#pose1dson

thalia. luke. the prophecy. her thoughts are going a million miles an hour as she stares up at the cabin ceiling. brown eyes blink against the darkness, moonlight creeping in slivers. she can hear the soft snores of the others and she turns to her side with a wince. her shoulder still hurt where alison's arrow pierced it and her bed felt too hard to be still. she couldn't sleep. how could chiron think any of them would sleep ? she let's out a small huff before she flings her blanket off of her, feet touch the hardwood with a soft thud she's sure no one heard, and she offers one last glance around before she reaches for her sweater.

she's out the cabin and walking. fingers pulling at the cuffs of her sweater nervously before she's stopped. feet shift her wait nervously as she wonders if she should turn around or not. brown eyes stare at the poseidon cabin door and she bites the bottom of her lip. maybe she should go back and try and sleep. maybe she should walk off the anxiety she's feeling. she looks back over her shoulder the way she came and her nose scrunches as she thinks. maybe he's asleep and she'd be waking him. he needed his rest after everything after all. she takes in a big breath, palms wiping the sweat off her palms onto her pajama pants and then leans forward and knocks.

it's a soft knock. part of her hopes he doesn't hear it and she can walk away. a bigger part of her hopes he can't sleep either and he's been waiting for her knock. she rocks back on her heels, waiting patiently for the door to swing open or nothing at all. please open the door. the thought keeps her there as she counts in her head the seconds until she has to leave and resolve herself to her own company.

"not until you put riptide down first," she answers impertinently, holding the spear in front of his neck. chiron was in the background, commanding the two of them to bring an end to their nonsense before one of them gets hurt, but neither of them seemed to care. "you were our defense, remember? you were supposed to stay at your post and defend! but no. you didn't listen. you never do." there was a clap of thunder in the distance, and it looks as though her eyes had darkened with the rain clouds merging above their heads. thalia's expression tightens in frustration, "my gods, you're so infuriating!"

Her hand tightens around Percy's, her free palm clasping over theirs interlinked, holding him as she wished she always could. Like this, with her, he is safe, or as safe as he can be. He would never understand how difficult it was for Sally to let him walk out that door every day, to stand back and let him be the hero he was, year in and year out. She hoped he never did. But that's the role of being a mother, especially to a child like him. She would never take it back, not any of it, because her boy was worth every single moment of hardship. The only thing that Sally regrets is that he's suffered so, so much, in ways that she will never be able to heal.

❝ You've always been strong, ❞ she says softly, instead of telling him it is her duty to be strong for him, because he may be growing up but he has so many responsibilities outwith their home ( and sometimes even within their home ) that she will not let this take this on one, too. ❝ You've always made me strong. ❞ Sally smiles as she gazes into his eyes, hoping to convey every ounce of love. Of how he had given her the will to get up every morning and keep going. ❝ Hold fast, Perseus. Brave the storm, ❞ she echoes the familiar statement before slowly shaking her head. ❝ But maybe not so much this time. Maybe you should let the storm take you, baby. If only for a little while. Don't worry so much about what happens to us. ❞

 ❝ A scratch I'm pretty sure hurts, ❞  she returned with a tip of her head at her son, trying not to be overly fussy in her concern.

A scratch, maybe, to him, but still an injury that she could have done without her son sustaining. She placed a gentle hand upon his back, careful to avoid the shoulder wound, while bright eyes tracked the streets around them. Her sight wasn't as great as it used to be, faded with age, but she could still see enough to know that there was ( thankfully ) no other monsters on the street that could pop out when Percy was weakened. Just mortals everywhere. Which ... could also potentially be a problem, if they saw a boy staggering down the street with a bloody arm.

and now , here he is about to do it again . and before the other would complain , let it be known he is not a fan of this plan either : he was tired , wounded , and depleted from fighting . but their current predicament doesn't really give them much of a choice . the monster has managed to trap them there , and now the drakon eyes it's prey hungrily as it advances with a low hiss .

it was the first time jason can look at the creature in full . it's frills standing out in a crown of crimson and gold , which looked tragically beautiful against the setting sun . it's massive body has blocked all possible exit they can take , and unlike them , it doesn't even look tired from the hours of fighting and chasing .

they were left with two last options : fight and hold whatever position they have there ( death will be painful , but at least they will fall fighting ) , or take the risk and hope that he is strong enough to support both of them ( best case scenario , he can propel percy to safety so only one of them become monster food ) .

the drakon moves another step , and jason cursed when he realized they can't move any further than this . guess it's now or never . " i need to know because i got a plan . but it won't be pretty . "

Give Some Sparkle! -- @pose1dson