The rain was coming down hard in New York, turning the streets into rivers of murky puddles. You had been planning to head home after running an errand, but the downpour forced you to duck into the nearest shelter—a small but cozy coffee shop.

That’s where you saw them.

Sitting at a corner table was a young woman with warm blue eyes and a kind smile—Sally Jackson. Next to her, swinging his legs restlessly, was a little boy with messy black hair and sea-green eyes, clearly impatient about something.

The boy, Percy, was staring out the window, his nose scrunched up. "Mom," he whined, "I think the rain is following us!"

Sally chuckled. "That’s not how weather works, sweetheart."

You smiled at the interaction, but you didn’t expect Percy to suddenly turn and stare straight at you as if realizing he was being watched.

"Hi!" he said brightly. "You got caught in the rain too?"

You nodded. "Yeah. I wasn’t planning on a swim today, but I guess the sky had other plans."

Percy giggled at that, and Sally gave you a warm smile. "Would you like to sit with us? It’s a bit crowded in here."

You hesitated but eventually slid into the chair across from them, accepting Sally’s kind offer.

"I’m Percy!" the little boy announced proudly. "And this is my mom!"

"Nice to meet you, Percy," you replied, shaking his tiny, slightly sticky hand. "I’m Y/N."

He beamed. "Wanna see my drawing?" He eagerly shoved a crayon drawing across the table. It was... something. A blobby stick figure in a puddle, with what looked like a giant squid in the sky above it.

"It’s me," he explained. "And that’s the ocean! And a sea monster!"

You raised an eyebrow at Sally, who just gave a knowing chuckle. "He has quite the imagination."

Percy nodded eagerly. "Mom says I like the water too much. But I think the water likes me too!"

You didn’t know it at the time, but he was more right than anyone realized. And this certainly wasn't the last time you'd run into Percy and his mom...