takes her a second to realize that she is not wearing slippers.

Percy isn't sure what she expected when Hope's dad shuts the door. After all, there was no way she was going to get in and see Hope. Not with him hanging around.

"You should leave," he tells her.

Her hands become fists at her side. Damn her for trying to appeal to the sensibilities of this man, who knows nothing about her except that she might be involved in Thea's death. Percy grows madder as she realizes that his opinion is sensible, actually.

"I will," Percy tells him. She takes a step closer to him, staring up at him from below. She tries to find a way to articulate exactly how angry she is. Percy has always been a dog lover, and an astrologist, and someone who trusts her cut. With Hades dead and the world overcast, the only thing she has left is her sensibilities. "At some point, you are going to have to let Hope make her own decisions. The more you try to make them for her, the more people like me will try to get between you. Understood?"

Hope begins to make her way across the room.

Percy leaves.

Hope's father re-enters her tiny hospital bedroom. His eyes go wide in shock as he realizes that his daughter is standing up. Quickly, he ushers her back to bed.

"Why did you have her leave?" Hope asks. She tries to resist her father's attempts to force her to lie down. His hands are delicate on hers, careful not to remove the wires attached to her.

Her father ignores her. "You should lie down, Pumpkin."

"Is it because you think she helped Eden Connor and Cara Nightly kill Thea Davis?" Hope asks, cocking her head to the side and blinking. "Or is it because you think she and I are having sex?"