lotusstarlet

percy jackson

winning is my trademark percy jackson x cabin 17 gn!reader

prologue

winning is my trademark 🌟 playlist🎧

i ain't gonna bite, come on over 🌟 playlist🎧

you don't know what you're gonna do 🌟 playlist🎧

🪷✧˚₊‧༉

standalones

never seen that color blue

day 1: anniversary 🕸️

day 5: early morning walks 🕸️

day 7: moving day 🕸️

day 8: cursed 🕸️

day 10: set up by friends 🕸️

day 12: blizzard (or heatwave) 🕸️

day 16: pillows, plushies, piles of blankets 🕸️

i saw y/n kissing santa claus

can i kiss you this christmas?

don't want no riddle

i'd marry you with paper rings

two hearts in one home

will solace

go forth, ask questions later will solace x cabin 2 gn!reader

go forth, ask questions later & i'm going on clean

it finally appears, it's only love

in no good state to receive

aperture lets the light in

we belong together

🪷✧˚₊‧༉

standalones

day 2: petsitting 🕸️

day 6: late night talks 🕸️

day 11: "double or nothing?" 🕸️

day 13: hosting a holiday event (blurb) 🕸️

day 17: making a costume 🕸️

drew tanaka

day 3: in vin veritas 🕸️

day 9: coming home 🕸️

day 14: stuck together 🕸️

finn blake

i'm already down the aisle (duology)

i'm already down the aisle

let's get straight to "i do"

🪷✧˚₊‧༉

standalones

day 18: is this seat taken? 🕸️

luke castellan

day 4: set in another time 🕸️ (luke castellan x reader)

a man undercover, but you tore him apart

you were drivin' the getaway car

the words i didn't say

and fifth came the memory of kissing him.

“oh my gods,” you whispered.

will looked up. he handed you a square of ambrosia. an authoritative, concerned look was in his eyes. it looked annoyingly good on him. damnit. you took the ambrosia and fidgeted with it.

“here, take it,” he said.

you took a bite. it tasted exactly how it looked: like honey. like yellow, warm honey, fresh from a beehive. but then came an undertone of wax. and then they combined. there it was. there was that familiarity, will’s lips against yours. the way the kiss felt. and how stupid you were for doing that.

warm tears fell from your eyes. you finished the square in one bite. the wound may’ve been patched up, but you’d never felt more open. if that was your best memory… holy shit.

will furrowed his eyebrows. “what’s wrong?”

there was, once again, no point in hiding. “the ambrosia tasted like…the kiss.” you sighed. “i’m sorry.”

will’s face flushed, but now was not the time for butterflies. you just looked down. you were just like your mother. just like the mother who both of you may’ve missed your chance to meet. shit. right, like that mattered. maybe it was for a better if the blessing didn’t happen. you stared up at the ceiling.

“i don’t know what i was thinking. i didn’t want to see you with someone else,” you said. “it was so selfish of me.”

the edge of your cot dipped, and you looked to see will sitting there. he had a warm look in his eyes. he took in a breath. part of you wished you could brace for the impact with a shield of some sort, but there was nothing. so, you crossed your arms, digging your nails into your elbows.

“you won’t have to see me with someone else,” he said. “i like you. i was going to say that, but i obviously wasn’t going to decline a kiss.”

your entire body went hollow, like painless pins and needles. there was so much to unpack about what will said. you weren’t even sure where to start. with never seeing him with someone else? or that he likes you? or that he was going to say that? 

if he liked you, and you liked him, there was only one logical next step: kiss the man. but logic was the least of your worries. 

“really?” you asked.

will’s smile expanded as he nodded slowly. “yes, really.”

well then! a tear fell down your cheek. he moved closer to you, only by a little, but it still made your heart race. he took your hand. and as soon as his skin was against yours, your brain went fuzzy. you flashed a glance at his lips. gods, did you miss them.

but your mother. you’d be meeting her soon. you’d fall for him and ruin everything again. but, as you looked at his lips, all of that was gone. fuck it.

before you could go any further, will pulled your face towards where he laid on your chest and kissed you. you smiled into the kiss. even though having him against you sent way too many sensations to deal with, all you could focus on was the ones coming from his lips. the way they pushed and pulled and softly brushed against yours. when he pulled away, he smiled.

“i know it’s a little early for this, but can i meet your mom?” will asked.

↞•🦚•↠

being in the same bed as will was far more awkward than you’d dreamed of it being. your head rested on his chest, his arms wrapped around you. his heartbeat was obvious. it seemed faster than usual. part of you wanted to chalk that up to attraction. wait a second, you could, now! you smiled to yourself at that. will squirmed at the feeling.

soon enough, you both fell asleep. until you woke up to the smell of water lilies. seeing the same sky, the same marble, and the sight of your mother made you realize where you were. your mother sat on her golden throne, in her white dress, holding her lotus staff. a sharp ray of light glinted off the gold. 

will was next to you, holding your hand. his palm was sweaty despite the overly calm smile on his face. you knew that smile from miles away. you knew it was anything but truthful. giving his hand a squeeze, you carefully ascended the small set of stairs, stopping just a bit away from your mother.

“hi, honey,” she said. “who’s this?” she gave will a once-over.

“will solace, your majesty,” he said.

you would’ve laughed in any other circumstance. hera smiled coldly, of course she did. “respectful. good choice.”

will’s grip on your hand softened. even you let out a sigh of relief. so far so good. until hera adjusted in her seat.

“so, willliam, what are your intentions with my child?” she asked.

he cleared his throat and straightened his posture. damn, he seemed familiar with this. “to be by their side in everything.”

“and provide utmost loyalty, yes?” she raised a threatening eyebrow.

“of course,” he said, his voice steady.

“good choice. so, this is the loyalty blessing, for both you and percy…” she said that to both you and will. “will, you don’t have any intention of befriending that…” she snarled. “boy, do you?”

he shook his head. “never have, never will.”

you suppressed a snort. hera’s head slowly moved to look at you. you immediately straightened your own posture. she gave you yet another lethal once-over. what on earth was she about to ask? with a gulp that may as well have echoed, you waited. 

“good. now, y/n, has he been loyal and only loyal? don’t lie to me. you’re safe here.”

that was the first time in your life that your mother had ever said anything reassuring, and you weren’t sure how to feel. your chest still ached. will didn’t move.

“yes. always has been.”

she nodded. “good. i’ll bless everyone. goodbye.”

and you two were right back in your bed. before you could speak, you kissed each other, then shortly fell back to sleep.

↞•🦚•↠

you and will sat on the infirmary couch. as soon as you both woke up, he told you he had something to show you. you hoped it wasn’t a ring. there was no way to know for sure, especially after getting the blessing. he dug through a folder of documents before pulling one out. there, on top, was your name.

“incident report,” will started.

you fought a laugh, sitting up. “hit me.”

“name: y/n. cabin: hera. date: yes, apparently. time: evening. injury type is…” he pointed his forehead at you. “guess.”

“cutting my ankle open?”

he laughed. “other: running after our first kiss.”

you gave him a light slap on his arm, rolling your eyes. “don’t even tell me the incident details. please.”

“i fear i have to. ahem.” he cleared his throat and flicked the paper like an old man. “gave me the best kiss ever, then ran for their life.”

“sounds like me,” you said.

“it gets better. passed out, forced me to carry them to the infirmary and lay them down. ate ambrosia and realized their best memory was that kiss, proving my point. best patient ever.”

you shook your head. but as your imagination played that, your chest fell soft. gods, you’d do anything to remember it. even if you were bleeding, something about being carried across camp by will was… unreal.

“signed, will solace,” he said.

“you are so stupid,” you said.

“you love it. anyway, just so you know, i fully intend on making much better memories with you so that can be replaced.”

you fake gasped. “william andrew solace.”

you tried again. success. wiggling, you summoned the blood flow back to your limbs. of course your cabin was still freezing. you slipped the first sweater you could find over your arms. warmth coated you immediately. shortly after, it spread to your other limbs. then, it found its way to your brain. 

right. you had fallen asleep on the floor because of… 

“the blessing,” you whispered to yourself. “oh my gods, the blessing.”

your heart raced. surely you hadn’t slept through an entire day. will would’ve woken you up if you had, right? not that you would’ve blamed him if he hadn’t. you walked to your front door. the sky was a light blue with an orange coming from the east. great. you were early for the worst day of your life. maybe going back to sleep wasn’t as bad of an idea. 

but, the next time you’d be in bed was with will. you froze in your doorway. would that make it better or worse? you thought to yourself. later that night, you’d be in his arms, against his chest, close enough to hear his heartbea—

you stepped out of your cabin and slammed the door behind you. 

camp was quiet in the early morning. the wind was somehow lighter. every path and patch of grass was empty. all of the cabin windows were dark with gray. it wasn’t every canoe night that you woke up at dawn to get started, but it also wasn’t every canoe night that you’d be hours away from introducing your best friend as your boyfriend to your mother.

you proceeded down the cabin area. it was too late to give up now. all that was left was to get through the day. even if it was the worst day of your life, it was just 24 hours. less than that, actually. and, sure, you wouldn’t be able to have another breakdown alone in your cabin after that, but…at least you had the morning after. oh gods. you wanted to punch your brain for that wording.

as you crossed into the forest area, the shade covered you, and the memories of the night after the bonfire came right back. assuming everything went well, you’d be getting a loyalty blessing. to will. as in, a loyalty blessing, binding the two of you for life. you wouldn’t be able to separate no matter what happened. and, to make it even better, he’d make you sibling-official!

you shivered. everything could go wrong and you’d still be stuck to him. you two could fall out but not be able to escape each other. or, even worse, you’d be forced to hide your feelings from him until the end of time. great. and then if you did confess to him, and he didn’t agree, he’d also have no choice but to stay. 

some sick part of you relaxed at that idea. damnit.

you approached the grass of canoe lake. the water lilies were closed at the early hour, as if they needed sunlight to function. near one of the sheds were the lanterns you’d requested from the athena cabin—bronze frame with a sunset silhouette backed by paper—accompanied by a box of matches. they were just as you’d dreamed them. 

you sat down on the grass and struck a match. opening the top of the lantern, you lit up the candle. you held it up to the sunrise. the color was almost akin. you smiled.

you took your own canoe to the edge of the pond. where to put the lantern, especially if two people would be in the boat? speaking of, your mind went back to will. what if i’m limiting him? after all, what if he wanted someone else, but he couldn’t have them just because of this stupid loyalty blessing? 

“stop,” you whispered at your mind.

your hands began to shake. quickly, you opted by setting the lantern on the edge of the canoe. what if will did want someone else? what if he told you that, and you couldn’t get away from him? you tried to picture him with somebody else.

he’d sit with them at the fire. he’d smile at them, bigger than he ever had at you. and when he’d laugh, he’d laugh harder. his siblings would like them more. he wouldn’t have any bridges waiting to be burned. and, best of all, they wouldn’t be the child of the goddess who killed anyone her husband looked at. you brought your hands to your face.

in the process, your elbow came in contact with the bronze. plop! you removed your hand to see the lantern had been floating in the pond. great. the candle had extinguished. you groaned into your hands.

“okay, no more thinking about that,” you vowed to yourself. “let’s just get through today.”

↞•🦚•↠

you and will walked away from the mess hall and set on the path towards his cabin. even with your sweater on, goosebumps covered your arms. you hugged yourself closer. the sun was a little higher in the sky, and yet, it wasn’t warming anything up. right. because after only managing to stomach half of your breakfast and being on the way to be introduced to your fake boyfriend’s family, the number one thing you needed was to be freezing.

a thick gust of wind blew by, letting out a deep huff as it passed. will’s teeth clattered. the question you’d been wanting to ask since the bonfire loomed over your mind. it was so stupid. you weren’t going to ask it. yet, as you two crossed into the cabin area, you couldn’t help yourself.

“you know it isn’t too late to turn back, right?”

will winced, but quickly shook it off. “yeah.”

no shit. why had you even asked that? obviously he knew. you sighed at yourself. a cloud left your mouth. if it was that cold, was the canoe night even possible? or would the lake be frozen over? you tightened your hug around yourself. 

immersed in their morning chatter, surrounding campers wandered absentmindedly along the grass, crossing the path like it was nothing. they laughed and playfully slapped each other as they spoke. smiles and points, lit up eyes and cheers of agreement. gods, how badly you wished you could be as careless as them. maybe the sunlight had hit them differently.

“why would i want to turn back?” will suddenly asked, looking at you.

you could’ve sworn there was a hint of a grin on his face. no. not doing that, you reminded yourself. you straightened your posture. “because the blessing is permanent.”

you two stopped at his cabin’s doorstep. will stood in front of the door, his hand resting on the doorknob. his eyes examined you in a way you would’ve found attractive had you not been incredibly confused. 

“i know,” he said levelly, holding the door open for you.

okay then. you walked into the cabin, him following shortly after. the hardwood floor creaked below you as you adjusted. it was only a matter of time before his siblings noticed you. your heart raced. once they did that, it was officially over. there was no going back.

the door clicked shut.

austin looked up from where he was fixing his saxophone. kayla relaxed her arms that you assumed were being used to practice archery poses, though it was hard to say. great. will gently took your hand. the same sparks from the campfire flew. not now, you reminded yourself. when they didn’t say anything, will cleared his throat.

“we have something to tell you,” will said. 

it still wasn’t too late to back out. all you’d have to do was turn around, open the door, and run for your life. your stomach acid sloshed around. the silence was filled by the sound of your pulse banging against your eardrums. please, just say it, you thought.

“we’re in a relationship.”

and it was over. just like that. both of your lives, chucked into the trash. you squeezed will’s hand and ignored every thought of protest. for a moment, him and his siblings seemed to be having a telepathic conversation using their eyes. you looked down at the floor and lightly rocked on your toes.

“finally.” kayla walked up to you and wrapped you in a hug. you accepted it without thinking. the warmth melted the tension in your muscles. did good hugs run in the apollo family?

she pulled back and wagged a finger between you and will. “you two weren’t discreet at all. but nice try.”

you couldn’t help but laugh. will smiled, rolling his eyes fondly. your chest softened. fine. one time. his eyes met yours. they seemed brighter above his smile. he tilted his head slightly, and your smile almost expanded. shit. shit. you quickly looked away.

you pursed your lips. you’d done it. right after he’d made you two sibling official, too. austin played a celebratory tune on his saxophone, jolting you right back into reality. right. you were supposed to look convincing. you laughed in a way you hoped wasn’t too obviously fake.

once the tune stopped, kayla looked to you. “now that there’s someone actually important in his life, could you try to convince him to let me lead an archery class?”

↞•🦚•↠ 

you looked up from where you sat on your canoe. the sun was slowly setting, painting the sky in a purple and orange. the gradient reflected on the sparkling surface of the water. the breeze had settled. finally, your sweater was enough to shield you from the weather. dozens of canoes had filled the pond. you couldn’t help but smile.

the horizon lanterns looked even better in the twilight. so much better that they cast a familiar glow onto will’s face as he sat across from you. he had a small smile on his face, identical to the one from that one daydream you had, where you two were sitting in the same canoe, in the same lantern lighting, with the same warmth in your ches—

“there’s enough people here,” you said. “i think we can make our toast.”

will nodded. “right. uh, remind me what i’m supposed to say again?”

“nothing. you just have to sit there.” while i proceed to introduce you as my boyfriend! 

you shut your eyes and inhaled. okay. you could do this. it wasn’t like the archery class where you had to hold his hand. it wasn’t like the bonfire where you had to rest your head on his shoulder and end up an inch away from his lips. it was just a title. yet your heart raced as if someone were pointing a knife at you. you took in the earthy pond scent mixed with a hint of candle wax, then clapped your hands once.

“hi everyone! i hope you’re all having a great night. my boyfriend and i want to thank you all for showing up. with spring right on the horizon, make sure not to capsize and be sent back to winter!”

some people laughed. will let out a giggle, which was annoyingly rewarding. you turned back to face him. he looked down at the floor. the water started to rock the boat.

you didn’t want to ask him again. you didn’t want to ruin the mood of the beautiful canoe night. you’d already asked once today and he said no. but that was before he introduced you to his siblings. and that was also a few extra hours before he’d be laying in the same bed as you, meeting your mother. you took in a preparing breath. you were being stupid. but…

“are you positive about agreeing to this blessing?” you asked. 

will looked up. he moved a hand towards you. was he about to…? nevermind, he rested it on the ledge. you gulped at the fact you even thought he’d take your hand. 

“fully positive.”

the candlelight showed off the tiny smile on will’s face. his eyes were firm and sure. he’d even leaned forward for emphasis. you squeezed your hands together. of course it didn’t ease any of the tension. even in the middle of the pond, where none of land could hurt you, you still couldn’t shake the worry. you looked out to the water.

the waves were slow as they reflected the sky, and, as you leaned over, your furrowed eyebrows. you made eye contact with the wavy picture of you. damn. you were just as worried as you felt. maintaining the eye contact, you spoke, more to yourself than anything.

“even though it’s permanent, and there’s no way to go back? no matter what happens?”

your heart raced. you wished your reflection could hop up and save you from this mess. maybe it could pull you under with the lantern that’d fell.

“i wouldn’t want to go back.”

it took every ounce of your self-restraint to not ask what? as loud as possible. you turned to him. now it was your turn to lean in for dramatic effect. will furrowed his eyebrows slightly, but the smile was still there. and it still looked as great in the candlelight. fuck. 

“but what if you like someone, and you can’t have them because of this stupid blessing?” the scenarios you’d imagined him and someone else in appeared in your mind, and you quickly screamed a mental shut up! 

will swallowed hard enough for his adam’s apple to bob. he looked down at the bottom of the canoe. his legs bounced, starting to rock the boat. you clutched your stomach. you’d never gotten motion sick before, but this would be the perfect day to start. 

“i do like someone,” he said.

your hearing reduced to nothing but a high pitched ring. everything else was muffled. your vision blurred, the world going in and out of focus. were you still sitting up? had you passed out? you looked down at your hands to be sure. even those went in and out. your body went hollow as if your organs and all of their functions were about to abandon you.

if your vision wasn’t deceiving you, then will leaned even farther forward. still a respectable distance, but…closer. 

“who is it?” you hoped you managed, gripping the side of the boat to try to steady yourself.

all of the functions of your body came back, and you sat up. you stared at will with an intensity you hated. he gulped. shit. why couldn’t you move? why couldn’t you stop yourself? 

“it’s—”

“don’t tell me.” you suddenly commanded. 

will opened his mouth to speak, but shut it. so your imagining of someone else with him on all of the things you two had done were accurate. great. you tried to regulate your breath. as you looked up at him again, he was still bathed in that orange light. the same firelight that shone on his lips the time you were just an inch away from him. 

and even in a moment where every fiber of your body was fighting to keep you awake, the selfish nature of your heart wanted one thing. 

“can i kiss you?” you asked.

will blinked. “of course.”

you kissed him. as you were about to pull away, he placed his hands on either side of your face. your whole body went soft with a push and pull, tingles that only wanted his skin. his lips tasted like honey with a hint of wax. without thinking, you placed your hands around his neck. will’s heartbeat pulsed against your palm. shit.

you pulled away. will looked shocked. oh gods. you’d done it. you’d let go, and here you were. 

“i’m sorry,” you said. you reached for the paddles and immediately rowed for the dock. will said something, but his words were muffled. all you could hear was your racing heart, screaming at how badly you’d messed up. great. every pull of the paddles through the water was increasingly treacherous.

you arrived at the dock next to the open water lilies. as soon as you did, the paddle crashed into one of the posts and cracked in half. carefully, you stood up and swayed with the current. the lantern fell into the water. you stepped onto the dock.

your heart raced in your chest as you thought back to the night before. the fact you still had a bridge to burn—one you weren’t even on the way to—and worst of all, how his lips were so close to yours, how he looked in the fire—

“i taught the first canoeing class of the season this morning,” you said.

as he chewed a strawberry, will’s eyes were miles away. he jolted back to reality when he heard you. “how’d it go?”

“fine, mostly. a kid almost capsized, though.”

will let out a short chuckle that seemed pointedly fake. “wait, how did that happen?”

“well…” you reached over to a strawberry. at the same time, will’s hand appeared. shit. both of your hands hovered still in the air. you moved forward, and he did, too. 

“uh…” “oops…” 

you backed up. he backed up. one more time forward. your thumb brushed his pinky. even though the touch lasted a fraction of a second, the same tingles ran through you. or maybe the sun had warmed you more than you thought.

the feeling lingered. great. was this really how every interaction with him was going to be from now on? the one platonic day you’d shared with him was already ruined. you wanted to collapse into yourself. 

will moved to pick a different strawberry. you went back to the original one, plucking it off the leaves. taking a bite, a bitter taste filled your mouth. of course. you forced it down with a struggle. whatever tingles were leftover were quickly killed. thank gods. 

will cleared his throat. “what were we talking about?”

you shook your head and summoned yourself back into reality. at least you weren’t the only one. “the kid who almost capsized. um, yeah, so…”

you sat up. “he literally rocked the boat and started tipping over.”

will lowered his voice as if telling a secret. “how’d he survive that?” 

“i was right there, so i caught him.”

will hummed. he sat back into a more comfortable position, planting his hands on the grass behind him. meanwhile, you reached for the bushes. you’d never been so grateful to grab a strawberry without interference. 

“at least he wasn’t another infirmary patient. he wouldn’t have even been the craziest case,” he said.

you furrowed your eyebrows. “who was the craziest case?”

↞•🦚•↠

“i still can’t believe that kid ate a flower,” you said, taking the final bite of your mac and cheese.

will sat across from you in the mess hall. the time in the strawberry field almost went too far into dinner, which was exactly what you’d needed after the past week.

“i’m not really sure what the thought process there was.” he smiled and shook his head. “i was going to ask him, but i was in healer mode, and that’d be way overstepping.”

you laughed. bringing your fork back down to your plate, the prongs sunk into something soft. your favorite dessert, thank gods—white cake with vanilla frosting. you smiled, taking a bite. the sweetness coated your tongue. will turned his plate towards you.

“here,” he said. “wait, it has some barbecue sauce on it.”

will furrowed his eyebrows. your stomach churned. barbecue sauce was one of your least favorite things in the world. now it was contaminating your favorite thing in the world—the cake, to be clear. part of you wanted to dismiss it. after all, it was just cake. but considering all of the new things you and will had done, you did kind of need that familiarity. you sighed.

but, before you could speak, will did. “i could feed it to you. like here-comes-the-airplane style.” he added a small chuckle to that.

would that airplane drop down, pick you up, and then fly across the globe to a spot you could never see will again? if so, yes, please! you bit your inner lip. you could handle this. even if your heart was racing in your chest.

“sure,” you said, forcing a smile.

will broke off a bite of the cake. you leaned forward. there was still a chance that you could bash your head into the table, and that idea sounded wonderful. he moved the fork closer to your lips. you looked him in the eyes, awkwardly, before taking the bite.

why the fuck did you look him in the eyes? the frosting of the cake was way too sticky, causing mush to stick to the roof of your mouth. you fought a gag. meanwhile, your heart went fuzzy, like the feeling you’d gotten from the candlelight in that one—

stop. stop, stop, stop. stop, you thought to yourself.

will let the fork hover near his plate for a while, looking at you just as dumbfounded. surely he wasn’t… no. nope. no. you crossed your arms. if you were going to start thinking like that, you’d gone too far. that thought process was what ruined you and percy, and just about anyone hera caught interacting with zeus. so, no. you grabbed your plate. your eyes warmed with unshed tears.

“we have a long day tomorrow,” you said. “i’m gonna get some sleep.”

will nodded. “yeah. uh, goodnight.”

“goodnight.”

you speed-walked to the offerings fire, a tear threatening to fall. you couldn’t do this anymore. the one platonic thing you had left with will was tainted. if this blessing continued, and you let him introduce you to his siblings, everything would only get worse. you huffed. screw waiting, you were burning that bridge now. you placed your fork just above the barbecue meat on your plate. 

but you didn’t move, not yet. you looked over to where percy sat, across from his lover. he flashed a glance at you as he talked. you nodded. there was no way you could let either of them down. no one could ever meet your fate again. so, you poured the offerings into the fire, dedicating them to hestia and hestia only, for no reason at all.

it was going to be a long night.

↞•🦚•↠ 

as soon as you arrived back in your cabin, you couldn’t sit down on your bed. you couldn’t close your eyes, because you knew you’d just be faced with a replay of that stupid moment. it’d be in slow motion too, stopping to emphasize all of the worst parts. you paced the short length of your cold cabin.

it was official: the one platonic thing you’d had left with will had been tainted by your own stupid feelings. you knew what you were doing, looking into his eyes, setting yourself up for failure. and the worst part was, it wasn’t even like you were fantasizing, or had ever fantasized about that before. no. there was literally no excuse.

your chest heaved. desperate, you placed your hand to visor your eyes from the faint golden light coming from the torches hung around. how they managed to stay burning surrounded by marble that was turning your socked feet numb was a mystery you’d contemplate another time. your skin fell clammy. 

so maybe percy did need the blessing. and maybe, if you didn’t do said blessing, you’d feel enough guilt that you’d send yourself to the fields of punishment.

“but what they have is temporary,” you whispered to yourself.

and the part you wouldn’t say out loud: you and will couldn’t be temporary. especially on the rare chance he didn’t pass your mother’s tests and the loyalty blessing wasn’t given. if he left because of that, what would you do? and who even knows what your mother would do to him? 

but what if you hurt will? what if you said yes, i’ll allow myself to be all romantic with him, and then one thing would go wrong, and suddenly you’d be on the same side as your mom, casting spells on a lover? and he’d never be able to escape. the mere idea of will ever doing something wrong made you stumble. okay, that image had to go away immediately.

you paused your pacing, suddenly dizzy. you clutched your head to balance. will himself was literally afraid of her. that wasn’t worth it. maybe you could tolerate the risk of someone meeting your fate. you’d get over it someday. and if they didn’t, who cared? if you had will by your side, the world could hate you as much as they wanted.

a knock sounded at your door.

“fuck,” you whispered to yourself.

you walked over. through the peephole, you saw a fidgeting percy. great. just what you needed. but what on earth could he want? you opened the door, hesitantly.

“hello…” you said, a question dragging at your voice.

“hey. can i come in?”

were you about to wreck his home by letting him into yours? you let percy walk in. he opted to stand against one of the marble pillars near the door, shivering as he made contact with it. across from him, you held your breath as you waited for him to speak.

he carded a hand through his hair. “my partner sent me. someone is apparently planning to cast a spell—”

“on you two?” because, somehow, hearing it out of your own mouth was easier.

he nodded.

you fought the urge to buckle your knees, collapse to the ground, and let out a gut-wrenching scream at the sky. could this day get any worse? seriously. you pinched the bridge of your nose, looking to the ground. this was probably hera’s way of letting you know she was listening. of course she’d do something like this. you let out a breath before looking back up.

“okay. understood. i’m actually talking to my mother tomorrow night, so it won’t be too long,” you said.

“perfect. uh, thanks.” he turned to the door.

you eased. “of course. it’s the least i could do.”

gods, how much you wished you could be one of them, instead of having to flirt with your best friend and spend way too much energy pretending he was someone else.

but that was setting a bad tone for the night, jealousy. you couldn’t be jealous. at all. with will. you swallowed. it was time to enter tyche boy mode. you thought back to his golden curls and his green eyes. then, you looked to will, and a sight now obnoxiously familiar flashed in your mind. okay, maybe eye contact wasn’t the way to go. you looked to his nose.

“so, how are we going to do this?” you asked.

will walked with you to a shadier spot on the beach, away from the entrance. he leaned in to whispering distance. “all we have to do is make them think we’re a couple. sit close to each other. flirt occasionally? nothing we haven’t already done. it’ll be fine. i promise.” 

the way he was practically tripping over his words, you could tell that last part wasn’t true. “okay. doable.” not even remotely.

will extended his hand to you. you took it. strike one. the tyche boy image faded as soon as your hands were on his skin again. how could it not? you’d never felt tyche boy’s palm, it wasn’t like you knew what it felt like. that, and, those same stupid feelings were back. the skin on your palm was practically sensitive from yearning for will’s touch. it felt so, so right, even though it shouldn’t have. 

you could’ve sworn you felt eyes on you as you two swerved through the crowd. your heart raced. thankfully, will found a spot for you two, right near kayla and austin. 

okay. you could do it. even outside of tyche boy mode. those were will’s siblings. you’d met them countless times before. it wasn’t like this was the first time. even if this was the fastest your heart had raced around them, you’d done it before.

“hey,” you said to them both.

they both greeted you back, then exchanged some sort of smile between each other. great. you took a seat next to will. both of you moved so the sides of your arms were flush together.

tyche boy mode, you reminded yourself. you’d never felt will’s bicep before, so this would be tyche boy’s. but now there was more of his skin on you. okay. stop. stop. focus.

“here.” kayla tossed both you and will marshmallows.

you placed your marshmallow in the fire. finally, a break, where all you had to do was watch a marshmallow bathe in flames. you let out a breath that you hoped wasn’t as loud as it was relieving. you watched it char. in your peripheral, austin and kayla just looked at will expectantly.

“you guys have met y/n before,” he said, in a tone that made that equally a question and a statement. he started to bounce his leg but suppressed it quickly.

kayla sat up straighter. “correct. something seems different this time.” she wagged her marshmallow-topped branch between the two of you.

you’d never stared at a marshmallow more intently. the outside was slowly starting to brown. using that, you focused on what tyche boy would look like. because that was who you were with. he adjusted next to you.

“okay, i’ll say it. are you two dating?” austin asked, out of the blue.

you startled and blinked, right back into reality, and started to speak.

“n—” “y—”

you and will—because how could you view him as anything but after that—looked between each other. neither of you had said anything about officially putting a title on it. the idea of that sent a shiver down your spine. will’s eyes slightly widened, as if he were asking a question. you nodded will on. whatever he said might be stupid, but at least it wouldn’t be your responsibility.

“we haven’t put a label on it yet,” he said, then took a bite of his marshmallow.

you squeezed your eyes shut. even being called his partner again would be better than that.

“but you’re seeing each other?” kayla asked.

you took your marshmallow from the fire. will lightly nudged the side of your arm. fuck.

“yes,” you said.

you stuffed your mouth with the marshmallow before any other questions could be asked of you. will nodded. okay. this was easy. you could let go of tyche boy for a bit. thankfully. 

austin nodded. “cool. so, what’ve you been up to lately? you teach canoeing, right? how’s the season looking?”

↞•🦚•↠

the conversation went surprisingly smoothly. second and third marshmallows were passed to each of you. the feeling of will’s arm against yours had faded into the background of laughter. glittering above you, the night stars looked down at the beach. part of you wished you could fall asleep to the sound of the fire and the waves. now that tyche boy mode was off, your heart rate had slowed.

that was, until austin passed a guitar, and you felt obligated to rest your head on will’s shoulder. 

you were right back into tyche boy mode. your heart raced for a reason you hoped was anxiety. hopefully will couldn’t feel it on his back. after all, you were literally face to face. it was way, way too intimate for your liking. tingles did flood your body. you wanted to shiver, despite the warmth radiating from the fire. 

will seemed as relaxed as he’d been all night. his posture was slightly slouched as he adjusted the guitar. 

“so, any song requests?” austin pointed his chin to you.

you raised your eyebrows. “well—”

will spoke. “shouldn’t i be asking that?”

why did...that…make your heart skip a beat? fuck. fuck. okay. that was so stupid. it was a random question for the sake of conversation. you cleared your throat. back to the question at hand. what song would you want to hear in that moment? an idea came to mind. 

“baby by justin bieber?” you asked.

both austin and kayla burst into massive grins. will drew in a long breath. “if that’s what you want.”

“yep,” you struggled out.

“all three of you know i’m not a good singer. or guitar player. and i’m not trying to be, okay?” he looked around.

you three agreed. for once, you let yourself relax. will cleared his throat and sat up, the proximity bringing you right back into tyche boy mode. okay. wow. he was…he was right there. focus. 

will strummed an unrecognizable chain of notes. “oh woah…”

you snorted. kayla looked away, and austin put a hand over his mouth.

“you know you love m—” his voice cracked as soon as he began to sing.

you burst into laughter, backing off to avoid hurting him. austin and kayla followed. for a moment, it was just the three of you laughing. even will joined in. by the time it finished, your chest hurt. gods, it felt nice to be friends again.

you found yourself back on… tyche boy’s shoulder. he shook his head. 

“out of all of you, i was expecting you to laugh the least.” he turned to you.

your lips were just a breath away from his. will’s face glowed in the firelight way too familiarly. all you could see was him. all you could hear and feel and smell was him. the only thing you couldn’t taste was him. sparks bounced and crackled from the fire. your whole body filled with tingles.

he looked into your eyes, his eyelids fluttering.

“are we interrupting something?” austin asked.

you and will backed away from each other. you shook your heads. meanwhile, your heartbeat still hadn’t recovered. will cleared his throat. “how about you give the guitar a try, austin? dad gave you most of the musical abilities.”

will pulled at the guitar strap. you got up from his shoulder. the lack of touch left you cold, and oddly wanting more. he pulled the guitar off him and handed it to austin. why were you freezing? and why was your heart still racing? why did his stupid face have to glow in the firelight just like it did in your dreams? oh gods.

↞•🦚•↠ 

you hugged yourself as you walked away from the beach. will had insisted on walking you home. apparently, there was something to talk about. you walked a few steps ahead of him. the spring night had quickly become very cold. you shivered. all you wanted was to be home, in your bed.

because your bed was the one place you would be accepted at after that…whatever that was. if you had just not laughed. if you’d stayed in tyche boy mode. if you hadn’t let yourself get caught up in that stupid moment. or, better yet, if you hadn’t even entertained that thought back at the canoe, maybe all of this would be better.

will caught up to you as you two got onto the path towards the cabins. he fidgeted with his hands. “look, about that, i’m sor—”

“i don’t want to talk about it.”

you looked in the other direction of will. the camp was drenched in darkness, being well past lights out. wind wrinkled the grass below you. you shivered. next to you, will’s teeth clattered, too. right. he was there, experiencing this moment just like you. he continued to mess with his fingers. 

“sorry,” you said. “go ahead.”

“i’m sorry, too,” will said. “we agreed to not kiss or anything. i don’t know what i was thinking.”

thank every god, your cabin was a step away. you two stopped. leaning against the door, the cold metal made your chest ease. you were home. this conversation and everything about this night would be over in a matter of minutes. “it’s fine. i should’ve moved.”

you took a long blink, relaxing further against the door. will rubbed his hands together as if something were about to appear out of them. gods, your door had no reason to feel better than a mattress. that stupid breeze flew by again. with a shiver, you reached for the doorknob. 

suddenly, will spoke. “so, tomorrow. do you have any plans? i was thinking we could practice introducing each other more. in lower stakes situations.” his voice was levelled enough to make you question if any of the past night had even happened.

right. tomorrow. because after you almost kiss your best friend, life goes on. you lightly banged your head against the door. there was that off-chance he’d take your hand, or he’d lean in too close. the warmth bloomed in your chest. you quickly stood up. no way. absolutely no way.

will tapped his fingers in a rhythm against the pocket of his shorts. he seemed unable to meet your eyes. your stomach sunk. he didn’t deserve for your feelings to go any further. so, before you could think it through, you spoke.

“i think we should take a day off and go back to being friends.”

will froze, the rhythm pausing. he gave you a once-over, and not the kind that would bring any sort of pleasure. under the darkness of your cabin’s roof, he was bathed in a shadow. you swallowed hard. even the wind stilled.

“we meet your mom in two days. we still need practice,” he said.

you sighed. “we have the canoe thing right before we actually meet her. it’ll be enough.”

will opened his lips to speak, but ended up pursing them. he rolled his shoulders, looking at the sky. you gulped. you’d never seen will angry. burnt out, sure. cranky, sure. tired, sure. but even his worst days at the infirmary hadn’t made him stop himself from speaking. turning the doorknob had never seemed more tempting.

he took a breath. you clutched the doorknob. why couldn’t you two have talked about this during the day, when it didn’t feel like you two were the only ones in the world? and when the stupid breeze wasn’t flying by every two seconds.

“well…okay. but, if i may ask, why?” his voice was way too soft.

you weren’t in the mood to construct a lie. “because i just need a break. it’s just…there’s a lot going on.” 

the only thing going on in your life was the growing feelings for him. you wanted to punch yourself for saying that. 

will nodded slowly. he slid his hands into his pockets. “if we’re going to take tomorrow off, then i need to officially introduce you to my siblings the next morning. i can’t face your mom without any more practice.” 

you blinked. “introduce me to your siblings? what are we going to do after this ends? keep this whole ‘fake relationship’ thing up?”

goosebumps formed on your skin. the night was only getting darker and colder. gods, make this end. will straightened his posture. “we’ll burn that bridge when we get to it. goodnight.”

before you could question it, he walked away. “goodnight,” you mumbled to yourself.

you turned the doorknob. with all of your weight on the door, you practically stumbled into your cabin, just missing the floor. gods. what the fuck had just happened? what was any of that? first, it was the almost kiss. then, it was…that. then, it was the whole ‘let’s-become-sibling-official’ thing. whatever that was. you trudged across your cabin and collapsed in your bed.

“you’re getting married?” he asked.

a shiver rippled down your spine at that thought. “gods, no. the blessing.”

will tapped a finger to his downturned lips. “the blessing…”

“the loyalty blessing…” you dragged your voice to give him a chance to answer.

will stared blankly into space. after a few beats, he finally shook his head. “i’m sorry, it’s been such a day here.”

you smiled and went to sit down next to him on the couch. with incident reports concealing almost every visible inch of the cushion’s surface, your only choice was in the corner, against the armrest. a quick glance told you that all of them were from the past day. had capture the flag really done that much?

“percy agreed to let me get him a loyalty blessing for him and his partner,” you said. chemicals of excitement rushed in your body as soon as you said it out loud. “i finally get to make it up to him.”

will facepalmed. “oh, right! congratulations. this is great.”

he wrapped you in a hug. without thinking, you hugged him back. the slightly alcoholic smell that lingered in the infirmary clung to his white doctor’s coat. eventually, you both pulled back. will moved the papers off his lap and placed his face in his hand, looking at you intently. now it was your turn to be confused.

“so, what did your mom say about it?”

you squeezed your eyes shut. “shit, i forgot.”

↞•🦚•↠

after offering half of your dinner to your mother, it was only logical that she’d let you talk to her. nonetheless, you did go to bed a little nervous. you hadn’t talked to her since the first blessing you tried to get for a much, much worse reason. and now you’d be face to face with the goddess you’d spent every day of the past three years trying not to become.

you woke up to a temple in the sky. shiny, cream-colored pillars let in the clear blue from the heights of olympus. a circle of the same material had its corners occupied with tiny ponds, water lilies floating at the surface. the silence made it almost surreal. until you looked up the staircase and saw…

hera. staring down at you from her golden throne; draped in her fancy, white gown; crown on head. in her hand, a lotus staff. you swallowed hard. you’d never forget the first time you heard the bang of it against the floor. it shook the same exact tiles so hard that it even spread to your body.

you ascended up the steps to face her. she squinted at you through her cold eyes, easing the fake smile on her face.

“what do you need, darling?” she asked.

her voice was low and smooth, but you remembered how she sounded when she yelled at you. you hugged yourself. there was no easy way to say what you were about to say, but it had to be said. you took a deep breath.

“i’m looking for a loyalty blessing for percy jackson and—”

hera banged her lotus staff. the marble floors rocked below you. water lilies sloshed in their tiny ponds. you jolted, plugging your ears. the vibration pulsed all throughout your body, rocking every vessel.

“percy jackson?” she shouted. “that…” hera turned her palm in a circle as if gesturing to a pile of trash. “boy doesn’t deserve a blessing of any kind. he certainly won’t be getting another chance with you. you deserve so much better.”

you sighed, the sound echoing in the vastness. it didn’t matter how many times you’d explained anything to her. she didn’t listen. “it’s not for me.”

hera cocked a single perfectly-arched eyebrow. “then who is it for?”

you hugged your arms closer to you, feeling like a child underneath her gaze. you should’ve known that telling her percy had found someone else—despite the fact that neither you or percy were ever ‘someone’ to each other—wouldn’t be received well. if you did tell her who it was, there was no telling what she’d do. your pulse beat against your eardrum. 

“well?” hera asked, her voice softer.

you started to pace the step you were on, just four down from her throne. you didn’t have nearly enough of the energy required to hide this. “it’s for his current partner. child of nike. the whole camp has eyes on their boyfriend, and i just feel horrible.”

hera laughed coldly. “when you say horrible, don’t you mean…jealous? because i am happy to ruin that boy’s life over and over again if he’s making you feel that way still.”

jealous? you were, of course, jealous of percy back in the spell times, but not now. right? you stopped pacing.

“no. not jealous. i just don’t want them to have to go through the same thing i went through,” you said.

you’d never forget the way you felt after asking your mother to cast a love spell on percy. he was the most sought after, you were the most glared at. all because you’d made the mistake of catching an apple before he could. and you didn’t even want him. you just wanted to have the upper hand. then you got it. until people did retaliatory spells, and percy had slipped right out of that hand. you shuddered at the memory.

hera let out a hum. “which one asked for the blessing?”

“it was technically my suggestion.” you thought back to cabin inspections last summer, where you’d suggested it on a whim. “but percy ultimately came to me.”

“oh, so he finds someone new and now he can protect himself?” she cackled. “if there’s anything boys have, my dear, it’s the audacity.”

you chuckled at that, and hera did, too. for a moment, everything between you two was normal. you two were just mother and child.

“but, will you give them the blessing?” you asked. because she would’ve.

hera glanced at her lotus staff. “only if you two get on even ground. i’m not letting that boy break your heart ever again.” she picked up her lotus staff and pointed it at you. “if you want the blessing, bring someone home to me. if they pass my tests, great, both you and…percy get the blessings.”

you froze, your limbs going light. ‘you’ and ‘bring someone home’ in the same sentence? there was no way. there was absolutely, positively, no way you could do that. casting a love spell on percy was bad enough. now, having to actually date someone and risk them not passing your mother’s ‘tests?’ there was no way. there was no telling what she’d do or what she’d say.

as tears welled up in your eyes, you sniffled without realizing, it echoing in the void. hera didn’t even move a muscle. she just sat there, staring at you in your peripheral vision. right. because of course she would. of. fucking. course. she had to know what she was doing. you shook your head. would you figure this out? absolutely not. but crying in front of someone who may as well have been a statue wasn’t making it any easier.

blinking tears away, you looked up. “how long do i have?”

hera pointed her forehead at you. “how long do you think percy can go without being an idiot?”

great. you were already crying and spiraling, and then she poses a question like this. you didn’t know percy nearly well enough to answer that. “maybe… a week?”

“sure, a week. any other questions or concerns or comments?” her voice dripped icicles.

many others, you thought to yourself, like why you’d ask me to this knowing i’m completely doomed. you attempted to slow your breathing to get the practical version of your mind back. “how do i bring them here?”

hera smiled. “both of you give me an offering and sleep in the same bed.”

even better! as the lump in your throat only grew, you nodded, forcing it down. your mind spiraled. you were about to descend from the staircase to leave the dream. but, before you turned, you had one more thing you figured you’d ask. y’know, before everything in your life was changed.

“as your child, am i cursed for—”

the darkness of your bedroom ceiling filled your vision. you brought your hands up to your eyes, groaning.

how were you going to do this? where were you even going to start? it wasn’t like you could just go up to someone and start a relationship, just like that. and there wasn’t a single person at camp who you’d want to walk up to and start a relationship with.

you tossed and turned for a few more minutes until an idea came to mind. 

↞•🦚•↠

you bounced your leg underneath your cabin’s lunch table. will sat in front of you, a blurry figure speaking gibberish under the sound of your thoughts. you had to find someone, anyone. your eyes scanned each of the tables. was the mess hall always that crowded? had there always been so many people? and had everyone at camp always been so un-dateable? 

“i was playing capture the flag and a kid shoved past me and said, ‘move it, infirmary boy,’” will said.

that brought you back to reality. you let out a small laugh. though, it didn’t reach your eyes like it usually did with will.

“either i spend way too much time at work or he’s just mean. i can’t tell.”

you said, “probably a little of both.”

a beat of silence. the wind blew past. you shivered. will did, too. the smile on your face fell. will leaned closer on the table like he was about to whisper something to you.

“wait, so, did you talk to your mom?” he asked.

“unfortunately.”

will gave you a pity smile, rotating his plate so the white cake slice faced you. immediately, some of the tension in your chest eased. “here, you need it. now tell me about it.”

you made the mistake of saying the white cake was your favorite at the beginning of the friendship, and ever since, you’ve gotten every single one of his. you laughed and reached your fork over. “she banged her lotus staff so loud it literally shook me to my core.”

you took a bite of the cake. 

“why on earth would she do that?” he asked.

you sighed. right. you’d have to tell him sometime, and that time was now. adjusting in your seat, you swallowed the mush that was the white cake. 

“because i said percy’s name. she’s mad at him for…i don’t know, moving on from something he never even had with me, and now, in order to get the blessing, she’s insisting we get on ‘even ground.” you drew in a breath. “meaning i have a week to find a lover to bring home to her.”

your stomach sank, and the room bordered on getting all fuzzy again. a week. as in, 7 days. somehow, saying it out loud made that timeframe seem as small as it really was. will raised his eyebrows.

“a week? to bring someone home?” he asked. “that’s insane.”

you nodded. “i know. it’s a mess.”

“do you have any ideas for who?”

i wish! your posture slouched. “no. but they have to be someone who i can’t actually fall for. like, i’d have to fake it. and they have to fit her standards, of course.”

will nodded slowly. he tapped his fingers on the table. you took another bite of the cake. his eyes went somewhere else. suddenly, the conversations around you got much louder. you two were the only ones not talking.

finally, he spoke. “do i fit her standards?”

oh! “umm…” you thought about it. it wasn’t like you would fall for your best friend. in fact, out of everyone you knew, he’d be the least likely you’d fall for. that aside, hera and apollo didn’t have anything too serious in their myths—which, yes, you knew better than the back of your hand. okay. it could work. 

“i think so,” you said.

something in your chest eased. will took a bite of his barbecue, chewing awfully thoroughly.

“and you’re sure she won’t get too mad at us for faking it?”

the bang of the lotus staff rang in your mind, the vibrating floor returning to the soles of your feet. if that was how she’d react to you mentioning percy alone, who was to say how she’d react if she found out you were faking a relationship? but would that really matter? at the end of the day, didn’t she just need someone who was loyal?

you shook your head, coming back to reality. “she probably will. but i really need this blessing. i mean, percy himself asked for it. it’s the least i can do.”

other campers started to get up from their tables and head to make offerings to the fire. you and will followed. you got up frist, and him second. 

“okay. as long as we practice, a lot, we should be good. i think.” he asked as you two started walking.

practice? you flashed him a look as you headed to the fire. “what do you mean by practice?”

will shrugged. “practice introducing ourselves as a couple so i don’t mess up in front of her. i could use a co-teacher for my archery class. at least there no one will remember if it’s terrible.”

you poured your food in the fire, making a usual offering to hera. “okay, sure.”

i'm going on clean (chapter 2)

you and will stood at the top of the archery field. you took a breath. as each target filled, you couldn’t help but wonder what was next. how the week would look, what kind of stuff you’d get into. will seemed to be waiting for everyone to settle down.

“attention!” will clapped his hands. “it’s an independent learning day. my partner and i will be…”

your hearing faded. my partner and i. a pit formed in your stomach. so it was real now. you and will were officially in a public relationship. okay. you’d ignore the implications of that.

the sound of arrows splintering targets summoned you back to reality. will stood next to you, arms crossed, peering over the situation like a dad on a soccer field. pushing aside your next thought, you rocked on your heels.

“so, what am i supposed to do?” you asked. “i don’t know a lick about archery.”

will turned to you. “honestly, me, neither. i just hand out arrows the whole time. which…”

he looked you up and down. it had no reason to feel like it was in slow motion, yet it did. your memory would store every frame of his eye movements. you’d never wished you could feel the path of his eyes on your actual skin more. a warmth coated you.

his eyes came back up and met yours. for a moment, you could’ve sworn your heart rate increased. shit.

then will reached for a bunch of arrows from his pocket. “you need.”

he cleared his throat and walked off to the left side of the field, leaving you with the right side. you stood there. what was going on? were you just too in-character? you were technically in a lifelong kanathos bath, of course the first time you’d be introduced as someone’s partner would be an experience. but you weren’t expecting to feel that way when it was your best friend. whatever that way was, of course. 

it wasn’t love. you wouldn’t fall in love with will. anyone would’ve felt that…look. you set off to start on your side of the field. hopefully the rhythm of passing out arrows and assessing targets would absorb you. you let out a breath.

you arrived to the end of the field. percy was there, at the final target, with plenty of arrows. he nodded at you. you waved. this blessing had to succeed. you couldn’t let him down. you weren’t going to let feelings of any kind get in the way again. no matter what.

just as you were about to start your third pace of the area, a shout interrupted you. “time for the bullseye competition!”

as will explained the instructions, you ran to catch up to him. he gave you a short nod once you arrived next to him. friendly as ever. had you imagined the look he gave you? you clasped your hands.

“we’re going to come around and clear off your boards. if you shoot either of us, or try to, you’re disqualified. capiche?” he continued.

“capiche!” the crowd shouted.

after clearing off the boards, the competition began. you turned to will.

“how has no one ever gotten killed at one of these?” you asked.

“actually, there was this one incident.”

you stepped back. “wait, what?”

“yep. some kid played eros. it was gruesome.” he grimaced.

you elbowed the side of his arm. “if only you told that story as much as that stupid subway poop story.”

will broke into a smile, clutching his arm. he took a look around. “actually, looks like we have a minute. want the abridged version?”

“absolutely not.”

“so we’ll just stand here in silence? your loss.” 

some kid shouted ‘aww man!’ and snapped both of you out of your talk. will laughed. “i’m gonna go check for winners. if i find one, i’ll call you. call me if you find one.” he was about to start walking when he stopped. “and, if you’re okay with it, we’d definitely be convincing if we called each other babe. like, ‘babe, we have a winner!’”

will raised his eyebrows at you, asking a silent question. you’d never wanted to say no more. instead, you said “sure, yeah.” 

you paced your side of the field. each of the targets were peppered with arrows everywhere except the bullseye. meanwhile, your thoughts ran wild. you’d have to call will babe? the pit in your stomach returned.

okay. you could do it. it was stupid to think otherwise because of one incident, which wasn’t even an incident in the first place. just practice. you started your second round of pacing. 

and then you saw a target. you stopped and squinted, visoring your eyes with your hand. sure enough, a bullseye. you crouched to the little girl’s height.

“future hunter of artemis here,” you said.

she looked up at you with a huge smile on her face. “did i win?”

you nodded. “i think so.”

you cleared your throat. great. now or never. closing your eyes, you took one last breath, savoring that shred of leftover dignity. 

“babe, we have a winner!” you shouted.

you’d never wanted to kick yourself in the leg more than that moment. will came running over. he took a look at the target. then back at the young girl. he crouched down, a smile on his face. you couldn’t peel your eyes away. butterflies filled your chest, stupidly enough.

“what’s your name, hon?” he asked her. 

his voice was so tender, his eyes so genuine. he’d make a great father someday, you thought to yourself. nope. no. not doing that. you blinked, forcing yourself back into your body. bad. 

“celeste,” she said.

will stood back up. with the same smile on his face, he took your hand. a softness ran up your arm, as if sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows had been injected directly into your veins.

every bad or questioning thought you had dissipated under whatever his influence was. his skin against yours, his fingers interlinked, him holding onto you…you weren’t sure you’d ever get enough of the feeling. it was so soft, and yet, the slightest of friction was all you wanted.

“congratulations celeste!” he shouted, raising your hand in his.

the crowd cheered. will dismissed them, giving a kind wave to celeste. now, it was just you and him in the field. you two unlinked hands. the cold air immediately hit your palm, which you hadn’t even realized was clammy until that moment. wordlessly, you set off to clean your side of the field.

you couldn’t help but wonder what that feeling was. a tingle hadn’t run down your spine. that was so, so, so beyond stupid. but the thoughts wouldn’t stop. you couldn’t get the way his hand felt in yours, the texture of his skin, even just the way he held you. the way you, for whatever reason, wanted more. and more. and more.

no, that was stupid. you didn’t want more. you just…whatever. you shook your head. all of the thoughts became overwhelming. it wasn’t a real feeling. just a ‘what-if.’ that’s what the entire relationship was, was it not? just a what-if. except it was strictly an if, because it’d never be a when. you’d never let that happen.

once you caught up to him and met in the center, a small frown warped will’s face. but he quickly wiped it off.

“i feel like we need to make some ground rules for this,” you said.

will blinked, then nodded. “yeah, that wouldn’t hurt. how do you feel about helping me organize some stuff at the infirmary?”

↞•🦚•↠

you stood at one of the counters of the infirmary backroom, organizing cotton pads into a neat pile in the tiny bin. even the task at hand couldn’t get the worries off your mind. the worries of how great just holding his hand felt, the worries of whatever happened when he looked at you. all of it that you hated beyond words. you wished you could wrap bandages around your hand and cure it of the sparks that flew from will’s touch.

at the other counter, will cut squares of ambrosia. “so, what rules did you have in mind?”

thankfully, you’d spent the entire walk there ruminating over the way his eyes and hand made you feel, meaning you had plenty of ideas! you placed the cotton pads into two neat rows. “less physical touch.”

you finished arranging the cotton pads and headed back to the closet. will stayed focused on his ambrosia cutting—thank gods, because you couldn’t handle making eye contact with him again. looking over the shelves, you settled for a roll of gauze that was a mess. you walked back to your counter, using every bit of energy to not scream-beg will to say something. 

he finally spoke. “it’d be a good idea to have a little, i think. like what we had today. that was just enough to be convincing. unless it was too much?”

it was definitely too much! you froze where you were unrolling the gauze. there was nothing genuinely ‘too much’ about the situation. just because you felt too much didn’t mean it was too much. you shook your head at yourself. you could handle yourself. even if the nonsensical feelings arose.

but, before you could get a word in, will continued. “just…with your mom and stuff.”

great! “definitely. and, it wasn’t too much. i think this amount was just fine.” no, it wasn’t!

you reverted your focus to rolling the gauze back up. for a moment, there was nothing but the sound of the knife hitting the tray of ambrosia and the distance of the infirmary. and then the memory of will holding your hand came back in. okay. that wasn’t going to happen. for the love of the gods. you quickly fixed the gauze and headed for the cabinet.

“um, where are we practicing next?” something in your chest eased at using the word ‘practicing.’ because that’s all it was. “we have my canoe night at the next week, but aside from that…”

will stopped cutting. “the bonfire tomorrow? we wouldn’t formally introduce ourselves as a couple to my siblings. we’d just be flirty friends.”

right, because that’s just what we need! without letting yourself have another thought, you said “sure.”

↞•🦚•↠

you’d forgotten how much you’d missed canoeing only after you found yourself back in your own boat, laying against the warm wood of the boat, sandwiched between the thwart and the stern seat. there wasn’t much you wouldn’t give to stay there forever, in the hands of the lake, the waves slowly swaying you, all while being watched over by the evening sunset. away from anything that could hurt you.

you looked down to the notebook in your lap. right. you’d come here to actually do something rather than just bask in the sun. thankfully, you had the idea of sunset lanterns for each canoe.

“joke time,” you said.

every canoe night, you did something like a toast—minus the drinks—in the beginning. they always had to be somewhat cheesy, while also being on theme. and this time was no exception.

in fact, with it being the first canoe night of what you hoped would be a more popular season, alongside being a pairs-specific event, you had to do something extra special. you looked up at the sky, relaxing your head again. you tapped your pen against the notebook.

“with spring just on the horizon…” you wrote that down. “uhh…”

you ran a hand down your face. “with spring just on the horizon…okay, something about it being equal. equal. i hope your days are all spent equal.”

you contemplated throwing your notebook in the water and just giving up on this entirely. your mind was completely blank. it’d never been this hard to come up with a joke in the past. the sun was only setting farther, meaning it had to be getting closer to dinnertime. you sighed.

then, an idea came to mind. write your toast first.

hi everyone! thank you all for coming. i’m your host, y/n, and

you picked up your pencil from the paper. right, you invited will. to sit in your canoe and be your partner for the night. and you’d have to introduce him as your boyfriend. okay. that was fine. you could handle it. you’d done it once, you could do it again. easy enough. you wrote down my boyfriend, will.

all of the thoughts you’d managed to suppress since the whole archery incident came rushing back. you shut your eyes, the sun suddenly way brighter than it should’ve been. you couldn’t get all of that stupid stuff off your mind. like how it felt to hold his hand, how it felt to call him babe, everything that was meaningless.

your mind wandered to the canoe night. if he was going to be there, he’d be in the same boat, sitting across from you, bathed in the candlelight. it’d highlight his skin and his freckles and his eyes. gods, his eyes. the lake seemed to be moving slow enough for both of you to just exist. 

and something about his eyes stuck out, yet again. fine. you’d let yourself indulge this one, single thought. you thought of taking his hand. of feeling his skin again. you’d hang your clasped hands just past the border of the canoe, right over the lake, clasped perfectly together. how the mere touch of his skin would feel the same, if not better. your chest filled with tingles.

he smiled at you, and you found yourself smiling. in real life. the cold wind blew against your teeth. you immediately opened your eyes and sat up. the water below you rocked. your stomach seemed to be at a similar rate. yeah. you messed up.

what did you do. holy shit, what did you do? you clutched your forehead, bringing your vision to the bottom of the canoe. you couldn’t close your eyes again, but if you watched the waves, you’d get motion sick. had any of that just happened? did you really just smile at an imaginary moment? let alone of your best friend?

“that wasn’t real,” you whispered to yourself. it wasn’t loud enough.

you sat up. “that wasn’t real.” you said it louder, as if talking to a crowd. there weren’t even naiads present to hear you.

but it felt real. the sensations in your body felt real. you shook your head. no. you were just imagining something romantic. you weren’t attracted to will, you were attracted to that imaginary, very romantic version of him, which, you reminded yourself, was not real. you’d never lived that moment before.

and, okay, if you were attracted to that version of him, you couldn’t show will. at all. because that was ridiculous. it’d be like imagining him insulting you and then being mad at the real version of him for that. you shook your head. okay. it was manageable.

you grabbed the paddles of the canoe. dragging them through the heavy waters, you heaved as you tried to get back to shore. there was only one thing you could do if you wanted to survive that bonfire tomorrow. if those stupid feelings were going to persist, you could handle it, you just had to find someone else to project onto will. someone who didn’t look just like that romantic version that somehow sent tingles throughout your entire body.

↞•🦚•↠

the mess hall had never been so crowded. your eyes scanned each table. you had to find someone who you could imagine as will. someone who you could memorize the appearance of and find yourself able to act like their partner. but, man, it was hard to find someone. most of the campers were not around your age, weren’t mythologically compatible—because olympus literally for bid you feel attracted to a hephaestus kid—or were just not attractive enough to even pretend.

you finally landed on the tyche table. there was a camper probably about your age. golden, curly hair and green eyes, like a californian leprechaun. that could work. he wasn’t your type, but he wasn’t impossible to imagine, either. you took note of his appearance. 

suddenly, someone obstructed your vision. you blinked. it was will, sitting down in the chair across from you. your breath hitched. why did he have the same eyes as the imagined version? except they weren’t reflecting candlelight from the—stop. okay. you could do this. he wasn’t that imagined version of himself. that was in the past.

“hi,” he said. “out of interest, what were you looking at?”

the boy i’m going to imagine you as at the bonfire tomorrow was what you would’ve said if you were being honest. instead, you said “nothing. i was just zoning out.”

your skin fell clammy. you didn’t have any speakers—in fact, you were mostly relying on the pouring rain outside to help you focus—and you were home alone. the sound of your heart pounded against your eardrum. 

taking a pair of scissors with you, you snuck out of your room. you opened your door without a creak. as you walked into the kitchen, the singing got clearer and clearer. it sounded like a group of men. you’d never heard of male sirens. that didn’t mean they didn’t exist.

arriving at the front door, you took a deep breath. whatever you were about to see through the peephole could be the last thing you ever see. great! you pushed your heels up off the ground. 

through the peephole, you caught a glimpse of… four men dressed in suits and singing. a million questions flooded your mind. the sight directly in front of you almost made your knees give out. now, you had no choice. you had to open the door.

“luke?” you asked.

luke stood on your doorstep, dressed in the same bowtie suit as the rest of the guys. he held a bouquet of dark red roses. in the other arm, he struggled to clutch a huge, plastic heart-shaped box. he nodded at you and gave you that signature small grin of his. soaking wet, he looked stupid, but the kind that made you want to kiss him. 

“hey,” he said, breathless. maybe he had walked in the rain.

“h—” 

the four men harmonized the word ‘hey’ in a descending scale. your lower lip quivered as you tried to hold back a laugh. it really shouldn’t have been funny, but now was not the time to punish yourself for being immature. thankfully, they transitioned back into an instrumental melody. 

“hi,” you said. 

a few beats of the instrumentals passed. you and luke looked at the choir expectantly. they didn’t harmonize your words. something in your chest ached at that. 

luke cleared his throat. “i know how late it is…” the guys echoed. “but the idea of you spending this night alone…”

a bold tenor chimed in, “the idea of you spending this night a-lo-ho-ne~”

you sunk your teeth as deep as they would go into your lips. 

“shattered my heart.” 

after that, the choir returned to a new instrumental song. you let out a calming breath. finally. no more holding in laughter. luke looked just as relieved as you did, if not more.

“did you write all of that?” you asked.

“don’t worry about that.” you cocked an eyebrow at him. “anyway, the real reason i brought this choir was to say the words i meant to say before you left.”

during winter break, you had the genius idea of stopping by camp just to spend a few hours with luke. he’d told you that he had something to say. you may have said goodbye in a little too much of a rush.

luke straightened his posture, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeves. he’d set the chocolate and the roses on the pavement of your doorstep. “i love you,” he said.

the choir echoing those words faded to almost nothing. your limbs went fuzzy. finally. finally, he’d said it. without thinking, you wrapped your arms around luke’s neck. luke placed his hands around your waist. 

“i love you, too,” you said.

he pulled you into a kiss. the choir sang your words in the background. even though his suit was soaking wet with cold rain, the kiss was just as warm as the ones you’d shared during summer. gods, you’d missed him. you pulled away and swept the wet hair from his forehead. he tilted his head. 

“so, how long are you out of camp for?” you asked.

“as long as i need to be.” he winked.

you still got butterflies from the wink. “sleepover?”

an audience full of strangers and estranged family members pointed their phone cameras at you. your limbs tensed, as if they wanted to shrink into a ball. there were too many eyes on you. too many mortal eyes.

you couldn’t do it.

there was only one place to go: back down the aisle.

you dropped the groom’s hands and ran for your life.

you bolted into the canyon night. your outfit tore as you ran, the movement clearly too much for its stiffness. the distant moon was your one guide. where you’d end up? no idea. when you’d stop? no idea. but you had to get far, far away from the wedding.

“get back here!” a familiar voice shouted after you.

you swerved through cactuses and plants. your chest ached. squeezing. your lungs begged for a moment to stop and breathe. but you couldn’t. not yet. 

a distant silhouette popped out of the blue darkness. monster, animal, large tree… whatever it was, it could help you, somehow. you charged your calves with every ounce of strength in your body. 

the silhouette came to light, revealing… a cowboy and a horse? he was kneeling, tending to his horse’s knee. you halted in front of him. as you heaved and bent to catch your breath, he stood up. he tipped the brim of his hat to you.

“howdy,” he said. “everythin’ alr—”

“you need to get me out of here. now. i’ll explain everything later.” you tried to glare at him for dramatic effect, but his hat cast a shadow over his eyes.

the cowboy’s head bobbed as if examining you. you didn’t have time to be examined. whoever was chasing you could catch up at any minute. you jammed your hands into your armpits.

“let’s do that”—you used your own head to gesture to him—”later. get me out of here.”

walking to the horse, you attempted to push yourself onto it, but the rigidity of your outfit made you fall back down to the ground.

the cowboy snapped back into reality, shaking his head lightly. “sorry.”

he swung himself onto the horse effortlessly and extended a hand to you. you didn’t hesitate before taking it. with the collective effort, he managed to pull you onto the saddle. 

“hold on tight,” he said.

as much as you didn’t feel like touching anyone, you wrapped your arms around his waist. the way his body fit in your arms gave you deja vu. 

“g’dy up!” he shouted, whipping the reins.

the horse plunged forward. as your peripheral vision fell to a motion blur, you tried to pinpoint when you could’ve possibly experienced anything like this moment before. not the cowboy, since you’d never met one before. not the horse for the same reason. not the outfit or the place. absolutely nothing pointed to the past. you furrowed your eyebrows.

his paced eased towards a tiny town. a strip of buildings glowed in the moonlight. even though your head was as literally spinning, you could make out the word ‘inn.’ you let out a sigh of relief. the cowboy shuddered in your arms. you grimaced. you’d forgotten he was even there.

once the horse had stopped, the cowboy helped you down. the ground below you was warmer and firmer than it’d ever been in the canyon. with the horse’s feet planted in it, you leaned against it’s heavy body, allowing it to support your weight. you smiled in relief.

in your now clear peripheral, the cowboy removed his hat. you couldn’t help your curiosity. after all, he was the man who saved your life. you looked over.

the center of your chest went hollow. every bone that should’ve held you up was close to dissipating. a lump appeared in your throat, followed by the taste of bile. you clutched the horse, desperate. 

“luke?”

“y/n,” he said.

this wasn’t happening. there was absolutely, positively, no way in hell the cowboy who saved you from your wedding was your ex. let alone the ex who left you at camp so he could ‘focus on the real world.’ 

but, luke leaned against the horse. his arms were crossed as he stared into the distance. you tried to take him in. the way he wasn’t in a camp outfit but a black flannel. and the hat held over his stomach. the way his hair was ever-so-slightly longer than you’d remembered. the way he wasn’t a cocky swordsman anymore, but a considerate cowboy. hm.

“drinks?” he asked, dodging your eyes as soon as you made contact.

you bit your inner lip. the last thing you wanted to do that night was sit in a bar with your ex. but there was no way you could navigate this night sober, no matter where it went.

“sure.”

⟸•🧲•⟹

luke led you through the floppy saloon doors. everything from the literal floor to ceiling was made of wood. every table was surrounded by people drinking and laughing. a payphone hung against one of the walls. wait, no one had phones here? before you could question it any further, the sound of a ‘whoop’ cheer caught your attention.

“lone star luke brought him home a spark!” the bartender shouted, whipping a rag around in the air like a lasso.

the nickname made you chuckle despite yourself. out of every nickname you thought of for luke, lone star was not one of them. luke slumped into a barstool. you followed, taking the barstool next to him.

“sorry about—”

“howdy.” the bartender swooped over. “what can i get ya?”

he leaned awfully close to you, his alcoholic breath close to your face. your nose crinkled. “uh, i’ll start with a water, please.”

the bartender straightened, towering over where you sat like the outside canyon rocks. he turned to luke, huffing. “tell your calico here to read our menu.”

luke shot up from his stool and reached his hand down to his hip. the bar fell silent. you looked over. oh, he had a pistol. reaching for the handle pointedly slow, he held eye contact with the bartender. your heart raced. it was fear and fear only. right? 

the bartender sized him up with a daring smirk, his arms still crossed. luke pulled the gun all the way up. he let it hang on the tip of his finger before spinning it and catching it in his grip. your eyes danced among the sight. why was this oddly… scary. only scary. he pointed it lowly at the bartender.

the bartender held his hands up and slumped. “damn greenhorns,” he mumbled.

luke smiled like he did when he won duels at camp. he put the gun back in the holster. you exhaled, a weight leaving your chest. he sat back down. chatter refilled the room. the bartender remained in front of your spot on the counter, his lips pursed.

“get me a gin,” luke said.

the bartender looked to you. damn, he was ugly. “ya?”

no way you wouldn’t drink after that. “i’ll also have a gin.”

the bartender went to go prepare the drinks. you pinched the bridge of your nose. you weren’t into him, you’d just ran away from your wedding and were feeling… vulnerable. luke turned to you, leaning one arm against the counter. maybe you were. nope. no.

“sorry,” luke said. “that bartender is always an asshole.”

you tapped your fingertips against the counter. “what’s a calico anyway?”

“something no one should ever be called.”

meaning…? you parted your lips to ask, but luke avoided your eyes again. it was going to be a long night. he cleared his throat, finally. 

“so, what’s with the outfit? and what’re you even doin’ out in the canyon?” he asked.

you tilted your head. “i could ask the same.”

two drinks slammed on the counter, projecting droplets onto the wood. luke glared at the bartender. the bartender backed away with a scoff. you stifled a laugh. everything about this moment seemed so fake. especially the way you almost blushed at that. why would you even do that?

“only one of us has a hat and a horse,” luke said after taking a sip.

you sighed. “well, i got sick of camp, so… i had to fulfill my arranged marriage promise i never even made with my parents.”

luke’s face faltered. “they held that up?”

you took a sip of your drink. the gin was pleasant, smoothing your mouth that’d turned as dry as the canyon. “yes.”

as soon as the first sip hit your stomach, you thought of something. you straightened your posture. you could give luke even a drop of a taste of his own medicine. 

“sure, he’s a mortal, but he’s better than no one,” you said. “at least i’d get adjusted to the real world with someone else.”

you took another sip as soon as you said that. luke frowned. he held the glass in both hands, rocking it back and forth on the bar. was it working? hopefully?

“then why’d you run?” luke asked, finally, his voice strained.

you pursed your lips. you genuinely didn’t have an answer for that. well, you did, but it wasn’t one you wanted him to hear. so, you went with the first one that came to mind: “just felt like it.”

luke nodded solemnly. he took another sip of his drink. if that was the luke who’d left you, he would’ve retorted. but he didn’t. you sat there, waiting, but there was nothing but the sound of chatter and glasses clinking against wood.

“what’re you doing later, then?” he asked.

you shrugged. you hadn’t really thought about any of this when you’d bolted from the wedding, but it wasn’t like you had any other choice than to say: “probably going to spend the night.”

luke raised his eyebrows.

you took a sip. “at the inn.”

he took another sip. then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out cash. he handed you some. “you’ll need it.”

you took the money and immediately washed that decision down with a sip of gin. for a moment, you two were the only ones not talking in the saloon. you could only take it for a second before the memories threatened to creep back in. 

“so, what’s the town like?” you asked.

⟸•🧲•⟹

you walked into the inn. the lobby was quiet at this time. it was simple, with just a few chairs and an empty staircase. an innkeeper sat behind the desk. 

“hey, room for one?” you asked.

“we’re all booked. sorry, hun.” she frowned.

your stomach sunk. shit. what were you going to do now? sleep on the street? join the stables with the horses? somehow get back to the wedding and sleep on the chairs?

you thanked her and left. the hot, dry air encapsulated you. now that the saloon had closed, the town was dead silent. aside from luke. he leaned against the side of the building. 

you winced. you’d forgotten that he told you he’d make sure you got a room. 

“they’re fully booked,” you said.

luke raised his eyebrows. “um, i have a guest room.”

you sighed. between that and sleeping on the dirt, you knew the better option. despite everything in your body that told you no, you said ‘okay.’

⟸•🧲•⟹

luke led you to the guest room of his cabin. it was simple and cozy, with just a bed and a nightstand. a large window looked out at the canyon rocks and cacti, illuminated by the golden moonlight. ex aside, you could see yourself definitely getting used to a view like that. you shuddered at that thought.

luke gave you a once-over. “do you want something more comfortable to sleep in?”

you hated how you didn’t even hesitate before saying “yes.”

he walked out, leaving you all the silence you needed to second guess that. were you a complete idiot? absolutely. but he was right. sleeping in a wedding outfit, let alone a torn up one, was beyond ideal. but luke’s clothes weren’t much better, no matter how your heart raced.

luke came back holding a pair of sweatpants and an old flannel. you took them. thankfully they didn’t smell exactly how you remembered him. they smelled more mature now, more woodsy. and that was worse.

luke looked at you for a second, as if the sight was rare. then, he said “night. i’ll take you back tomorrow morning.”

tomorrow morning. right. “night,” you said.

you laid in bed, staring out the window of the guest room. you traced the edges of the stones. their oranges were darkened by the blue night. stars glittered in the sky. you hoped you’d never forget this view.

you thought about the wedding. sure, you’d marry some guy you’d never met, and he was a mortal, but… no. you didn’t want to go into the mortal world. you never had. and you definitely didn’t want to be forced into it with a mortal man.

but had you just thrown away your only opportunity at a smooth transition? the thought made your stomach ache. you’d spent all of your lonely time at camp since luke had left hoping the mortal world he’d left you for was good enough for that.

you turned over to face the shut bedroom door. right, luke. he was so caring now. about the gun he’d pulled, the words he’d said to defend you… how had he become so much better than the man you knew him as? and how could he have ever left you?

you placed your hand over your eyes. there was no way you were considering staying. no way. you’d be betraying your past self. but… could it really be that bad? would it really be that bad? it wasn’t like you had any desire to deal with the consequences of your actions. and with no cellular service, this place seemed like a perfect hideout.

sighing, you sat up. you got out of bed and walked down the hallway to luke’s room. his door was cracked open. you carefully pushed it far enough to slip in through the gap. he appeared to be sleeping on his side. unfortunately, you couldn’t see all of his face. or maybe that was a good thing.

“luke?” you said.

as soon as he started to shuffle, you turned the lights on. his eyes slowly came open. “yeah?” his voice was raspy, his hair dishelved… shit.

you leaned against the doorway. “i think i’ll stay for a few days, if that’s okay. just… before i figure all of this out.”

“of course, love, as long as you need,” he said.

you smiled despite yourself, the nickname causing an instinctual reaction. fondly, you shook your head. he was still half-asleep, which somehow made it funnier. as soon as you let out a slightest sound of a laugh, he sat up with wide eyes. “i didn’t mean—”

you cut the last slice of onion. depositing it into the pile of green loops, you let out a sigh of relief. until you heard the sound of boiling water. shit. the noodles. the noodles that only took two minutes to boil. and there was no way two minutes went by that slowly.

“gods, be with me,” you whispered. 

grimacing, you spun to face the stove. the noodles bubbled on the surface. okay, they looked good enough for you to take a sample. their chewy texture alone made your mouth water. you sunk a fork into the pot for a test. when you pulled it up, the noodle disintegrated and, in its halves, plopped right back into the pot. 

you should’ve listened to that thought to check on the noodles before starting the last onion. now, you were stuck with mush. you poured it down the sink. right above the sink was a window with a view you couldn’t resist stopping to admire each and every time.

amethyst purple blended into a tangerine orange sky. tiny, dark gray clouds hung. the buildings outside obstructed your view of the horizon—as they did for every new yorker. you went on your tiptoes to look down at the street. of cars and people, there was the usual weekend night crowd.

except for the fact that percy was likely part of that crowd, walking home from the store. you pushed yourself off the counter. as a new year’s resolution, you two agreed to alternate cooking dinner each saturday, and it was your week. no way you’d bail out. slumping your posture, you went to fill up the pot with new water.

you placed your hand on the burner, about to turn it on, until you remembered that the noodles boiled quick, but the water itself could take ten minutes. 

“salt,” you thought out loud. “okay, um…”

you scanned the counters. an empty dashi packet for the broth. a fork. sugar for the broth. the cutting board. the sink. back to the dashi packet. 

you rubbed your chin. did you even take out the salt in the first place? the recipe must’ve required it somehow. if only the chaos of preparing everything hadn’t made the memory flee your mind. there was just one logical place to check. you opened the cabinet right above the stove. 

the front door shut. 

percy walked in, carrying a grocery bag. a lightly cold breeze followed his entry. your chest eased. somehow, even just having him there made it seem like everything would be figured out.

“hey,” you said.

painfully, you reverted on your salt search, opening another cabinet.

“hi.” percy’s footsteps got closer. he set something down. “they ran out of normal lemonade, so i thought we could compromise with blueberry lemo— are you looking for something?”

because the salt wasn’t in that cabinet either, yes, you were looking for something. you turned to lean against the counter and face him. 

“yeah.” you pinched your forehead. “i completely messed the noodles up, so i need to remake them. do you see the salt anywhere? i literally cannot find it in any of the cabinets.”

percy finished unpacking the groceries. then, he averted to look to the other cabinets. his eyes scanned them as if he could see right through the doors. you tapped your fingers against the counter idly.

“did you check that one?” 

“which one?” you asked, looking around. 

percy didn’t answer. he just walked over to you. with one hand, he opened the cabinet. his other hand was placed on the small of your back. his breath fanned onto your skin, the softness creating goosebumps no matter how familiar it was. staying focused on his search, he didn’t acknowledge you once.

“really?” you whispered. 

when percy didn’t respond, you glanced down at his lips. he broke into a bashful smile and finally gave you eye contact. a second of it. so, you kissed him. before you could break the kiss, he pulled your body against his. still one-handed. your breath hitched in the best way possible. 

“found it,” percy said.

you opened your eyes. there, in his free hand, was the salt you’d been searching for. you were going to make a joke, but his focus was oddly impressive. 

“thank you.” you placed a peck on his cheek.

percy smiled like it was the first time you’d kissed him. meanwhile, you set for the pot on the stove.

“this is going to take, like, forever to boil. even with the salt.” you poured it into the water. “also, were you kissing me with your eyes open? i’m so sorry for putting you through that if so.”

you went to turn on the burner, but percy said “wait, i want to try something.”

he took the noodles from the freezer. you stepped aside to let whatever magic was about to happen… happen. he plopped them into the water. revolutionary. you gave him a once-over. where on earth was this going? 

the water started to bubble and steam emitted from the pot. the burner wasn’t on, though. none of the burners were. a few seconds passed before it eased to stillness. percy blinked as if he’d just finished zoning out. wait a second…

you facepalmed, despite your fond smile. “that’s what you got out of your time at camp?”

“skills for the real world.” he winked. 

"this was such a great idea," you said. "it's like the most romantic night i've had so far."

"me too,” percy replied. "of course it’s while we're on quest, of all times."

“speaking of the quest…”

you took the money from your pocket. flicking through them, you counted a 20, a 10, and…

wait. 

you tried one more time. nope. you flipped the bills behind, forward, and sideways. still no. you laid each one on the table, and your breath hitched. no matter what you tried, there were still only two bills. 

“are you okay?” percy murmured.

you pinched the bridge of your nose. “we might have ten dollars less than i thought. and we should really have ten dollars for tomorrow, y’know, just in case.”

“oh, uh…” he took a long sip of his water. 

you stared at the money—or lack thereof. what were you going to do now? it wasn’t like you could pay the entire check, not when it’d put you and percy’s lives on the line tomorrow. but there was no way a restaurant that had a real rose at every table would hand out a discount. 

percy sighed, tapping his fingers against the side of his glass. “look, i was going to keep this a secret, but—” 

“everything alright over here?” your waiter suddenly appeared at your table.

shit. before letting yourself think, you started to say, “yes, um, about the ch—”

“everything is going great,” percy interrupted. “if i may propose, a refill?”

you furrowed your eyebrows. out of everyone you knew, percy was the least likely to say ‘if i may propose,’ let alone for a drink refill. plus, his glass was full. as in, ice-floating-at-the-top-full. and why on earth was he smiling at the waiter? 

“fantastic. i’ll be right back with that.” your waiter winked at percy.

to explain himself, you offered percy the amount of time it took for the waiter to walk out of earshot. he stayed silent. at this point, the money was the least of your worries. 

you leaned closer. “wait, what were you saying about a surprise earlier?”

you bounced your leg under the table, trying not to lose your mind as the silence prolonged. percy took another sip of water before finally giving you his attention. 

“the check is covered.” he shrugged. 

your entire body relaxed. but… wait, what? “what? how?”

percy nodded behind you. your waiter, followed by three other servers, carried a plate with a dessert—a puff pastry sandwiching dollops of cream and bright red strawberries. for a moment, giving up the extra ten dollars didn’t even seem that bad. focus, you reminded yourself. 

the waiter set the plate in front of you. as much as you didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, you cleared your throat. “um… i don’t think we—”

“it’s on the house,” the waiter waved you off. “just take a bite.”

you pursed your lips. no way you were going to enjoy a free dessert all alone, especially not after percy somehow managed to get the check covered. you nudged the plate closer to the center, but percy shook his head. a small smile bloomed onto his face, a flush following it.

“all yours,” he said.

okay then. you sunk the fork into the cake and ripped off a bite. flaky pastry blended with cream and strawberry melted in your mouth, the taste alone purging you of the guilt for not sharing. you swallowed. something tasteless and rough remained.

you took it out to reveal… a piece of paper? one of the servers squealed as you unfolded it. on it, black-ink handwriting you recognized as percy’s was smeared. from what you could make out, it’d read i was going to get you a ring, but this was the tastier option.

‘i was going to get you a ring’ in percy’s handwriting. what? there was no way this was happening. no way. the sound of your pulse deafened the rest of the world. when you glanced up, you were met with the empty back of percy’s chair. 

“y/n?” percy was on one knee. “will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?” 

his blue eyes glistened in the warm light. your entire chest went faint. thank gods you were seated, because this was really happening. right here, right now, backed by smooth jazz and the distant scent of a rose. you ignored every part of you that knew better. “y—”

the flash of a camera snapped you out of it. the proposal drew the eyes of the entire second floor of the restaurant, people going as far as taking their phones out. you bit your inner lip. that was the sign you needed. there was no way you could say yes.

but percy hadn’t faltered. you couldn’t say no to him, not when he was practically groveling for you. plus, how many times had you dreamed of this moment? despite yourself, you started to shake your head. percy blinked rapidly. that was the morse code you both had agreed on to mean ‘i’m lying.’ 

you jumped up. “yes, of course i will!”

the restaurant burst into claps, cheers, and even some wolf whistles. percy got up and pulled you into a kiss. you wrapped your arms around his neck. eventually, he pressed his forehead to yours.

“i’ll explain later,” he whispered.

he gave you a peck before pulling back. the waiters beamed, one of them handing you two copies of the same polaroid photo. you chuckled. how would you explain this to anyone back at camp?

“congratulations on the next step! dinner is on us.” your waiter said.

oh, right, the money. you’d forgotten all about it in those… however many minutes. you eased into your seat as they walked away. it was back to just you and percy by candlelight. you narrowed your eyes at him. he finally leaned back in his chair for what seemed to be the first time that night.

“i’m deeply sorry for underestimating you, fiancé,” you said.

“i’m used to it.” percy winked. “how’d i do?”

“amazing.”

you pushed the dessert to the center of the table. “shall we?”

“before we do,” percy twirled his fork. “we should practice for our wedding. even if it’s a few years down the road.”

our wedding? you couldn’t help but smile like an idiot. “how so?”

“by feeding each other the first bites.”

“by the gods,” you groaned fondly. “okay, let’s do it.”

you both took off bites from the cake in your forks.

“okay, propose–ee first,” percy said.

“look, y/n, i’m going to be gone over break. but before i go, i want to tell you something, okay?” percy drew in a breath. “i have a crush on you. i’ve been meaning to tell you for a while, but—”

honk!

the only car window open framed percy’s mom, sally, removing her hand from the horn. she was frowning. sally never frowned. whatever was going on, you were fucked. meanwhile, percy’s face drained its color. great. now two people were scared and you had no idea why.

“uh, anyway, i totally get it if you don’t feel the same. i know this is so sudden, and i wish i could’ve done it sooner, i just—”

beep beep!

“i really have to go. i’ll see you.”

you parted your lips to speak, but percy was already gone.

“what the fuck…” you mumbled as the the car pulled away.

you stood frozen. first, your friend was running through the halls like a madman. then, he confessed his feelings to you and didn’t even allow you to respond. finally, he dashed. and you still had no idea where that rushing car was headed off to. it was going to be a long winter break.

⬿•❄️•⤳

two whole days had passed since you’d last seen percy. because he didn’t have a cellphone, there was only one logical next step.

you boarded the subway en route to the cafe you and percy had deemed as your own. at least you had the blessing of a window seat to yourself. the other passengers were commuters preoccupied with their phones. what you wouldn’t have given to be worrying about a job instead of the livelihood of your best friend and crush.

if percy had died, it was before he knew how you felt about him. if he would’ve waited one more second for you to respond… 

you shook your head. you were being stupid. he wasn’t dead. he said he’d be gone over break, meaning he was probably just on vacation or something. it wasn’t like he meant he’d be gone gone. 

sally’s frown retrogressed to your mind. she definitely didn’t seem like the kind of person who would get worked up—period—but especially not over a school pick-up line. so, actually, the only logical explanation for her to break would be if percy had—

“stop,” you whispered to yourself, pinching your wrist.

you looked out the window. nothing else would shut your mind up. the train screeched to a stop, one you’d recognized as being two stops away from the cafe. what you assumed to be a usual midday crowd filled the sidewalks.

except, a familiar blue sweatshirt was worn by someone. 

the back of your eyes went fuzzy. it couldn’t have been percy. no way. why would he lie about leaving over break? you tried to look away. you were met with a paralyzing strain in your neck. the blue sweatshirt was not only percy, but had two strangers on either sides of him—a guy and a girl who both looked around your age. the girl whispered something as they walked.

you had to do something. you wobbled to stand up, but your calves stiffened like a fawn. using the window frame for support, your second try was a success. the voices of the subway muffled under the ringing in your ears. with your heavy hands stretched to your sides, you managed another step closer towards the aisle. 

the train rocked beneath your feet. you collapsed into your seat. blinking, you tried to come back to life. it was official, and now you could never unsee it: you should’ve spoken up.

⬿•❄️•⤳

your friend had dragged you out of bed and to an outdoor skating rink—a move ‘necessary for your sanity’ according to them. the only thing necessary for your sanity was to get percy back. but, you got on the ice. the gleam of sunlight made your lingering headache even worse. 

in the center, a couple did a perfect spin. they embraced each other as if it were a slow dance, smiling and everything. that was the last thing you wanted see. you gripped the railing with all of your strength. 

it was your fault. your fault for not— 

“y/n.” your friend waved their railing-free hand in front of your eyes. “did you hear what i said?”

“uh.” you gulped. “no, i’m sorry.”

“it’s okay.” they gave you a once-over. “here, let’s go somewhere you can focus on me and me only.”

your friend extended a hand. once you accepted, they glided to the other side of the rink, far from the hallmark movie couple. your headache was disappeared. they let go of your hand, opting to pace.

“so, as i was saying, it’d be good for you to go to a new year’s party. give percy a taste of his own medicine.” 

despite how that wasn’t even remotely funny, you chuckled. “are you insinuating i kiss someone else?”

“oh i’m not insinuating, i’m encouraging.” they stood right in front of you. “so, are you in?”

your gaze bounced between your friends eyes. the idea of kissing anyone other than percy was a nightmare. the only other option was to sit in your living room and watch the ball drop alone. trash vs. garbage. 

but, there was no way you could kiss someone else. 

“i don’t know… i don’t think i can do a party right now. i’m sorry,” you said.

your friend frowned. “okay. well, offer still stands.”

you two fell into gossiping about who your friend would be kissing at the party. at least you weren't the only one having problems with your love life. for the first time in a few days, you laughed.

looking beyond you, your friend halted in the middle of the ice. “if i told you that i have horrible news, like, terrible, you won’t hate me, right?” 

“after the train incident, no.”

your friend shut their eyes. “6 o’clock.”

you turned around. on the sidewalk, wearing the same blue sweater, was percy. he was strolling along with the same too-familiar people, in a too-familiar position of giggling at something the girl said. fuck.

you pressed your lips together. how could he look so happy without you? better yet, why would he confess to you only to pull something like this? 

your friend spun you to face them. somehow, not actually seeing percy and your competition made it much harder to be angry. your lip quivered, and before you knew it, your nose started to run.

without thinking, you collapsed into your friends arms and cried. in the middle of the ice. your torso jerked with each gasp for air between the sobs. when you pulled back, your friend kept you steady.

“so, about that party,” you choked out. 

⬿•❄️•⤳

you slouched against the wall of a sweaty living room. bass boomed against the walls as bodies danced close together. of course you still had yet to kiss anyone. it would remain that way even if percy deserved the opposite—which you slowly stopped believing as the days went on.

there were three minutes until the new year, according to the seacrest countdown on the tv. you’d be going into the new year as heartbroken as ever.

people laughed with each other the way percy did with his ‘friend.’ did he have a new year’s kiss? you suppressed a gag. was it her? the bass thumped too hard. was it someone better than you? you visored yourself from the strobe lights. did he even think about you once? the motor-oil taste of stomach acid crept up to your mouth. 

you weaved through joint bodies, the smell of cheap cologne making your nose run. the door was only steps away. all you’d have to do is get through this hell for a few more seconds and you’d be out. for good. 

before you could walk through the door, you bumped into someone.

“shit, sorr—” you looked up. “percy?”

“y/n!” percy said..

his smile wiped every bad thought you’d recently had about him. you let yourself take in the sight of his face again after weeks of not seeing it. he was as beautiful as you remembered, unfortunately.

…until you saw his sweater. that sweater. you scoffed and stormed past him, brushing his side in the process. now it was your turn to dash through a door.

the brisk air of the patio was the only embrace you’d gotten that night. you leaned against a porch post in attempt to steady yourself and your breathing. finally, you could hear your own thoughts. 

the door clicked closed. percy had followed you, apparently.

“uh, look, about the day i left—” he furrowed his eyebrows. “wait, are you okay?”

were you okay? oh, you sure had an answer for that. but, as much as you wanted to cuss him out for what he did, you couldn’t. not when he was right in front of you and still making your heart race.

your lower lip quivered, but you bit it still. you weren’t going to cry in front of him. 

“i saw you at the park. and on the street,” you kept your voice intentionally levelled. “you seemed pretty affectionate with your… friend.”

percy fell silent for a few beats of unidentifiable bass. he leaned against the other porch post, across from you. 

“when were you… nevermind. i would’ve introduced you to them. grover and annabeth.” he said. “there’s nothing romantic between me and either of them. never has been and never will be.” 

he sighed. “they’re from a camp i go to. it’s a really long—”

“ten!” a group of muffled voices shouted from inside.

you and percy looked up, meeting eyes.

“nine!”

“—story that i will explain to you tomorrow.” 

your legs almost gave out hearing that. finally, an explanation. 

“eight!”

percy cleared his throat. “anyway, regardless of if you like me or not, i will introduce you to them.”

“seven!”

if you like me… you let the words replay over and over again in your mind. 

“six!”

you remembered when he’d said them to you the first time, a.k.a the time you’d fucked up and gotten the two of you into this stupid situation anyway. 

“five!”

pushing off the post, you stood up straight. there was no excuse now. you had to say it. 

“four!”

“percy, i do—” 

“three!”

“i do feel the same,” you said, pointedly louder than the shouts.

“two!”

percy burst into a smile. there was no point being mad at him anymore, not after he’d finally heard the truth. you broke the distance between the two of you, hooking your arms around his neck. he placed his hands on your waist. 

he flashed a glance down to your lips, to which you nodded.

“one!”

“ditto.” percy said.

“happy new year!”

the man slid the cups across the booth counter. you and percy picked them up. the warmth of the liquid melted the tension in your cold hands. for the first time since you’d entered the christmas market, you could feel your fingers.

once you and percy were a respectable distance from the booth, you said “hopefully this is better than last year’s.” 

your upper lip curled at the memory. last year’s hot chocolate was somehow the worst part of that entire night—and that was the night you’d rejected percy. the cocoa powder hadn’t even tried to dissolve. and the marshmallows had somehow stayed stale even after melting.

percy brought the cup up to his lips. “i’ll be the judge of that.”

he blew air into the hole in the lid as if that would lessen the steam billowing out of it.

he took a sip.

you’d never seen someone swallow something so quickly. percy flung his mouth open, puffing to draw in cold air. you almost keeled over in laughter. he looked like a fish out of water. 

“so? is it better than last year?” you asked. 

percy narrowed his eyes at you, looking over in the midst of his struggle. “how am i supposed to know? i can’t feel my tongue.” 

you patted his shoulder. when you looked away from him, everything froze. the sound of the crowd faded to nothing but a ring. your vision blurred. the sight wasn’t getting any closer, at least.

“percy, look where we are.”

you stood at the entrance of a circle of shops. the only light came from bare trees draped in golden lights. combined with your worst memory, the center fountain was even more haunting in the darkness. 

“look familiar?” percy tilted his head, a stupid grin on his face.

you scoffed at him. “unfortunately, yes.”

before you knew it, percy took your hand and started walking you towards the fountain. of course the red bow and pine garland were still hanging from the rims. not much had changed at all, except for the frozen over water.

you sat in the exact same spot on the cold concrete of the fountain’s rim. even with everything so similar to that godsforsaken memory, percy’s hand in yours kept you anchored.

he dropped your hand. “i have something to tell you, y/n.” 

the faint ringing returned to your ears. “uh, go ahead.”

percy drew in a deep breath. he clasped his hands together, letting his arms rest on his legs. your pulse thumped against your eardrums. if he’d said anything, you didn’t hear it. not even in the silence the area had lent you.

“i… i have a crush on yo—”

“percy!” you clutched your chest. “you scared the hell out of me.”

“i couldn’t help myself.”

you leaned your head on percy’s shoulder. thankfully, your breathing synced to the rhythm of his—slow and steady. when you looked up at him, a small flush was on his face. too familiar.

“okay, since we’re re-enacting things, how about you re-enact asking me the question?” you asked, removing your head from his shoulder.

“the question…” percy’s eyes searched your face as if the answer was written on it. when his gaze found your lips, he eased. “wait, yes. hold on.”

percy took both of the hot chocolate cups. as he set them on the ground, your stomach filled with butterflies from last year. 

“okay, y/n.” he added a gap of silence for dramatic affect. “can i kiss you this christmas?”

“absolutely.” 

he kissed you. even though he’d been your boyfriend for months, the kiss still felt as dreamlike as ever, going exactly how you wished it’d gone the first time.

you pulled away. “should we try the hot chocolate now?”

“oh, right, uh, yeah.”

percy picked up the cups and handed you yours. you took a sip. perfectly warm, creamy hot chocolate meshed with foamy marshmallows coated your tastebuds. you’d never wanted to chug a hot drink more than in that moment.

“you’ll get it some day,” luke said.

did he think he was a mind reader? imagining it as luke’s chest, you shoved your sword into the rack. then, you turned to glare at him. of course he’d gotten ahead of you in literally cleaning up dummies. the last time you remembered cleaning being a competition was kindergarten. but, knowing luke, he probably considered that a victory to that day.

“maybe on the day you finally shed your ego and let me win,” you said.

you stormed over to one of the straw-stuffed dummies on your side of the arena. even in its straw flesh and inability to fight back, it would’ve made a much better training partner than luke. you picked it up in your arms. 

luke almost beat you to the center of the arena. before he could, you cut in front of him. at least you had a singular win. you slammed the dummy onto the ground next to one of luke’s, building onto the usual two line formation. when you stood up, luke clutched his dummy to his chest, making a mock-scared expression.

“if i let you win, i’d be doing you a disservice.” he laid his dummy down, pointedly delicate.

you crossed your arms. “oh yeah? how so?”

“because you don’t learn anything by constantly winning.”

luke castellan, best swordsman of 300 years, had admitted that winning teaches you nothing. the man who won everything admitted he’d learned nothing. you stifled a laugh. “no wonder you’re so dumb.”

luke’s face didn’t falter. if anything, his smirk grew. of course it did. luke always seemed the happiest when you lost. you waited until you were walking away to roll your eyes. he didn’t deserve any more of a reaction from you. it’d only feed the fire.

until you crouched to pick up the next straw stuffed dummy. “oh, and for the record, it’s not like i learn anything from loss after loss, either.”

you and luke arrived back at the center at the same time. both of your dummies remained in your arms. he looked at you expectantly. if this was a game, wasn’t it technically his turn to set down the dummy first? you raised your eyebrows at him. 

as luke set down his final dummy, he chuckled. “you learn that you need to work harder next time.”

you shoved your dummy on the ground. as if the universe were fucking with you, it tumbled over, bumping the dummy next to it in the process. all you wanted to do was throw them out of the gaps in the arena ceiling and watch them plummet into the void of the midnight sky. instead, you let out a long breath through your mouth. luke couldn’t get to you again.

once you’d managed to steady yourself, you rearranged the dummies. you felt oddly bad for them. it must’ve been rough having to tolerate seeing luke so often, and, on top of that, constantly getting their limbs chopped off then reattached. 

“see? i’ve never seen you more motivated.” 

when you looked up, luke was standing next to a dummy head, sitting on the ground after you’d chopped it off in a fit of rage. once again, another innocent object harmed because of him. 

“just shut up.” you stood up, flicking a hand at him.

luke walked away.

you picked up the head from the ground. part of you wished you could tell it that this wasn’t your fault, but the fault of luke for pissing you off. after giving it a tiny pat, you reattached it to the rest of his body. finally. you were done with the dummies. 

aside from the dummy with a heartbeat standing in the entryway. all of the losing had made you forget the agreement you’d come to at the beginning of the night: you’d leave together to stay safe from harpies. as you got to the entryway, it didn’t take long for you to regret making that deal. being eaten by a harpy would be way better than spending another minute standing in front of luke.

“hopefully next week you’ll be able to let me win. y’know, so our training can actually have a purpose,” you said, elevating your voice as if his smile muffled it. 

luke started to laugh. of course he started to fucking laugh. you narrowed your eyes at him. he found it funny? you would’ve given him something to find funny. him and the infirmary staff.

“everyone else i’ve trained has, uh, had luck with me. you’re just, uh… different,” he said, each word a strained laugh.

“oh, so it’s my fault? y’know, i don’t even know why i trained with you in the first pl—”

“hey, y/n?”

luke nodded up. as much as you didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of obeying him, you craned your neck to follow his gaze. there, hanging directly above your head, was a mistletoe. you stepped back. was any part of this moment real, or were you delirious from being awake for so long? 

“before you get mad, i think you should know it’s bad luck to deny a kiss under a mistletoe,” he said.

the mistletoe in it of itself was too much. now, luke was that suggesting you two kiss. you pinched yourself. this had to be a nightmare. unfortunately, nothing about the moment changed. you tried again, harder. nothing. you sighed. 

“and it’s good luck to accept one?” was all you could manage.

“you could use any blessing you can get, even if it’s just a lack of bad luck.” 

as much as you didn’t want to kiss luke, you knew he was right. having a single molecule of the universe on your side could help you beat someone like him. plus, if he lost tomorrow’s game, you knew it could be grounds for blackmail against him. you smiled at that thought.

“fine. one kiss. let’s do it,” you said.

luke pushed himself from the wall and moved closer to you. he looked into your eyes, and, for once, it looked like he had a heart. now it was your turn to stop smiling. you gulped. as much as you hated luke, kissing him was definitely going to be a little more difficult than you expected.

“are you sure?” luke asked, his voice the softest you’d ever heard it.

you wanted to curse him for the warmth blooming in your chest. instead, you said “yes.”

then, luke kissed you. a short kiss. no hands or anything. you hadn’t realized you’d closed your eyes until the feeling was already gone. when you opened them, luke was back against the wall, looking down at his hands. you waited for him to say something, anything. but he didn’t. the only noise was the wind blowing snow outside.

you cleared your throat. “uh, i’ll see you tomorrow.” 

luke didn’t break the silence. you didn’t feel like spending another second waiting, so you parted from the entryway. it wasn’t until you were a few steps away from luke that you finally realized you’d won. you finally made him speechless and surrender rather than the other way around. that was enough to make you skip the rest of the way to your cabin.

like last friday, you were face to face with luke, a flag and your swords the only thing standing between the two of you. the snow reflected onto the blades of both of your swords. you were both back in your element of fighting rather than kissing. now, all you had to do was keep your eyes on the prize, which was seeing luke lose one more time. 

the memory of the look on his face created momentum to defend yourself from luke’s first offensive swipe. his sword helplessly clinked against yours. you smiled. 0-1 so far. then, you struck him, which he dodged. your heart raced. you were going to win this, whether you’d leave bloody or unscathed.

a few clanks of swords later, it was time for the move you’d been preparing for: the disarming trick luke had done to you. you would get it, you’d win. you placed your sword on his and started to twist your arm downwards. to make the moment so much better, you looked him in the eyes.

for the first time in his history of holding swords, luke didn’t look confident. his eyes were squinting as if they were holding back tears. they finally met yours, and his sword fell right out of his hand. you hadn’t even gotten to the real part of your trick, only to a light push. you furrowed your eyebrows.

“we give up,” luke said, handing you the flag.

in your one other time of winning capture the flag, you’d never been handed the flag. now was not the time to care. you took the metal rod in your hand and began to dash across the field. an army of campers stormed after you as you swerved through the slippery curves of trees you used to stroll through. you didn’t flash a glance back. all you could do was go forward, cross the river, and win.

the sound of your teammate’s battle call sounded. you were so, so close to the river. if you could give yourself the final push, the victories would be yours. so, you did. sore, rough energy charged through the fibers of your muscles. 

your feet cracked the ice, and water coated your shoes and ankles. you didn’t care. as soon as you took the step across the river, a conch shell horn sounded.

“the victory goes to the red team!” chiron shouted.

you cheered, swiping the flag in the air. your teammates lifted you up on their shoulders. the blue team had stopped at the edge of the river. you searched the crowd for that precious face.

except, luke wasn’t there. 

you frowned. luke was all you wanted to see after winning. he was what you’d spent the past week training for. he was what got you across the river in the first place. of course he’d miss it. you chalked it up to being intentional. why else?

before you knew it, your teammates had let you down from their shoulders. now that you were on the ground, you walked over to the blue team. maybe he’d be in there somewhere.

luke almost bumped into you. he was smiling, per usual. at least it wasn’t limited to when you lost. you couldn’t help but smile yourself. without thinking, you reached your hand out for a high five. 

luke went for a handshake instead. he gripped your hand firmly. was this a business deal or a battle win?

you sat on your cabin’s patio. next to you, percy was in his full santa suit, experimenting with the formation of the presents he’d placed under the tree. he tried stacking them in a tower, then in a pyramid, then tried laying them side to side. in between each re-arranging, he sighed.

both of you had put in weeks of tireless work to make this holiday magical. something had to be done, especially when every december at camp heard the same complaints: there were no cute inflatables, no christmas trees or menorahs seen from windows… nothing with the charm the mortal world’s season held. 

but, in just a few hours, that would change. everyone would wake up to the sight of a classic christmas morning and make memories that would prove your efforts to be worth it. you could barely wait. 

percy stood up. he wiped his hands on his pants as if he’d been working in snow. when you looked over, a pyramid formation of gifts glistened under the golden lamplight of your cabin’s lantern. your eyes wandered around it. in order to create a clear memory, you needed to pick up each and every detail. 

“i’ll see you tomorrow. at dinner.” percy yawned, breaking your focus. “assuming i don’t sleep through it.”

he’d just finished tying the gift sack closed. you hopped up from your spot on the ground. of course it wasn’t until the last moment that you remembered to say the whole monologue you’d rehearsed to thank him. 

he was about to turn away when you set a hand on his wrist. “wait.”

“what’s up?” 

“uh..” you flashed a glance towards the gifts under the tree. then, you took his hands in yours. “thank you. for doing all of this. for dressing up as santa claus and being awake at this ungodsly hour.”

every word of that sounded better in your head. you thought it’d rival a hallmark movie love confession. instead, it seemed more like a horrible attempt at one. you pursed your lips. 

“of course, love. you deserve it,” he said softly.

you pulled him in for a kiss, to which you were quickly flush against him. the felt of his costume was surprisingly soft. you relaxed in his arms. finally, there was something that was actually supposed to be part of your monologue.

a door creaked behind you.

“y/n? santa?” 

you and percy both jerked away from each other. when you turned, the door was just closing behind your younger sister, whose eyes were as wide as they’d ever been. you sat to meet her at eye level. for the first time ever, an excuse to be away from percy was all you wanted.

“why were you kissing santa claus?” she asked.

your brain short circuited. not a single good response came to mind. after all, it wasn’t like there was any reason why you and percy would have to rehearse for getting caught kissing. 

“uh, i wasn’t kissing him. i was just helping him warm up,” you said. “his lips were turning purple.”

you’d never wanted to smash your face into the wooden porch post more. logic aside, your performance of that lie was genuinely horrible. your sister crossed her arms. 

“what would percy think?” she directed the question to you.

she marched up to percy, who’d plastered a jolly smile onto his face. 

“you know y/n has a boyfriend? his name is percy jackson and he is very powerful.”

you made a hard fist, tensing every fiber in your body to avoid laughing. percy didn’t seem affected. he placed his hands on his stomach and chuckled.

“ho, ho, ho, he’ll understand,” he said in a shockingly good santa impression. “santa just forgot his scarf back on his sleigh. hope mr. grinch didn’t steal it.”

your sister didn’t falter. “santa doesn’t wear a scarf.”

one wrong move from you or percy could destroy all of the magic of the moment. instead of allowing another beat of silence, you stood up. you placed a hand on her shoulder, more to steady yourself than anything. “i think it’s time for you to head back to bed.”

“you cheated on percy. i’m gonna tell on you. tomorrow morning.” she huffed. “no. not tomorrow morning. you.. you won’t know when i tell him.”

“okay. feel free. but he’s not going to believe you if you’re all tired and slurring your words in front of him.”

“fine.” she turned to percy. “santa, can i have a hug?”.

“ho, ho, ho, of course you can.” percy said.

percy crouched down. your sister’s tiny arms engulfed him in a hug. for once in your life, your younger sister was actually adorable rather than a nuisance. your chest went warm. 

eventually, percy let go, setting both his hands on her shoulders. “ho, ho, ho, santa might leave another gift if you head to bed.” he added a wink.

“really?”

“of course.”

your sister squealed. she threw her arms up to the sky, doing a happy spin. if you weren’t so desperate for this moment to come to an end, you would’ve giggled.

“okay! okay! goodnight, santa!” she said. then, to you, “just so you know, i’m still telling percy.”

“fair enough. hope he understands,” you said.

your sister shut the door behind her. as soon as the sound of her thudding away descended to silence, you and percy both let out exaggerated exhales. 

“another gift, huh?” you tilted your head.

“not for her.”