This is my entry for the @pjo-hoo-bigbang! @shelbychild and @wisdomofchase were my lovely betas. TY for saving my tenses I know Iâm a mess and for all the sweet messages you sprinkled in there. I see u and I appreciate u! Please also go check out the collab piece that @officialpjo (lineart) and @wisdomofchase (coloring) made for this as well as @silima piece and @aquacanis piece. I was so excited to see how talented you all are! Also, I MIGHT re-visit this and add a more upbeat epilogue but I promise nothing lol.
This was really self-indulgent and fun to work on! I loved my team and I hope y'all enjoy it.
*************
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Clarisse La Rue/Chris Rodriguez
Characters: Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase (Percy Jackson), Clarisse La Rue, Chris Rodriguez, Piper McLean, Drew Tanaka, Silena Beauregard
Additional Tags: mentions of silena/beckendorf, mentions of silena, Heavy Angst, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Panic Attacks, Depression, percabeth, this is straight up sad yall
Summary: How does one lose the infamous Curse of Achilles? Short answer: you donât.
It starts with a fever.
It makes the demons inside Percyâs head all that more real. Itâs harder to ground himself with the sight of his cabin back at camp. It makes his eyelids heavy, the fog and the heat of Tartarus all-encompassing.
He pulls himself to a sitting position at the edge of his bed, letting his head fall to his hands; his fingers run through his sweat-matted hair. The burning in his skin is real. It presses against his palms, and it makes his brain short-circuit.
Iâm not there. Iâm not there. Iâm not there.
But heâs burning all over, and his blood feels like itâs boiling.
He can feel the sting of the Phlegethon down his throat. The scar on his shoulder aches as if itâs been torn apart all over again, but, unlike other nights, the pain moves all over, and keeps his breath in a choke-hold.
Iâm not. Iâm not there. I canât be there. Â
The pain blinds him, his cabin disappears, and his thoughts are extinguished to nothing but the pain.
Then, just as suddenly as it came, it subsides. Slowly, Percy can make out his stuttered breathing once again, until itâs just him, his breathing and his trembling hands, alone in his cabin.
Heâs used to feeling worn-out after an especially bad nightmare, but the exhaustion that hits him then is different. Itâs too heavy. For the first time since the Giant War, heâs pulled into an immediate, dreamless slumber.
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Grover was trying to convince himself that Percy wasnât acting weird, but it was getting harder and harder by the second. He seemed more on edge than usual, almost jumping at the sight of a pile of leaves Mrs. OâLeary had run into, and Grover was sure heâd only heard half of what heâd told him in the past hour.
Heâd gotten to Beckendorfâs apartment before Percy had, and he seemed to share his suspicions. Grover chewed his lip anxiously as Beck told him about his grumpiness all weekend. âHe has a test coming up,â he told Beckendorf, âhe's probably nervous is all.â
Beck shrugged, clearly not convinced. They both were thinking the same thing: Gabe. Percy wasnât exactly known for brushing things off, but it was the arguments he had with his stepfather especially that got to him. At the end of last year, things had started escalating. Grover had felt the change in his best friend. Percy had finally started sticking up for himself around his stepfather. Grover and Beck alike had encouraged it, but then Gabe walked in on Percy and his mom talking about him.
The fight had been so bad Percy had to stay with Beck for two weeks and heâd ended up taking his frustration out at school, finally earning him the boot from the institution. Percy had barely been allowed back to the apartment when Grover left for camp that summer. When he came back, Percy had gone back to keeping his head down around his stepfather. But it was only a matter of time before things blew up again.
His behavior was slightly different than before, though. There wasnât as much anger, he just seemed frustrated, confused.
âWhat?â He leaned down to calm down Mrs. OâLeary as a small chihuahua walked by and barked at her. âWhat are you talking about?â
âYouâve been acting weird all day.â
âNo I havenâtâŠâ He sighed, looking away from Grover. âIâm sorry. Iâm just tired, Grover. Itâs nothing.â
Grover wasnât convinced. âYouâve been tired since I met you, Percy. Youâre going to have to do better than that.â
Percy rolled his eyes at him but knew better than to try to lie to Grover again. âFine! If you must know, Annabeth and I got into a stupid fight. I donât know whatâs gotten into her! Now, Iâm sure I'm going to flunk that stupid test!â
Annabeth?
Grover bit back his smile as Percy went on and on about how impossible she was. Heâd had his suspicions since theyâd started hanging out more and more without him needing to be there.
âAre you laughing?â
âWhat? No!â Grover quickly fixed his expression to something more sympathetic. âAnnabeth means well, Percy. Iâm sure she has a good reason, but sheâs not great at expressing her feelings.â Quite like you, he thought to himself. âJust try to talk to her.â
Percy looked slightly panicked at that suggestion. He seemed like he was going to answer but then something behind Groverâs head caught his eye. Grover turned around to see what it was but all he saw was the busy New York skyline being lit by the last rays of sun. He turned back around to ask what all the fuss was about, but Percy appeared hypnotized.
This is going to be the first chapter to a percabeth AU based on @ofswordsandpens âs  post (she was also nice enough to read it over and discuss ideas with me) This is my first chaptered fic so I hope you enjoy it!Â
(please search #ramwfics or #ASoY for previous chapters)
                         *****************
Annabeth saw color for the first time when she was seven. It was before her brothers had come along. Her father had just barely met her stepmother and sheâd invited them to her familyâs beach house. Annabethâd been so focused on building the perfect sandcastle that sheâd completely neglected the ocean in front of her even though it was her first proper visit to the beach. It wasnât until her father called her from the water that she looked up.Â
It was unlike anything sheâd ever seen. From her fatherâs bedtime stories she knew that the ocean was supposed to be blue or green. She never imagined it could be so many at once though. Deep green tinged with blues looked back at her. The colors were alive. She tried to mask her utter amazement but it mustâve shown on her face. Her father called to her once again, asking if anything was wrong. She forced herself to peel her eyes away and went back to her castle, never once mentioning it to anyone.
°°°°°°°°°
Percy had started to give up hope heâd ever see color. Heâd spent so long in black and white that heâd started to believe they werenât real, just something his mother had made up to get him to sleep during thunderstorms.
During one such storm, when Sally Jackson wasnât there to lull him to sleep over the roar of lightning, he began to hope once again. It was too early for it to be light out but lightning lit the clouds every few seconds anyways. Heâd buried his head in his pillow in an attempt to block it all out, but his heart continued to beat too furiously for him to go back to sleep. Finally, he braved a peek through his curtains and threw them all the way back with a gasp. It wasnât color, he was sure heâd know the difference right away when he finally saw it, but it was the brightest Percy had ever seen anything be. It shone with fierce life. Maybe he was being too hopeful, but it tugged at his heart anyways.
°°°°°°°°°°°
âThis is nice.â Annabeth doubted that Thalia thought her neat, bland dorm room was nice but it was to her. There was also the added bonus of the peace and quiet sheâd probably get without her brothers next door. âI canât believe youâre actually here.â
Annabeth has been coming to New York since she was seven. During the summers for camp mostly, and that one time her family stayed for a full year. Sheâd met Thalia at one of her Dadâs charity dinners the first year theyâd come to New York. Even though Thalia had been twelve, both girls had taken to each other right away. Thaliaâd been there with her mother, whose career as a television actress had just started to fade, so she listened to the little blonde kid go on and on about the history of the Golden Gate Bridge. They had been like sisters ever since.
Thalia was the first person Annabeth called after a particularly nasty argument with her stepmother. She had helped Annabeth finally enroll in the New York boarding school sheâd been eyeing for a while as a compromise.
âYouâre actually pretty close to Groverâs school.â Thalia told her. Theyâd been pretty close with Grover Underwood before Luke died. They had all gone to the same summer camp. Annabeth had kept going even after Luke, but Thalia had stopped. She was surprised to hear Thalia still kept tabs of where he lived. She didnât know if they were still talking. Grover had always changed the subject when she tried to bring it up.Â
Her anger at her father rose again with full force when she thought about the summer with Grover she didnât get to spend. She made a mental note to call Grover up to hang out as soon as she was done moving in. Hopefully he figured out her Dad was acting crazy again and he wasnât mad at her.
âWhat about you? How far away are you?â Annabeth asked. She hoped her nerves didnât seep into her voice, but of course Thalia noticed.
âClose enough, kiddo. Donât worry.â
°°°°°°°°°°°
âArenât you worried that once you see color itâll look awful?â Percy wasnât sure if Rachel was paying him any attention. She was glaring at the canvas in front of her, twirling her paintbrush too close to her nose. Â
She shrugged. âMaybe Iâll never find out.â She probably thought Percy was talking about the unfinished painting in front of her.
âDonât you want to?â
Rachel put her brush down, turning towards Percy. âItâs not that I donât want to. I just know that if I donât I wonât be too beat up about it.â He didnât know if heâd made a face, but Rachel seemed to notice something was up. âWhy? Would you?â
âNo-I mean- I donât knowâŠâ Rachel was cool, but heâd only known her a few months. It felt too personal to talk about with her. Heâd wanted to tell someone about the thunderstorm but the more he thought about it the more he convinced himself that he probably imagined it. Maybe he would tell Grover once school started.
Rachel sighed, going back to her painting. âWeâre sixteen, Perce. If you really want it to happen, youâve got time.â
âItâs not like Iâm dying for it to happen or anything.â
She chuckled. âOkay, Percy.â
âIâm not!â
Percy really hated the summers sometimes. Sure, having no school was awesome, but itâd always meant heâd have to work. Anything to get out of the house and not be with Smelly Gabe. He realized âSmelly Gabeâ was a pretty childish nickname for his disgusting stepfather but heâd been eight when he thought it up, okay?
It also meant Grover was off to his summer camp, with his âawesome friendsâ that he always went on about. Percy was pretty proud of himself from meeting Rachel this summer. Well, more like crashing into her since he did almost run her over with his skateboard. Itâd been quite a sight having a frizzy-hairedm shiny (he imagined sheâd been covered in golden paint from the sheen of her skin and his motherâs description of the color) girl yelling at him. She said sheâd forgive him if he donated to her cause (âSave Public School Art Programsâ) but seeing as he was broke she settled for him giving her his honest opinion about her art. Heâd been coming to her apartment each afternoon after his dog-walking job ever since. So far heâd helped her finish two paintings.Â
He hadnât really stuck around for the art though. Percy was pretty confused as to why Rachel valued his opinion when he clearly didnât know the first thing about painting, but she did. She made him feel smart, and she was pretty smart herself. Rachel was also attending Percyâs new school: Goode High School. They werenât supposed to start for another week but Grover got back today and Percy was excited to have his two friends meet. He tried to ignore how lame it was that he only had two friends.Â
They were meeting at Rachelâs penthouse because it was big enough to fit two of Percyâs apartment in it and because it was always empty. Rachelâs parents tried to make up for leaving her alone all the time by providing her with endless amounts of cheese plates and all the take-out she wanted. Percy was also excited to see Groverâs face when he saw the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Percyâs phone buzzed with a text from Grover. Iâm at the lobby. U sure I got the right address?
Percy smiled to himself and answered:Â Yep Iâll buzz u in
Groverâs face when Rachel opened the door for him was definitely worth it. Percy didnât miss how uncomfortable all the attention seemed to make Rachel though, so he smiled at her and she couldnât help but laugh along at Groverâs cry of excitement when he saw the enchiladas theyâd ordered. âWhoa!â He hesitated but Rachel, clearly embarrassed insisted heâd go ahead. âWhat a great day. First Annabeth texts me she moved here and now enchiladas!â
I reached my first 1k a few days ago so, as promised, hereâs the next chapter. Prepare for a lot of swimmer!Percy and some throw backs to my own swimming days (this was our actual stretching ritual). I canât believe I reached 1k! Thatâs just crazy! Thanks once again to @san-penedo for being my beta and enjoy!
(please search #ramwfics or #ASoY for previous chapters)
Blue
/bloo/
Adjective
of a color intermediate between green and violet, as of the sky or sea on a sunny day.
Annabeth pinched her nose as she squinted through the brightness of her phone screen. Between green and violet. She guessed that meant that she was moving through the color spectrum. As of the sky. Yeah, sheâd almost had a heart attack yesterday when sheâd looked up, bracing for the recently bright green leaves of the trees, and was slapped with a clear, blue sky looking back down at her. Was this the color of Lukeâs eyes? Was this what Thalia had seen all those years ago?
She sighed as she locked her phoneâs screen and settled back down onto her pillow, sparing a quick glance to her roomate to make sure she hadnât disturbed her. It was now obvious to her that she couldnât keep ignoring this. Grover had tried to hang out with her more the past couple of weeks but she had guiltily denied in fear of Percy being there. Now she made the colossal effort of putting her pride aside and unlocked her phone once again, sending Grover a text asking if they could meet up tomorrow after school.
Even though it was around 12 am Grover answered right away. Sure! Where?
I dunno ur the new yorker, she answered back.
I know a great enchilada place.
She was about to answer but noticed the ellipses that told her Grover was still typing.
Tell thalia to come?
Sure thing. Annabeth knew that Thalia had been avoiding Grover longer than she had and felt guilty all over again about ghosting Grover for the past couple of weeks. She didnât know if Thalia would agree, but it was worth asking anyways.
Annabeth walked to the address Grover had texted her this morning, self-conscious of her stupid, plaid school skirt. She spotted Grover right away and walked towards the booth he was at, careful to avoid tripping over the crutches he had propped beside him. âThose new?â Annabeth asked as a form of greeting. She hadnât seen that particular pair before. Grover had EDS (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome) which meant he had pretty bad hips and chronic pain that fluctuated day to day so he didnât always use his crutches.
He looked up from his menu and smiled at her. âYep.â Grover looked past her hopefully, but Thalia had politely declined her invitation to come. Sheâd been acting a bit distant with Annabeth too now that she thought about it, ever since she told her about Percy and brought up Luke.
âSo whatâs good here?â She asked as a way to keep his spirits up. âI mean besides the enchiladas.â
He took a second to answer but collected himself quickly enough. âThe guac isnât bad,â he told her. âPercy approves of it even though he says his momâs is way better.â
Annabeth ended up ordering the enchiladas and they fell into an easy conversation about school. She did a lot of the talking. Grover had never had a good time at school. Sheâd hoped things had gotten better with Percy there. She voiced her concern once she felt his guard go down.
He smiled a little to himself, he wasnât nearly as proud as Thalia or Annabeth but she could tell the question still made hime bristle a little bit. âIt was definitely better with Percy there. He got too worked up when people, you know,â Acted like assholes, Annabeth wanted to say but nodded instead. Her mind focused on the âwasâ. âHe could give Thalia a run for her money with the temper heâs got.â
âWhat do you mean was? I thought you guys went to school together.â
By the way Grover stiffened she could tell it was a touchy subject. âHeâs going to a different school this year.â
âHow come?â
âItâs not really my place to say.â Grover had always been a sensible person, careful with how he handled his friendâs personal business. Annabeth could respect that, but she still wondered. By the way that Grover referred to it she could only guess that Percyâs departure wasnât amicable. The mention of Percyâs temper also struck her as odd since heâd seemed pretty friendly when sheâd met him. âIt wasnât really his fault,â he added hastily at the sight of Annabethâs face. âHeâs just got pretty rotten luck to be honest.â
Annabeth nodded, understanding that that was as much as Grover was willing to share about that particular matter. It eased her mind a little bit that Grover was quick to defend him though, heâs always been a great judge of character. Mostly.
********************
Percy couldnât believe heâd let Rachel talk him into trying out for the swim team. He knew that Beckendorf held some of the blame as well, practically guiltying him into doing it. No doubt heâd also spoken with his mother since she just happened to know the date of the try-outs as well and had casually asked him if he was going to go for it. Percy knew that Sally had loved the fact that heâd joined the swim team at his last school. His grades had gotten slightly better and he had a good reason to be out of the apartment. Percy had even started considering the idea of college as an actual possibility for a while. Then people started asking too many questions. It was almost impossible to hide the bruises. It all fell apart pretty quickly after. He hadnât forgotten the utter look of disappointment his mother had worn as the principal told her he wouldnât be welcomed back to the school and that the other studentâs family was likely to press charges. He couldnât bare to do that to her again.
What am I doing? He asked himself for the millionth time that day as he walked out of the lockers, cap and goggles in hand. His heart was beating pretty fast, partly from nerves at the memory of what had happened the last time heâd been close to a pool, and partly in excitement at getting back in after so many months.
He was one of the first ones there. The blond guy heâd seen earlier in the week was there with three other freshmen-looking guys. He joined them wordlessly and got a brief nod from the blond captain. After about fifteen minutes, more boys started shuffling in. Percy could see the girls gathering around a tall brunette on the other side of the pool. Both captains signaled their groups to gather into one bigger group in the middle. âAlright! I believe this is everyone because if not youâre late!â Percy would never admit it but he actually set up about five alarms on his phone for particularly that reason. It was hard to keep track of time with his ADHD and he was known for being late. âMy name is Lauren!â
âAnd Iâm Cole,â chipped in blondie behind the taller girl.
âRight now weâre going to go through a standard warm up. If youâve been on a team before youâre going to use the lanes on the right, if not use the ones on the left. The warm up is on the whiteboard behind me.â She pointed back and Percy started reading the routine. 400 free, 400 combined⊠Nothing fancy. âWeâre not going to split you off into boys and girls just now but we will be walking around and rearranging some of you guys.â
âBut first,â Cole chipped in once again. He was holding a CD player for some reason. âWe stretch.â He hit play and Mulanâs âIâll Make a Man Out of Youâ started playing. He didnât seem to notice the various eye rolls and groans that followed and happily started to lead the stretch. Percy had to bite down on his lip at the sight of Lauren doing windmills to the beat of Shang singing about honor and defeating the Huns with a completely stoic face. Both captains couldnât be more different from each other.
Percy was moved three times throughout the warm up. By the end he was in a lane with two other guys and girls beside him. Heâd always hated packed lanes both because he got kind of claustrophobic and because the constant brushing of his toes and having to slow down because of the person in front of him got on his nerves. One particular guy -he could only tell he was white behind his expensive goggles and cap- insisted on cutting ahead of him even when it was pretty obvious he was going extra hard to keep up with Percyâs pace. Percy forced himself to let it go since this was still only the warm-up.
After about twenty minutes they had them line up behind the diving blocks. âOkay! Youâre all going to get two jumps! We only want to see your dives right now!â Lauren yelled over the commotion of about forty teenagers getting out of the pool. âWait for my whistle!â
Percy waited for the five people in front of him to go. He felt his nerves mounting up in his chest as he got on the block. He almost realized too late that heâd actually failed to put his goggles on and barely had time to adjust them before the whistle went off. He landed smoothly in the water though, his hands touching the surface before anything else and letting himself glide for a couple of seconds before doing a dolphin kick to breach the surface. Braving a peak before ducking under the rail to the other lane, he saw that heâd reached just a little over half of the 25 meters. He swallowed his disappointment, last season he ate up more than three quarters of the pool with his dive.
As he lined up for his second dive, he made sure he had his goggles were securely fastened, so by the time he was on the block again he felt much more confident. This time he reached his usual length. Things went pretty well from then on. They had them do a lap or two in each style, full speed, in medley order. Butterfly had always been Percyâs favorite style and he noticed some impressed nods as they noted his time of fifty four seconds for his hundred meter. Next came backstroke, followed by breaststroke, both of which Percy performed nicely at 58 and 57 seconds respectively.
They gave them some time to cool down before going for the fifty and one hundred meters freestyle. Percyâs nerves resurfaced as he waited for his turn to go for the fifty meters. He hadnât missed Cole and Lauren talking to each other while sparing a few glances his way when he completed the hundred meters in 51 seconds. Even though heâs tied his personal best for the hundred everyone knew that the real show was in the fifty.
His heart started beating wildly when the guy in front of him completed his lap in twenty-four seconds. The girl afterwards swam it at twenty-eight earning an actual cheer from Lauren. Percy could tell she was pretty young, maybe even a freshman. His nerves were turning into actual nausea at this point. His arms felt heavy at his sides as he climbed up the block and he gave them a small shake before brushing his fingers against the ledge, toes curled around it. He let out a deep breath, tensed, and was off the block the second Lauren blew the whistle, his nerves vanishing the moment he hit the water. Percyâs only thoughts were faster, harder, keep it up, donât slack. Before he knew it, his feet were kicking off the wall, his lungs begging him to come up but him waiting so as to not cut off his glide. That extra boost of speed that he always managed in the last couple of seconds kicked in and he was reaching, reachingâŠ
âNice!â Percy looked up at Cole as he broke the water, breathing heavily but looking expectantly at the chronometer. âTwenty-two point five!â
The co-captain helped him up and patted him on the back, Lauren beamed at him but was already looking at the next set of swimmers on the block. Twenty-two point five. He was five tenths shy of his personal best. Thatâs an Olympic qualifying time, Jackson. He remembered his last coach telling him. Heâd swam it in twenty-two seconds during his last race. He tried not to think about it, but his stomach still churned in regret.
Happy Birthday to Percy Jackson! This is super fluffy so it commemorates the Percabeth anniversary as well too I believe. Thanks as always to my lovely beta @san-penedo and enjoy the small lifeguard!Percy i managed to sprinkle in there!
(please search #ramwfics or #ASoY for previous chapters)
Percy groaned as he attempted to read the same passage of his history textbook for what appeared to be the hundredth time. The exhaustion that weighed over him thanks to swim practice two hours prior didnât help either, nor the fact that he had to wake up early tomorrow for his dog-walking gig. He would have little time the rest of the weekend to catch up on homework since heâd taken on extra shifts at the local pool where he worked as a lifeguard to make up for what he couldnât work during the weekdays now that he was in the swim team.
He got halfway through the passage once again but it was no use, the words just taunted him from the page, dancing around in weird, curvy waves. Frustrated, he slammed the book shut, immediately flinching at the sound. He hadnât heard anyone come in but Smelly Gabe would give him hell for making any noise during his precious âTV time.â Percy slowly poked his head out of his room and was relieved to find he was home alone. His stepfather was probably out drinking with his buddies and his mom shouldâve been heading home from the candy shop. He felt his phone buzz. It was a text from Sally.
Will probably get there in a few hours. Had to close up late and I stopped to get some groceries. Donât wait up. Love you
Percy texted back a quick reply, knowing full well she was probably closing up but at a new job. She had not wanted to admit it when heâd asked, too concentrated on congratulating him for making the team, but this definitely put a strain on money. His school tuition had already been too much even when he was working more frequently. He wondered once again if this was worth it, if he was worth it. He knew his mom wanted him to have what she didnât, to finish high school and make it out of this neighbourhood. But heâd only managed to screw up every chance heâd gotten so far, and college just seemed too out of reach. His stepfather seemed to agree with it all being a waste. I wonât waste a dime on your little delinquent kid, Sally! Percy had heard him and his mother arguing after sheâd gotten Percy the interview at Goode. As if Smelly Gabe had ever contributed anything but anxiety to Percyâs life. Heâd silently prayed he wouldnât be allowed into the school, didnât really see how considering his record and poor grades. But, somehow, heâd made it in.
He made his way into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge. Heâd made sure to have an extra large lunch but he had not eaten since practice and he was starving. Percy looked at the clock. 10:32 pm. He figured Beckendorf would be at his apartment, getting back from work himself. Last year he would alternate his time between practice and Beckendorfâs apartment. Most days Grover would join them and they would pass the time bothering Beckendorf about Silena or playing with Mrs. OâLeary. Yet another thing Percy had screwed up when he got himself kicked out. He slammed the fridge door too, this time flinching because he knew he couldnât afford to break the old thing. Itâs not like Beckendorf had stopped inviting him over. Heâd even hung out there a few days ago. Percy just couldnât help but feel guilty whenever he saw him.
In the end, his own boredom and frustration won and he found himself in front of Beckendorfâs door. Mrs. OâLeary mustâve heard him come because Percy could hear her barking through the door. A few seconds later there was Beckendorf staring down at him, still im his mechanic overalls. âHey! Everything okay?â Percy didnât miss how his dark eyes scanned his face. There had been a couple of times last year when heâd knocked on his door later at night looking worse for wear.
âYeah,â he answered casually, âI just got bored. Can I come in?â
âYeah, of course.â Beckendorf stepped aside, making sure to hold on to Mrs. OâLearyâs colar. The large Rottweiler had started bounding happily at the sight of Percy, who scratched her ears on his way in. Beckendorf knew Percy too well. âYou hungry?â He asked as they shuffled into his living room/kitchen.
Percy tried not to look too embarrassed as he admitted: âIâm starving.â
************
âWhat?â Percy asked Grover for the second time. Heâd been too focused on a scrawny kid flopping around in the pool in front of him to hear what his friend was saying. Heâd seen the kid before, not the strongest swimmer but Percy could tell it was more due to lack of confidence than anything else. Heâd seen him manage quite well in the shallower parts of the pool. Today it seemed like heâd finally decided to try out the deeper end though. The kidâs parents were nowhere to be seen, and Percy could see the panic starting to creep into his face as he realized the water was too deep to stand in. âIâll be right back.â
Percy slid into the water. He didnât want to make a scene since the kid wasnât actually drowning and he wanted to give him a chance to get out of there by himself. The boy spotted him right away, relief evident in his face. Percy was tall enough to stand in this part of the pool so he made his way slowly towards him. âHey there.â The kid didnât make a dash to hold onto him so Percy knew hadnât gotten too desperate, but the way he was flopping around would tire him out soon enough. âWhatâs your name?â Â
The kid, looking mildly embarrassed, told him it was Trevor. Slowly but surely, Percy got Trevor to paddle to a shallower part of the pool. His parents finally made an appearance not soon after. âHey maâam,â Percy called. They were clearly here just to pick him up and they didnât look too happy about it. The father hadnât even looked up from his phone. âIs this your kid?â The mother, a woman that appeared to be blonde with unusually dark skin (through his limited color palette Percy assumed it was due to a bad tanning job), looked him up and down but didnât find it within herself to answer. âI had to help Travis swim away from the deeper end of the pool. Heâs not a strong enough swimmer yet for you to leave him on his own like-â
âOh, Iâm sorry, are you complaining about doing your job?â The womanâs tone made Percyâs blood boil but he clenched his fists to keep his temper in check. He didnât need any complaints going to his supervisor. He tried to apologize but the woman was too busy yanking Trevor out of the water to care. Percy tried to put on a fake smile as he waved goodbye to the kid and sulked back to his chair.
Grover looked distastefully at the spot where the woman had gone. âA plus parenting, huh?â
Percy rolled his eyes in agreement and slumped back into his chair. âWhat were you saying before?â
âOh right,â Grover tried to calm his nerves, but heâd never been a good liar and Percy knew him pretty well by now. Grover was hoping to catch Percy in a good mood since he knew he wouldnât like this next part very much. âWell, you know how youâve been telling me youâve been struggling with homework lately?â
That question alone was enough to hit a nerve. âIâm not struggling, Grover. I was just saying that Iâm tired and I hate reading.â
âYeah, well I was talking to Annabeth-â Grover held up a pleading hand before Percy could interrupt him- âSheâs really smart, Percy! She could help you out after school!â
âWhy did you have to tell her anything? I donât even know her!â
âI didnât tell her anything about that!â Grover argued. He knew it was hard for Percy to talk about people about his dyslexia and ADHD; he wouldnât betray his trust like that. Little did Percy know, however, that Annabeth was in the same boat. âI just told her you needed some help with some subjects because I know sheâs really good at all that stuff and she actually volunteered herself to tutor you.â It had taken Grover aback a bit actually. Annabeth was nice and always there to help, but she didnât take on to new people right away. Grover hadnât gotten the impression that she disliked Percy, but it usually took her a lot longer to show interest in new people. The only other person he knew sheâd gotten along with right away was Thalia. Now that Grover thought about it, Percy and Thalia did have a lot in common, though.
âTutor me?â Percy was looking thoroughly annoyed, eyes fixed on the water before him.
âSheâs not going to charge you or anything,â Grover winced at his own comment. It was hard to manage Percyâs temper around this subject. He hated feeling pitied and wasnât big on asking for help. âSheâs just trying to help and sheâs new here. She doesnât know many people besides me and Thalia.â Percy sighed. âSheâs the smartest person I know, Percy. I trust her. You met her. Sheâs cool.â Grover could tell he was going to give in. He knew Percy was worried about keeping his grades up. His swim coach had let him on the team under the condition that he would get his GPA up enough to get out of probation from the school. Grover was also secretly excited about his two best friends possibly becoming friends themselves.
âFine,â Percy finally said, bringing his whistle up to his lips at the sight of a group of small girls chasing each other. He gave one firm blow and pointed at the sign that read No Running when they both whipped their heads towards him. âIâve got some free time on Monday after practice.â
*************
Annabeth tapped her pen impatiently against the table sheâd settled in at the library. It didnât help her temper that today she found out that this same pen, which sheâd been using since the beginning of the semester, was bright red. The color of romance, her father had once jokingly told her. And danger, Annabeth now thought. Yeah, that seemed more accurate in her case.
The guy was almost an hour late. She was about to give up when she heard what sounded like a chair being knocked over, a loud hush, and a quick apology. A few seconds later, there was Percy Jackson. His hair was still wet from what she assumed was swim practice and he was holding a battered skateboard under his arm. Annabeth was once again struck by the intense green of his eyes. She thought sheâd gotten used to the color after seeing it everywhere for the past couple of weeks, but it still floored her. There was nothing else that was that exact shade of green.
âYouâre late.â
He at least managed to look guilty as he pulled a chair out noisily, earning him a death glare from the librarian at the desk. âI know. Iâm so sorry. We ended late and the subway broke down or something.â
Annabeth wouldâve shrugged that off as a half-assed excuse but every time sheâd gotten on the subway that week it had stopped for almost an hour. Percy also had a very sincere way of saying things that kind of put her on edge. She waved her hand dismissively. âItâs fine. Did you bring your book?â He pulled a history textbook from his battered backpack. She tried to ignore the fact heâd dogeared the page. âFall of Constantinople, right?â
âYeah.â She could tell this whole ordeal embarrassed him a little. It was becoming harder and harder to remember she was annoyed at him. âI just...canât seem to understand why this city was so important. From what I managed to extract from the other chapter, it seems like this whole empire was already done for.â
âI mean it was certainly in decline, and the Ottoman Turks had taken the Balkans and Anatolia by this point. So that made Constantinople the last city holding up what used to be this seemingly unbreachable empire.â Annabeth saw Percy nodding along and jutting down some notes. There was no other way to call it, it was cute. âConstantinople also represented Mehmedâs rival religion.â
âWait, so he tried to take it again? This Meh...however you say his name? Heâd already tried before, right?â
âNo, that was his dad.â Annabeth leaned closer to the passage Percy was looking at. He pushed the book towards her so she could get a better look. The font was so tiny that Annabeth almost got dizzy. It wouldâve taken her almost an hour to decipher just one paragraph. She pushed the book back towards him, hoping he hadnât noticed. Thankfully, she had always been good at remembering names and theyâd gone over this in her school in San Francisco last year. âMurad was the one who failed to take the city and then his son Mehmed tried again and succeeded. He got this Hungarian artillery expert, Urban I think he was called, to build him a cannon powerful enough to take down the walls of the city.â
âSorry, could you spell that last name?â
Something about the question made Annabeth falter for a second. Percy appeared to understand most of what they were talking about. It was the names that seemed to stump him. It sounded a little familiar. âSure.â Annabeth spelled the name out for him and she watched him make some new notes. She thought about how Grover never failed to bring up Percy one way or another when she complained about homework assignments. âOnce Mehmed seized the city he used the emperorâs famed cathedral as a mosque. I canât remember the name though. Is it in your book? I donât know if theyâd want you to know it for class.â
Annabeth observed as Percy scanned the page; she could practically feel the frustration oozing off of him. She was absolutely certain her suspicions were correct when she saw him push the book a bit far away, a trick she herself had tried many times. âHey Percy,â he grunted in response, still absorbed in the textbook, âare you maybe...dyslexic?â
She felt him tense right away. Grover hadnât told her for a reason, it was clearly a touchy subject for him. Annabeth was grateful that Grover had also clearly failed to tell Percy about her. âI just think thatâs why Grover brought all of this up.â He was now looking at her, a complicated look on his face, like he didnât know whether or not he should be getting offended. âItâs just that,â it had always been hard for her to talk about it too. It was like a cosmic joke for someone that loved reading so much to be made in a way that made it almost impossible to do so. âI am too, dyslexic I mean. Just looking at that book just now made me want to throw up.â His expression immediately softened. Annabeth noted the way he could easily go from one emotion to another. âThat font size is awful.â
âI know right. And itâs and older edition so it doesnât have an audio version.â
âI think I still have one for my textbook last year. I donât know if it has everything in this one but-â
âNo, yeah. Thatâd be great! I mean if you donât mind-â
He thanked her once again and they finally exchanged numbers. They got through the main events of Constantinople. Annabeth remembered everything pretty well and Percy took notes. She felt light as a feather the whole time. She tried to ignore it. Itâd never been this way with anyone she liked in the past. Her crush on Luke had been anything but light. Being with Percy was just nice. She didnât know about the whole âsoulmateâ ordeal, she didnât even know if she liked him that way really, but she definitely wanted to hang out with him again.
An hour later he casually checked his phone and almost jumped off his chair, earning him yet another glare from the librarian. Annabeth tried to mask her snort as a cough. âSorry,â he said quickly. He turned to Annabeth. âI have to go. Are you free Thursday?â She was pretty sure she would be but sheâd have to check. She could tell he was in a hurry though so she told Percy sheâd text him. âThanks again! See you then.â
Annabeth smiled silently to herself as Percy hurried out of the library, bumping into several chairs and failing beautifully at making a quiet exit. Her smiled melted when she looked down at the pen she was still holding. Bright red.
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So...I had to. Obvious SPOILER ALERT for THAT spoiler in TBM. This is the Greeks finding out about Jason. I know the timeline is murky but bear with me.
Percy was having the first normal day at camp in months when the nereids brought everything to a screeching halt. Most campers knew better than to pay much attention to the beautiful women that lived in Camp Half-Bloodâs canoe lake. They loved to take advantage of those unfortunate souls who didnât know about their tendency to flirt until they got you close enough to dump you inside of the lake. The naiads had always paid special attention to Percy, him being the son of the sea god and all, but these werenât regular water spirits. Nereids lived strictly in salt water, the fact that they were in the lake caught Percyâs attention right away. That and the utter look of devastation in their beautiful faces. They were definitely not there to flirt with him.
Percy didnât pay much attention to the questions from the Stolls brothers and Clarisse as he deviated from their way to the dining pavilion. He walked up to the nereids, already fearing for the worst. He tried to calm his nerves by reminding himself that Annabeth was probably already waiting for him in the Athena table; heâd seen her not two hours ago. She was fine. âMy Lord,â started the nereid. Percy didnât know her. Something was definitely wrong. âWeâve been looking for you. Somethingâs happened. My sisters in the Pacific tell me a hero has fallen.â Annabeth is fine. Itâs not her. You just saw her. Through his nerves he made sense of what the nereid was saying. Pacific? She probably meant California.
âIs it Camp Jupiter?â
The woman submerged herself for a moment. Through the water Percy could see her consulting another nereid heâd never seen before. She looked younger, shaken. She finally came back up, nodding. âThe boy bore the mark of the Romans, but it doesnât appear to be the other Camp. He wasnât alone, though.â
Piper. Jason. A hero has fallen. The boy. âWhat happened? Who else was there?â
âThe others are alive but the boy perished. Iâm sorry, my Lord. We canât sustain ourselves in these waters much longer.â
âWait!â Percy reached out and caught her wrist before she could fully submerge herself again. âAre you certain? Are you sure?â
Her dark blue eyes softened, looking up at him sadly. âYes, my Lord. My sisters made sure to at least retrieve the body. There was nothing left to do.â Percyâs hand went slack and she swam away quickly.
Maybe itâs not him. It canât be him. Not Jason.
âJackson!â Clarisseâs voice zapped him out of his panic. âYou done getting your fill of gossip? Weâre gonna be late for dinner!â She walked to where he was kneeling and pulled on his arm. Whatever she was going to say died away when she caught his expression. âWhat happened?â
âWhereâs Nico?â The son of Hades had confirmed his fears when Beckendork died. Heâd know. Especially if it was Jason. Heâd know.
âWhat? I dunno probably sucking face with Solace. Why-â
âI need to find him.â He got up and started heading towards the cabins but Clarisse caught his arm. He turned towards her. She was looking at his hands, which Percy just now noticed were shaking. He balled them into fist and shrugged her hand away. âIâm fine,â his friends had seen him and Annabeth struggle to more than a couple panic attacks since coming back from Greece. âSomethingâs happened. Something...I just need to make sure first.â
Clarisse looked like she wanted to say more and now she was definitely getting worried, but Percyâs sense of urgency was obvious and she let him go. She nodded and called for Travis and Connor, who had observed the whole interaction from a few feet away, to follow her back to the dining pavilion.
Percyâs brain felt sluggish. He tried to recall Nicoâs schedule but his panic had turned to dread and his heart was beating so loudly it was impossible to listen to his thoughts. His feet instinctively took him back to Nicoâs cabin. His eyes fell on his hunched from right away. His back was to Percy and he was sitting on the ledge of the bed. He walked towards him and almost tripped over his sword and shield. Clearly, heâd rushed into the cabin. âNico.â He didnât jump at the sound of his name. Heâd heard Percy come in.
âHeâs gone, Percy. â He turned the slightest bit towards Percy so only half his face was visible. But Percy could see the shine of tears in his eyes. âJasonâs dead.â
Percy didnât feel anything. His mind wa still reeling with dread and panic. What Nico was saying just made no sense. Jason couldnât be dead. Heâd killed a Titan with his hands. Theyâd just won a war. This didnât happen now.
He didnât say any of this to Nico, though. Because, through the noise of his thoughts and furious heartbeat, heâd caught the utter devastation in his voice. He rushed to him, seating beside him so he could see his pale, tear-stained face. With a jolt, Percy remembered how he looked when theyâd rescued him from Ephialtes. He wore that same empty look in his eyes. Percy couldnât bear it. âNico.â
âI felt him go...I wanted to call his- his spirit but,â his voice finally broke. Percy hugged him, something awful hurting his chest at the sound of sobs racking through the younger boy. Percy knew that Jason had managed to connect with Nico in a way that everyone else had failed in the past. He was his friend, a good friend. Percy clung to that feeling of numbness. He couldnât allow himself to lose it. Nico got to lose it. Nico deserved it.
Percy held him for what felt like an hour. It couldâve been ten minutes. His brain was still sluggish. Eventually, Nico calmed down enough to wipe his face. Percy knew him well enough now to know heâd want to do something erratic. He couldnât blame him, but Percy also knew heâd just end up hurting himself more. âYou canât go looking for him, Nico. Not now at least.â Percy expected him to be angry, almost welcomed it. He needed to know heâd be okay before he did anything else. âJust let me figure everything out.â
âIt doesnât make sense for me not to look for him, Percy. How else are we supposed to know what happened? If someone else is hurt?â
He wasnât alone. A new wave of worry for Piper, Reyna, Dakota, all the romans, stirred in Percy. Tyson! Nico made a lot of sense, but Percy didnât want to let him.
âYouâd think the gods would break their radio silence for something like thisâŠâ
âDid you try to contact your Dad?â Nico nodded, clearly he hadnât gotten through to him. âCan you even go to the Underworld right now?â
âProbably not. But I could summon...him.â
Percy shook his head. That would just tangle Nico more and more into whatever was happening. Percy suspected it was probably linked to Apollo and whatever heâd been doing these past months. âYou didnât feel anyone else?â Last time Percy had seen Apollo heâd been with Leo. He was certain Piper wouldnât have let Jason go on any quests alone, even after whatever had happened between them.
âNo.â
Percy pushed his brain to go into overdrive, grasping at any possible course of action. Their silence was interrupted by someone opening the door. Will looked from Percy to Nico, panic turning into worry. âWhat happened?â He too rushed towards Nico, who took his hand but said nothing.
Percy looked past Will to the other person that had followed him in. Annabeth was asking him a million questions with her eyes. Are you okay? What happened? It was getting harder and harder for Percy to cling to his initial shock. âJasonâs dead.â Annabeth froze in her tracks, he felt Will do the same besides Nico. âWe donât really know what happened yet. But heâs definitely gone. Nico...felt him go.â
Annabethâs gray eyes grew wide, still asking him, confused. She turned towards Nico, looked back at Percy. Is it true?
Percy needed to do something. He needed a plan, needed to know what to do, how to fix it. You canât fix this. He got up, avoiding Annabethâs pleading stare. Will looked at him. âStay with Nico,â he told him. Donât let him do anything rash. Will nodded and Percy moved towards the door, taking Annabethâs hand and guiding her outside.
Percy tried to think of anything he could do. Iâll just go to California myself. âPercy,â Annabeth said somewhere behind him. He hadnât let go of her hand, he couldnât let go. I have to find Apollo and Meg. âPercy.â Annabethâs voice was firmer this time. She stopped and he was forced to stop as well. He only then realized he was standing right in front of the Zeus cabin. Maybe heâd been heading to his own. Either way, he stepped back when he saw the familiar marble door. Annabeth seemed to share his trepidation and guided them to her own cabin instead. It was thankfully empty since everyone was at dinner. She pushed him down onto her bed. âTell me what happened.â
Percy recounted everything that had happened in the last hour robotically. Annabeth never interrupted him until he was finished. She looked as shocked as he felt but finally managed to say. âDo we know if the rest are okay? Piper?â
âNico didnât feel anyone else go. The nereids didnât say much either, but Iâm sure it has something to do with Apollo and Megâs quest. Leo mightâve been with them.â
Percy heard Annabeth curse beside him. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. It didnât feel real. Everytime Percy had a nightmare about losing his friends, he was always there. Heâd always been there, one way or another. It was the only way it felt real. Besides, Jason was one of the most powerful demigods heâd ever met. It just didnât make sense.
Percy. Through his sluggish thoughts he made out the sound of his name. He was sure Annabeth hadnât said a word in a while. This was something different. Percy.
Grover? He hadnât heard from his best friend in months, hadnât used their empathy link since before Hera kidnapped him. Grover is that you? A rush of excitement, immediately accompanied by despair overcame him. Percy saw a brief glimpse of Groverâs dirty high tops as he walked through what looked like a forest.
Percy something awful happened. JasonâŠ
I heard something from a nereid here at camp. Where are you?
Iâm in California. Heâs really gone, Percy. Iâm sorry. Hedge and Mellie went with Piper.
What happened? His vision suddenly flashed with images of a weird assembly of people. They had to be the strangest collection of nymphs heâd ever seen. As he looked closer he noticed Meg McCaffreyâs bruised face, Hedge, Mellie, and of course, the one and only Lester Papadopoulos. He couldnât catch everything he said and his voice got frailer and frailer as he recounted what happened. But Percy got the gist of it. Another Roman Emperor, Caligula, had surfaced. Medea had helped him. They almost didnât make it out. Jason sacrificed himself.
Afterwards, I went with Meg and Apollo to the burning maze. Medea was there. We wouldnât have made it out in time but Piper killed her just in time. They got a new prophecy, Perce. Something about Reyna. Caligulaâs on his way to Camp Jupiter.
The words âPiper killed herâ rang in Percyâs brain. Are you with them? Are you going to Camp Jupiter?
No. Iâm heading home, Percy. Piper left for Oklahoma with Leo and the Hedges.
Good, Percy thought. At least Piper wasnât alone, he would get to see Grover. How are you getting here? The gods have us on radio silence and none of our communications work.
Iâll try out the labyrinth and find local nymphs or satyrs. I have to go now, whateverâs affecting our communications isnât doing wonders for our empathy link. Iâm sorry about Jason.
Just be safe. Keep in touch.
We need to tell Thalia, Percy. Last I heard, the hunters were in Indianapolis. With that, the connection finally gave out.
This morning his biggest worry had been school, college, his SAT results. He was back to being normal for the briefest of moments. Now, one of his friends was dead and the other Camp was about to be attacked. War never seemed to stop. It followed him everywhere he went. âThat was Grover in the empathy link,â he told Annabeth. She immediately perked up. He recounted what heâd told him.
âNo.â She shook her head in disbelief, letting go of his hand and pacing around the cabin. âI shouldâve been there. Piper-â
âSheâs got Leo and Hedge and Mellie. Sheâs walking away from it, Annabeth.â Angry tears had started running down her face. She didnât even bother wiping them away, imagining what her friend was going through while she was all the way on the other side of the country, with no way of reaching her. âAnnabeth, Thalia doesnât know.â
That got her to stop pacing. The look she gave him mirrored exactly what he felt. No, not her. She doesnât deserve this. âGrover said she might be in Indianapolis.â
They had both immediately seemed to have come to the agreement to put everything else on hold. Whatever attempts at not getting involved before were out of the question now. There was always going to be something to be done. Theyâd both always prefer to do it themselves than to have it fall onto someone elseâs shoulders.
Annabeth hadnât stopped crying, but she steeled her expression, nodding. âWe need to call a head counselor meeting. Tell Chiron. Burn his shroud.â Like Percy, she was already grasping for a plan.
***********
They didnât waste any time delivering the news. Everyone in the rec room of the Big House had lost someone before. Half of the counselors had gotten there because their sibling had died. Percy didnât fail to notice that half of the faces there were different than the ones a year prior. Beckendorf, Silena, Michael, now Jason. It still stunned everyone into silence. The death of a child of the Big Three, a child of Jupiter, changed everything.
âNico and I,â said Will after a few moments, âweâll design the shroud.â No one objected.
âWhat about my sister?â Whispered Drew. It was all too familiar to her. âShe canât be alone right now.â
âShe isnât,â Percy assured her. She nodded, wiping away at her face, oblivious to her makeup. âGrover also told me Caligula was on his way to Camp Jupiter.â
âWe canât even warn them,â said Clarisse bitterly. âOr send back up. It wonât make it in time.â
âMeg and Apollo are on their way. Besides, Caligula is travelling through water, right?â Chiron was about to protest from his place at the other end of the ping-pong table, but Percy held up a pleading hand, the other was once again secured around Annabethâs. âTyson is there, Chiron. We canât leave the Romans aloneâ Annabeth had insisted on going with him. Theyâd have to leave right away, tomorrow at the latest. Percy hoped Grover got to Camp before then. Theyâd have better intel and he just hadnât seen him in so long. No one liked it, but the only one that looked like she wanted to object was Clarisse. It was just the only way less people got involved. Percy and Annabeth were the most powerful demigods, their leaders. They were the best backup they could send. âSomeoneâll have to tell Thalia too.â
âIâll go,â said Nico. It was the first time heâd spoken during the whole meeting. âI can move around fast and can get the hunters to Camp Jupiter if I find them in time.â
It was Percyâs turn to protest but Annabeth pulled on his hand. She gave Will a look and he said: âIâll go with him.â
Percy looked at Nico. Before, he wouldâve defied him. Iâm not a child! Youâre not the boss of me! But heâd grown up so much since then, been through so much. The war chased him as much as it did Percy. He didnât object, a small agreement passing between him and Nico. Percy trusted him. He knew why he needed to do this. He couldnât protect him because he knew how to defend himself, could hold his own. âThatâs settled then,â he said.
After everyone started shuffling away, Clarisse came up to Percy and Annabeth. âIâll go with you guys,â her voice sounded strange. âYou shouldnât even be going. I canât believe Chiron would let you.â
âWe didnât ask him, Clarisse,â Annabeth told her. âWeâre not asking you to go either.â
âJust walk away. Youâve earned it, both of you. No one has done more. I get that you want to do something about Jason, but heâs gone. Itâs just the way it is. Let someone else...â She was pleading, her brown eyes uncharacteristically tearful. They both knew how much Clarisse didnât want to go. She finally had a good, stable life. She was only at camp now because her and Chris got some unexpected time off from college in Arizona. Theyâd just gone through a war, no one deserved to go.
Percy thought back to his first weeks of camp, when Clarisse was ready to zap him with his electrical spear, her anger towards him after defeating her father. Then, that time with her godly brothers, showing her her deepest fears: her friends perishing around her, among them Percy. Theyâd come a long way, fought wars together. Heâd gladly fight another if it meant she got the life she was starting now. âYouâre not going with us Clarisse. Thatâs final.â She immediately bristled at the sound of being given an order from Percy, because she was Clarisse. âYouâre going to go back to Arizona with Chris, and youâre going to live your life.â She looked to Annabeth, as if begging her to make him see sense. But her mind was as made up as his. âGo Clarisse. I need you to go.â
She looked like she was going to punch Percy. He braced himself, but instead she hugged him, pulling Annabeth in with her other huge arm. âDamn you! Damn you both!â She squeezed them so hard Percy felt his ribs protest, but he hugged her back just as hard. Sheâd made it, is all he could think. While some heros fell, sacrificed themselves, others got to see the other side. Thatâs why he fought, not for the gods, Roman or Greek, but for his family. For those who were good, who deserved the happiness that others sought to tarnish. If he had to, he would fight for the rest of his life for them.
Hereâs chapter one of this ColorSoulmate! AU! Will probably update weekly from now on. Hope you enjoy!
(please search #ramwfics or #ASoY for later chapters)
Annabeth couldnât believe Grover had talked her into meeting this Percy kid that he always went on about. She started school tomorrow! She didnât have time for this, she need to catch up on whatever theyâd covered last year. Her private school back in San Francisco wasnât bad, but it wasnât even close to the level of The New York Institute of Science. Annabeth had left the summer reading to the last minute because it gave her a migraine. She couldnât help but think how stupid sheâd been as she sat beside Grover at the park. Reading with dyslexia was already hard enough without adding the stress of a time constraint.
âIs he going to take much longer, Grover?â She asked, hoping she didnât sound rude. âIâve really got to head back to my dorm soon.â
âYeah he said heâd be here like five minutes ago, but heâs not answering his phone. Can you try looking around for him while I try to calling him again?â
âSure. What does he look like?â
âHeâs probably walking like five dogs. You should be able to spot him easily.â
Annabeth scanned the park, her eyes fleeting from an old couple to a little kid and his mom and finally to a boy that looked around her age indeed walking a large group of dogs. He was struggling to keep the largest one, a rather large rottweiler, away from a tiny chihuahua that didnât seem to realize he was much smaller. âThere he is,â she told Grover.
âWhere? How can you tell?â He scrunched up his dark eyes trying to look at where she was pointing.
âThere. With the dark hair right? Heâs the one. He must be.â
Grover finally seemed to have spotted him and called over to him. The boy immediately looked up, almost losing his balance when the rottweiler spotted a squirrel and gave a particularly nasty tug. He smiled wide and waved back before walking towards them.
Annabeth stood completely still as he approached them. She couldnât seem to catch her breath. It had nothing to do with the fact that this Percy guy was kind of cute (of course not!), it was just his eyes. His eyes that she could see were a bright, startling shade of green. Ocean green.
Shit.
âHi,â he said, sticking out his hand shyly, âIâm Percy.â
Annabeth stared down at the hand. Then back up at his face. She could feel Grover fidgeting beside her. Heâd been nervous about the two of them meeting and not liking each other. Sheâd promised herself that she would at least give Percy a shot, but right now all she wanted to do was bolt. Get it together.
Annabeth took Percyâs hand, averting her gaze from his eyes. âAnnabeth.â
âRight,â said Grover, âso now that youâve finally met I thought we could go grab something to eat.â
Annabeth was racking her brain for the nicest possible way to ditch but just then Percy cried out: âYes! Iâm starving!â
âWhat about all these dogs?â
Percy shrugged, kneeling down to scratch the rottweiler, who looked quite intimidating now that she was closer, behind the ears. âMrs. OâLeary is hungry too.â
*********************
Percy had wanted to hate Annabeth. He knew it was pretty unfair and it was just him being jealous of his best friend having another best friend. Still, knowing it didnât make his feelings go away. But, turns out, that that Annabeth girl was actually pretty cool.
âCool, but like in a scary way,â he told Grover after sheâd left and theyâd finished dropping off most of the dogs off. Percy hadnât forgotten that steely look she gave him when he first offered her his hand. That was another thing as well. She had the most distracting eyes. If he could see color heâd guessed they were probably one of the light colors his mother had described to him, like blue or green, maybe even hazel. To him they just looked that shade between black and white that he sometimes caught, grey heâd been told it was called. Heâd never really seen grey look like that though, almost like a storm.
It wasnât only her eyes that intimidated Percy either. Annabeth Chase was simply the smartest person heâd ever come across. She pointed out buildings as they walked to the hot dog stand, going on and on about their structure. Usually, Percy wouldnât really care for all of that, but she spoke with so much passion and confidence that he found himself holding on to every word she said. Her eyes just shone with life.
âI get it man,â Grover told him, âsheâs like the smartest person I know. It can be pretty overwhelming. But sheâs actually pretty nice. If anything, Thalia taught her how to look scary.â
Percy came down from his own confused thoughts for a second to catch that last name. Grover hadnât mentioned Thalia in a while, not since another one of his camp friends -Luke- died a few years ago. Heâd always wanted to ask him more about it, but for some reason it seemed as if Grover blamed himself for whatever it is that happened. Percy didnât want to push him too far.
Both boys rounded the corner to the last dog ownersâ apartment. Mrs. OâLeary was owned by a boy a few years older than them, Charles Beckendorf. Percy met him at the same school he met Grover, one of the many heâd gotten kicked out of over the years. He didnât live too far from Percy and had even been nice enough to hook him up with the dog walking gig. Percy liked dogs, walking them was definitely one of his favorite jobs, but the real reason that heâd accepted was because he got to spend so much time with Beckendorfâs huge rottweiler. Like him, she seemed big and scary, but was actually pretty docile once you got to know her.
They both stopped a few doors before Beckendorâs apartment when they saw the girl he was talking to. Beckendorf had had the biggest crush on the girl that lived right across the hall from him, Silena Beugarde, ever since Percy met him. Heâd never told him, but Percy was sure he could tell what color her eyes were. Now, the tall, dark-haired girl was standing right in front of their friend, who had the goofiest smile Percy had ever seen. He was still wearing his mechanic overalls and had a grease stain on his forehead but she didnât seem to mind. He was much taller than her. Her delicate features were accentuated by the sharp contrast with his harsher ones, but they still scrunched up in a smile, guided a strand of her behind her ear.
After a couple of minutes she walked away towards where Grover and Percy were standing. Even though she was solid black and white to Percy he still felt a slight blush creep up his cheeks as she waved goodbye to all three of them.
âWhat was that about?â Percy asked as they finally walked into the apartment.
âWhat?â Beckendorf hadnât stopped staring at his door. âOh, uh, nothing,â he finally said, clearly wanting to change the subject. âHow was Mrs. OâLeary today? Didnât give you too much trouble?â
âYou know she never does.â
âSo youâre just going to pretend like Silena and you werenât totally just flirting right now?â Asked Grover.
The older boyâs cheekâs got even darker. âI donât know what youâre talking about.â
âSure.â
Whatever was going on Beckendorf was obviously going to keep the younger boys guessing. âWhat about you guys?â He asked, clearly wanted to divert the attention away from him. âYouâre starting school next week right? Both of you?â
Itâd been quite a feat getting another school to take Percy in given his track record. Beckendorf had offered to help, but it was already embarrassing enough that he knew heâd gotten expelled yet again. Heâd vouched so much for Percy in the past.
âYeah,â Percy said, âGoode High School for me.â
Beckendorf nodded. âThatâs a pretty good school. Iâve heard they have a great swim team.â
Percy didnât think Beckendorf was being as subtle as he thought he was. Heâd joined the swim team at his last school, had even swam varsity. He doubted heâd tried again this year though. Itâd been hard enough then to hide the evidence of Smelly Gabeâs drunken tantrums. Goode was one of those rich schools where they asked a lot of questions.
âGood for them,â Percy finally said, not missing the look both his friends exchanged.
So hereâs my fic for the @wlwpjoexchange ! I got @omegasmileyface
I really hope you like it! Sorry I took forever, I got a little carried away because I loved this pairing so much! Itâs my first time writing wlw and I loved it and ahhh I just hope you like!
Reyna found the Greeks excitement quite absurd. She didnât doubt the Huntressâ abilities, sheâd seen Thalia Grace in action herself, but sheâd also seen her sister and the Amazons. They didnât stand a chance, especially in such a rudimentary game of capture the flag. Apparently the Greek campers had never beaten the Hunters of Artemis, but they all seemed to be rooting for them. âSorry,â said Jason as he walked over to her Pegasus. He was wearing a gray shirt that read Hunters Rule!
    Reyna chuckled. âLet the best sister win.â He dipped his head but seemed pretty amused by the whole ordeal. Reyna watched him join Piper and Annabeth who both waved back at her.
    Hylla was more than happy to let her warriors fight while she led from the background, often choosing to come in as a last resort or as a surprise, but sheâd been eager to fight Artemisâ Lieutenant herself.
   âThis is going to be awesome.â Now it was Percy who spoke beside her. He was already mounted on his own black Pegasus, Blackjack she heard him call him.
  âYes,â agreed Reyna. âI rather enjoy watching my sister fight.â
    âYeah I heard sheâs deadly. If sheâs anything like you, the hunters will have a good fight on their hands.â
     âIâve seen Thalia in action, the Amazons wonât be disappointed either.â
 Percyâs smile had a little mischief. âYou talk like you already know whoâs gonna win.â
   âThey hunters will put on a good fight, I expect nothing less from a daughter of Jupiter, but the Amazons are, like you said, deadly.â
   âZeus,â Percy corrected as he took off into the air, shaking his head with an amused look similar to Jasonâs. âSheâs a daughter of Zeus.â
 Reyna rolled her eyes. She wasnât underestimating Thalia. She was just being realistic. Her sister had to fight for her throne and her warriors didnât have the protection of mortality. Her sister had also been leading the Amazons longer as far as she knew. Plus, and she would never said this aloud from fear of sounding pretentious, sheâd taken down Thalia with her hands tied before.
 She kicked off into the air. Below her Greek and Roman campers alike gathered at the entrance of the woods to see the two groups of lethal women burst into action. Reyna hadnât been allowed to referee due to her relation to Hylla, but had still been granted permission to observe from above,  along with several other skilled Pegasus riders. Sheâd been surprised to find that Annabeth hadnât been chosen as the Greek referee, but sheâd laughed it off and said that sheâd be too biased. Jason had briefly mentioned something about Thalia and her being on the run together when they were younger.
  Chiron looked up at them from the ground. Ready? Dakota nodded and she saw Percy do the same from the corner of her eye. The centaur blew the whistle and they were off. Reyna immediately scanned for Thalia and Hylla, but she figured they were seeking the other out, waiting for the right moment. Meanwhile she observed a young girl make a rather spectacular shot, pinning one of her sisterâs warriors to a tree. The campers cheered in the background, Leo had set up a live feed to some screens at the entrance of the woods. Will Solace rushed to the warrior but she simply yanked the arrow, snapped it at her knee and ran after the young girl.
   Reyna looked up at Percy who had flown further to her right. He looked down in concentration, whistle ready at his lips, unable to help himself from smiling every now and again. He kept scanning the woods. Reyna knew that he too was looking for the leaders.
  Finally, after twenty minutes filled with expectation, thunder rumbled followed by the surprised shriek of an Amazon. Reyna urged her pegasus to get closer. She caught a glimpse of celestial bronze knives and smiled as she heard the clink of Hyllaâs belt follow. Below her Amazons and Hunters engaged in impressive battle. Celestial bronze hunting knives and arrows against the spears, swords and daggers of the Amazons. The campers were relishing the fighting but Reyna paid no attention. She swept towards the place where sheâd heard Thaliaâs lightning. She was approaching a clearing. When she saw her sister emerge, knives in hand, she almost growled in anticipation.
She was now almost shoulder to shoulder with Percy, who had dropped any act of referring and was now watching as eagerly as she. âThereâs Thalia,â he said, pointing at a dark figure perched atop a tree. She was holding a bow and arrow to her sisterâs head. Hylla didnât even flinch at the threat, her eyes fixed intently on her target. Reyna cursed for not bringing a pair of binoculars, but Percy seemed to be reading her mind and handed her a pair she hadnât noticed he had around his neck. He was smiling, eyes never once leaving the two girls.
Through the binoculars Reyna got a clearer view of Thaliaâs face. She seemed to be weighing out her options. Finally, she smirked and threw her bow aside, making her quiver disappear. She told her sister something that made her grin and pulled out her own hunting knives. Thalia jumped out of the tree and in a split second the daughters of Bellona and Zeus had attacked.
Reyna could admire both styles, Thaliaâs clearly Greek but still different from other Greek campers sheâd met, and her sisterâs an even balance of powerful blows and speed. One such blow was too quick for Thalia, who was almost swept off her feet when Hylla lunged towards her torso, leaving an opening for her sister to kick one of Thaliaâs knives away. Thalia retaliated by taking advantage of her free hand and punching the Amazon Queen square in the face. Percy almost laughed beside her but passed it off as a cough when she glared at him.
Below them the fight continued with no acknowledgement of the lack of weapon and bloody nose. Reyna thought it had ended for good when Thalia slid between her sisterâs legs, making a nasty gash as she went along, but Hylla simply grabbed her by one of the many chains she wore around her neck and slammed her back on the ground, knife pressed to her throat. The Amazon stood over her just like Reyna had back in Puerto Rico. She recalled the raspiness of Thaliaâs voice as she whispered close enough for her lips to feel her breath, but was pulled out of her thoughts when thunder clapped above them, almost hitting her and Percy, and traveled down to where both girls were. Reyna almost swept down to her sister, scared of what a direct lightning strike might do to her but Percy held her back. âCâmon, Reyna,â he told her, âThalia wouldnât do that.â
Thankfully, Percy was right. Somehow Thalia had dispersed the full force of the strike, causing the air around her and Hylla to crackle with electricity and her sisterâs hair to puff up twice its size. It was enough to get Hylla to loosen her grip and for Thalia to jump back into action. Both girls blurred into a mess of knives and battle cries. Reyna saw another knife fly away, but this time it had been her sisterâs. They finally slowed down enough for them to catch a glimpse of their state. Hylla was bleeding for the deep cut Thalia had inflicted on her leg as well as her bloody nose, and Thalia herself had a black eye and a bit of a limp. Reyna focused on their faces and found that they were both smiling. They seemed to be enjoying the show just as much as Reyna and Percy. She caught Thaliaâs eyes travelling to her sisterâs belt and both girls seemed to come to a sort of silent agreement. They both dropped their remaining knives, her sister unfastening her belt and striking it against the ground menacingly and Thalia pulling out a bracelet that suddenly transformed into a spear. Beside Reyna Percy cursed excitedly in what she guessed was Ancient Greek.
Clearly both girls had been saving the best for last. Each weapon was practically and extension of them. Hylla swung her belt with lighting speed catching one of Thaliaâs ankles and tossing her into the air, but the young Lieutenant simply twisted in mid-air and used every last bit of the wider range her spear provided. It was speed and technique like Reyna had rarely ever seen. They seemed to move closer and closer until, âPercy!â called Dakota, âWhat are you doing?â Percy immediately turned, clearly annoyed by the distraction and looked at where Dakota was pointing. This time he cursed in English, and he didnât seem as excited as before.
Reyna was trying hard to concentrate, Thalia had the tip of her spear pointed at her sisterâs carotid and Hylla had managed to wrap the belt around Thaliaâs throat, but just then Percy blew his whistle at them. âHey!â He called. âYou have no idea how much I hate to interrupt, but your girls seem to be having too much fun trying to kill each other!â
Reyna finally tore her gaze from the binoculars and urged her Pegasus to move closer to where Percy had sped off. She was shocked to see the forest decimated. It looked as if a tornado had hit it. Below her trees swayed, trying hard not to fall altogether, and fires seemed to have erupted all over the fields. âHey!â Percy yelled. âCareful with the nymphs!â When he noticed that neither Amazons nor Hunters reacted to his yells or whistles he directed his voice towards the spectators. âCall the Demeter cabin! Quick!â Dozens of campers ran at his command and then he turned to Reyna. âGet Thalia and Reyna to break them up!â
Reyna nodded as he sped away and swept down to where sheâd last seem her sister and Thalia. They were already running towards the commotion. âWhat happened?â Hylla asked, wiping some blood off her top lip.
âThe Amazons and Hunters seemed to have gotten a little carried away. I think they mightâve forgotten the creatures that live inside the forest.â
âWhat?!â Thalia looked furious, her blue eyes flashed terrifyingly. The look made Reynaâs heart race. Thalia ran towards her Hunters, forgetting about her limp, Hylla followed after her.
      The scene they arrived at was chaos. Several campers were trying to tear Hunters from Amazons and vice versa but they seemed to be in a frenzy. There were several fires erupting around them and Reyna saw several nymphs running around in a panic. Thalia and Hylla stared dumbfounded, but it was Thalia who spoke first. One of her hunters had already spotted her and the mere sight of her lieutenant seemed to be enough to stop her in her tracks.
        âWhat is the meaning of this?â She wasnât shouting, but her voice seemed to boom over the clearing. Slowly more and more hunters noticed their leader and stopped. Amazons did the same when they noticed Hyllaâs furious look, a look that made Reyna feel sorry for the Amazons once they were alone with her sister. Thaliaâs tactics were different though, she wanted the punishment to be public. Reyna once again remembered that she hadnât been lieutenant for long, not by immortal hunterâs standards, and understood the need to make a show of the situation. âWhat exactly do you expect me to tell Lady Artemis when she hears of this? Her own hunters damaging that which she swore to protect?â Reyna caught her features turn into a disgusted snarl as she looked around, âyouâve brought me shame!â Weâre guests in this Camp!â
    By then all commotion had ceased completely. No Hunter would spare to look a their lieutenant in the eye. The Amazons has dropped their weapons and stood frozen, waiting to hear what their own queen had to say. Hylla said nothing which was possibly worse. Just then a wave swept over the clearing, quickly putting out any fires. Percy dropped down from his Pegasus soon after. Heâd spared Reyna, Hylla and Thalia but hadnât even tried to cover the other girls, they stood soaked and embarrassed. Some even threw him angry looks he ignored. A petite girl charged out from on of the bushes that had been previously on fire. She looked quite odd to Reyna but she couldnât figure out why. It wasnât until she yanked the whistle from around Percyâs neck and started blowing it furiously did she notice her skin was green. Reyna figured she must be a nymph. âItâs a draw!â She shrieked furiously. âYou all lose! You wicked women! The Council will hear of this! My boyfriend-â
      âYes. Thank you, Juniper!â Percy quickly stepped in, taking the whistle from her hand. âI agree.â
      âThe Council?â Reyna heard her sister ask.
      âYes!â Answered the nymph, Juniper, testily. It was obvious to her that Hylla was one of the leaders. âAnd you shall all be punished for this abominable conduct!â
        âAgreed.â The nymph seems a bit taken aback by her sisterâs instant agreement. âI will meet with your Council at once. I will also like to apologize to you personally for the action of my warriors. Know that this wonât go unnoticed by me either.â
       Juniper lost her rage fast. âYes yes, thank you! You are forgiven...mâlady.â Apparently she considers a courtesy was necessary since she bowed and scrunched up her soaked dress in a Victorian fashion. She directed her green eyes at Thalia now and some of her fire seemed to come back. âI expect youâll do the same, Thalia. And donât think that because Grover-â
     âI know Juniper. Iâm really sorry this shouldâve never happened.â
      She gave another firm nod, chin up high, and turned around and disappeared into the forest. Reyna turned to look at Thalia just in time to catch her off guard. For a second she looked tired and embarrassed, then she noticed her and quickly went back to yelling at her hunters. Arrangements to meet with the council tomorrow evening were hastily made.
All Reyna could think about as she walked back was the look sheâd seen on Thaliaâs face and how much it reminded her of herself.
**********
âIt was embarrassing thatâs what it was!â Thalia told Jason later that day. They were inside their fatherâs cabin. âAnd of course Hylla kept her composure the whole time and I just lost it!â
âYou have more to prove than she does. I probably wouldâve done the same.â He looked quite uncomfortable inside the mostly empty cabin. Thalia noticed how he kept eyeing the huge statue of Zeus in the middle. She couldnât blame him, itâd always creeped her out. âCouldnât we meet in your cabin?â
âThis is my cabin.â
He rolled his eyes. âYou know what I mean.â
âI canât bring a guy into Artemisâs cabin, itâs against the rules.â She sighed as she looked around. Jason had left the little corner sheâd camped out in untouched. âI got carried away. I donât know I just wanted to prove something I guess.â
Jason looked confused at her. âYouâre freaking Thalia Grace! What is there to prove?â
Thalia immediately thought of her little audience back in the forest. Was she showing off? As soon as the thought entered her mind she found, to her horror, that she was blushing. She quickly turned away, but apparently Jason caught it.
âOkay whoa!â He said. âThereâs definitely something youâre not telling me here.â
âShudup,â she mumbled, absolutely furious at herself. She was an adult for crying out loud! Lady Artemisâs right hand and lieutenant to a small army of deadly hunters! She cleared her throat. âItâs nothing okay.â
But Jason wasnât about to drop this. He walked around to get a good look at her face. She begrudgingly looked up at him. There was a wickedly mischievous grin forming on his face. âWhat is up with you, sis?â
She looked back at her hands, afraid she might blush again. This was Jason, she could tell him anything. She was being stupid, right? âI just...remember how I told you about Puerto Rico? Well I mightâve left some details out.â
âLike?â
She sighed, pushing down her ego and ignoring the heat that rose back to her face. âLike maybe your good friend Reyna pretty much kicked my ass with her hands tied. And maybe I noticed her and dumbass Percy watching me and Hylla fighting earlier and wanted to show off okay!â
She looked up at him once again. His face seemed to change from confusion, to understanding, and finally to amusement. âYou were showing off for Reyna?â
âWhat?! No! When you say it like that it sounds weird!â
He laughed. Gods he really annoyed her sometimes. âWhat then?â
âI just wanted her to see that I wasnât someone she could just beat every time! She caught me off guard that time! That I deserve the praise-â She cut herself off. Gods she sounded full of herself. âWhat I mean is-â
âThat you wanted to impress her.â Thalia thought he might be making fun of her again but he seemed genuinely determined to understand her. Somehow it made her feel worse.
âWho? Reyna?â Thalia wanted to brush it off, but in all honesty Jason had hit the nail on its head. The realization made Thalia panic. Why would she want to impress her? âJust forget it okay? I gotta go prepare for the stupid meeting tomorrow.â
âI could h-â
âNo itâs fine.â
The door slammed shut as Thalia left. Jason stood there, debating whether or not to follow her.
The next morning he still felt guilty about the whole ordeal. He could tell that heâd further embarrassed her sister and that yesterday that was the last thing she needed. Once again he felt like there was so much he didnât know about his sister, so he went to the person that seemed to know her best.
Annabeth was in the arena, watching closely as two young campers sparred and stepping in every now and again to correct their posture or make a quick note. She nodded  when she saw him but gestured at him to give her a second. Jason stood patiently as a new set of kids sparred. Once they were done Annabeth walked towards him. âHey! Whatâs up? I know I havenât gotten back to you about the temple-â
âOh no itâs okay. Percy told me you were busy with college applications. I actually wanted to talk to you about something else.â
He walked beside her as she dropped her weapon off at the shed and took a swing of water. âThalia?â
âYeah, how did you know?â
âShe stopped by my cabin last night. She seemed weird.â
âSheâs pretty upset about yesterday.â
Annabeth shook her head. âNo. I mean it sucked and everything but sheâs dealt with worse. She seemed almost,â she shrugged, âI donât know frazzled? Which I didnât really think possible.â
Jason agreed. âShe told me something about Puerto Rico and Reyna disarming her or something.â
Annabeth stopped mid-sip. âShe never told me that. She didnât even mention Reyna.â
Jason found that even more odd. Thalia told Annabeth everything. âApparently she wanted to show off. Show her she wasnât easy to beat or something.â
Annabeth still didnât look convinced. âI mean sure that sounds more like her. She had this whole ego battle with Percy years ago, but she got over it. She grew out of it yâknow? Did she say that?â
âThose were her words, but in all honesty I think she was trying to impress her.â
Annabeth got that look in her eye, the one that told Jason her thoughts were moving faster than he could comprehend. âI bet itâs nothing,â she said abruptly, âjust stress or something. I donât know.â
It seemed to Jason that in fact it wasnât nothing and that Annabeth did know, but before he could question her further she mumbled something about needing a shower and rushed off.
**************
Reyna knew it was foolish of her to stay an extra day at Camp Half-Blood. There was too much work to be done and it wasnât fair for her to leave Frank to do all of it. But sheâd stayed anyways. Frank had told her it was fine in the Iris Message sheâd sent, she was still getting used to it but Percy was nice enough to set it up for her. Heâd understood she didnât often get to see Hylla and since her stayed had been extended due to yesterdayâs fiasco he figured it made sense. In all honesty Reyna hadnât even thought about her sister. She felt guilty, but all sheâd been able to think about since yesterday was Thalia Grace, and how utterly deadly she looked using that spear.
It was just her luck that in that moment, Thalia Grace herself was walking back to her cabin, tired and annoying after getting an earful from an ancient satyr and sheepish looks from Grover during the Council meeting. Reyna was so engrossed in her mental picture of Thalia in battle that she didnât notice Thalia walking towards her. The daughter of Zeus, in turn, was so busy grumbling and she didnât notice Reyna, which resulted in both girls running into each other and ending in an almost identical situation as the one months prior. This time, however, Thalia had ended on top. She cursed but stopped mid-sentence once she noticed whoâd sheâd actually run into. âReyna! Gods, Iâm sorry! I didnât even see you!â
âDonât be! I walked right into you-â
âI shouldâve looked up or something.â
Had anyone been around, they wouldâve been able to comment on how strangely high both their voices had gotten, and how intensely they looked at each other when they both abruptly stopped their rambling. After a couple of seconds Thalia was the one to notice and almost jumped back when Reynaâs shaky breath touched her lips. She got up an offered her hand to Reyna, who in turn accepted, unable to keep a blush from creeping to her cheeks. Both girls stood awkwardly facing each other, neither one used to feeling this nervous. Reyna tried to ease the tension a bit. âSo...how was the Council meeting?â
A small flicker of annoyance passed through Thaliaâs face. Reyna preferred it over the deer-caught-in-headlights expression sheâd worn before. âAwful,â she said, âyour sister knows how to handle official business much better than me.â
âSurprisingly diplomatic for someone so aggressive, right?â
Thalia chuckled. âWhere you waiting for her?â
Reyna once again failed to hide a blush. In all honesty, she hadnât been waiting for her sister. Sheâs subconsciously walked to this clearing, a small part of her expecting her to run into someone, maybe not quite so literally. âYeah-yes,âshe lied, âDid you see where she went?â
âI think she went back to the Amazons. I donât really know where theyâre staying.â
âHylla likes it that way. She didnât even tell me.â Reyna felt guilty at not even trying to look. Surely, Hylla expected her to and was probably wondering why she hadnât already been to see her.
Beside Reyna, Thalia was building up the courage to ask Reyna something. She hadnât really figured out what she was going to ask but sheâd jump that hurdle when she got there. Reynaâs thoughts, however, had stayed on her sister and sheâd made up her mind to finally go see her. âI should get going,â she told Thalia, whose mouth was half-way open. She quickly hurried away, leaving Thalia feeling confused and once again embarrassed. Reyna was almost gone when she stopped and faced Thalia once again. âBy the way,â she started, a bit of a smile hiding in the corner of her smile, ânice fighting yesterday, quite impressive.â
************
Thaliaâs head buzzes with Reynaâs words all day. As punishment, her hunters and her got assigned to wash the dishes at camp and sheâs so distracted she almost plunges her hand into the lava without any gloves. Cara stops her just in time and gives her a weird look. Thalia is reminded of a very similar look given to her by Annabeth earlier. We need to talk. Annabeth sure hadnât gotten any less bossy. Thalia figured Jason mustâve told her something. Not that there was anything to tell.
That night Thalia entered cabin six to find Annabeth analyzing some blueprints. âWhat are you working on now?â
âRemodelations, temples, same old.â She waved it away but Thalia still felt a surge of pride. She remembered seven-year-old Annabeth going on and on about all the things she wanted to build. Back then Thalia would nod along but knew deep down that theyâd be lucky to get past the week, a future where she became an architect didnât really seem possible. Yet there she was. âTalked to Jason,â Annabeth said, still looking at the blueprints, âhe seems to be under the impression that he upset you.â
âWhy would he think that?â
Annabeth fixed her with a look, a look that Thalia herself had taught her, that said cut the bullshit. âWhatâs going on with you?â
Thalia was tempted to say nothing and keep ignoring the weird ball of nerves in her stomach lately, but this was Annabeth. âI-I donât know. Itâs weird and stupid.â Annabeth rolled the blueprint up and finally looked up at her. Thalia was thankful the cabin was empty and suspected Annabeth had planned it ahead. âI feel stupid.â
âFor wanting to impress Reyna?â
A small pang of annoyance hit Thalia but she pushed it down. Annabeth didnât miss a beat. âYes, Okay? What the hell is wrong with me?â
âSo itâs not an ego thing?â
âWhat? No!â
Annabeth looked more interested than before. âGood.â
âI mean I wasnât super pleased with what happened in Puerto Rico but it might have more to do with the fact that I lost Phoebe.â
Annabeth nodded. âShe was one hell of a huntress.â
Thalia thought that Phoebe was more than just one hell of a huntress. Sheâd been her best friend among the hunters and had backed her up since day one. But she knew Annabeth understood. Theyâd shared loss before. âI donât know what got into me to be honest. I mean Hylla is a bit intimidating with how she handles all the command stuff but if anything Iâm glad sheâs there to set an example for me to follow.â
Annabeth chuckled. âWow, look at Thalia all grown up and mature.â
âShut up.â She couldnât even keep the smile from her face. She really missed Annabeth. âI actually ran into her today. Reyna, I mean.â
âAnd?â
âAnd I mean literally ran into her. Knocked her down and everything. As if yesterday wasnât bad enough!â
Annabeth laughed. âSo,â she got closer to Thalia and nudged her in the ribs, âdid you ask her out or what?â
Thalia almost jumped straight into the air. Her heart raced. âWh-â
âCâmon, Thalia. I saw how you looked at her. Itâs okay.â
âOf course it isnât!â Thalia has started whispering. âI made a vow Annabeth and-â
âAnd what?â Her grey eyes seemed to be challenging Thalia, but sheâd seen them before a fight, this wasnât it. âYouâve given so much Thalia. You deserve this, whatever it is. We donât owe anything to the gods.â Thalia couldnât help but be reminded of Luke. Annabeth saw it in her eyes. âHe wouldâve wanted you to keep trying, to allow yourself-â
âStop.â It wasnât only the vow sheâd made to Lady Artemis. It was the fact that sheâd made a much stronger vow, to herself. Sheâd promised herself never again the moment sheâd pushed Luke off that cliff.
Both girls looked at each other but said nothing. They didnât have to. Annabethâs face told Thalia donât give up and Thaliaâs argued right back I already have.
***********
Reyna was only half-surprised to find Jason in the fighting arena. Back in Camp Jupiter they always ended up training at the same times, even before they were praetors. Thatâs how theyâd become friends. No one really spoke to Jason, he was a son of Jupiter from a disgraced cohort, but Reyna had seen him fight before and welcomed the idea of a good training partner. He looked up at her and smiled. âJust like old times.â
âWith the minor adjustment of this being an arena in a Greek camp.â
He laughed. âRight.â
The silence that followed was awkward, but Jason seemed determined to pretend like nothing had changed, at least for a little while. He drew his sword and Reyna followed almost on instinct. Before they both knew it they were sparring. Reyna was surprised to find some of the Greek style had seeped into Jasonâs technique, but she hadnât lagged on her trying all these months. Overall it felt good to fight with Jason again. She found herself letting go for the first time in almost a year. Sheâd missed him, missed this.
Afterwards they both sat, trying to catch their breath and taking turns drinking out of Jasonâs canteen. It was almost painful how easy it was to go back to this routine because, at the end of the day, everything had changed. Reyna had to go back to Camp Jupiter and sheâd only see Jason every now and then. He had new friends, new responsibilities.
âI missed this, â he finally said.
âSo did I,â she agreed.
He sighed and looked at his hands. She could tell he was nervous. He always bit down on that scar on his lip. âI just wanted to say I was sorry.â She looked away so he rushed to make himself clearer. âWhat I mean is that I just showed up after nine months like nothing had happened and treated you like a stranger.â
âI know you were still struggling with you memory, Jason.â
Reyna hated talking about things like this. Jason knew it, but heâd already stayed silent on the matter for too long. âNo, Reyna. I was scared of going back, scared of how much I changed. But, all those months, they donât erase the fact that youâre my friend. That you fought beside me and had my back for years.â
Reyna braced herself to look at him. It seemed foolish now that sheâd been nervous about talking to him. It was Jason after all. And maybe he had glasses now, and he fought more like Greek and he had a girlfriend and friends she didnât know, but he was still Jason. âI still have your back Jason. Always.â
âYou too, Rey.â Gods sheâd missed him. She didnât have to be put-together for him. Seeing him come back to Camp Jupiter, their home, and treat it like it didnât matter as much as it does had shattered her, and the worst part was that sheâd had to keep her poker face on throughout the whole thing. The fact that he acknowledged it, acknowledged her, was like having a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. âIâm sorry,â he told her again, âand I get if you donât want to go back to how we were-â
âOf course I want to, Jason!â She cursed herself for raising her voice and felt her face go red with shame as she felt the sting of tears but kept going. If she stopped she would never say what sheâd been fearing since she realized he was actually alive. âI just thought that it wasnât a possibility anymore. Youâre finally who we dreamed of being! Who I always saw you pushing down all those years! And I donât know if I fit into your life now-â
âReyna,â true to his Roman upbringing it was Jason who felt the shame of the sting of tears now, âyou will always fit into my life. Youâre my family.â
They let the silence settle in between them after that. It wasnât uncomfortable. They were both mildly aware of the other wiping a few tears away here and there, but the awkward tension that had been following since Jason came back to Camp Jupiter was mostly gone. It wasnât exactly like before, Reyna doubted it ever would be, but maybe that wasnât a bad thing.
After a while Jason asked: âHow much longer are you staying? Just until Hylla leaves?â
Reyna had actually come back from talking to her sister when she decided to head to the arena to squeeze in some training. âSheâs leaving tonight, actually. She promised the Council to check on some endangered nymphs so theyâre heading out.â
âHylla must share your bargaining skills, because the Hunters have to wash the dishes all week.â
Reyna chuckled along but a small spark on interest flourished in her chest. âSo, Th-your sister is staying all week?â
âSeems like it, yeah.â Jason eyed Reyna suspiciously from the corner of his eye. Reyna pretended to ignore it. âShe actually mentioned you yesterday.â
âReally?â
âYeah she noticed you and Percy watching her and Hylla fight.â
âOh well,â Reyna stalled by taking another swing of water, âtheyâre both very impressive fighters. I mainly just flew over there to see what was holding up, Percy.â Jason smiled to himself and laughed when Reyna punched his shoulder. âCâmon,â she said as a means to divert the conversation, âletâs go get some food.â
***********
Annabeth had physically forced Thalia to go to the campfire the following night. Sheâd even had to bring in Percy as reinforcement, for which Thalia had almost accomplished her long-running goal of killing someone with one glare. âCâmon, Grace!â She flinched as the sound of her motherâs last name. âItâs not going to kill you! Jasonâll be there! You could get in some quality sibling bonding time!â
She rolled her eyes and complained the whole walk there, but she finally agreed to go. She had been meaning to talk to Jason again anyways. Thalia had been too busy washing dishes the previous day. When she got there, however, she was surprised to see him seating not only with Piper, but with Reyna as well. âThereâs Jason,â Percy stupidly pointed out. He had a dubious grin on. Thalia quickly looked to Annabeth, but of course sheâd understood that their conversation, like most of the conversations they had, was very much private. Percy still knew something though. Thalia was once again reminded to never underestimate Percy. Heâd been up there watching her and Hylla fight with Reyna during capture the flag after all. This led her to wonder how Reyna had reacted to her. She was already regretting coming to the campfire.
She was formulating a plan on how to run away without Annabeth noticing when Jason saw her. He smiled and beckoned for her to join him where he was sitting. It was just her luck that the only available seat was beside Reyna. They were packed in so snuggly that Thaliaâs arm was pressed right besides Reyna. They were both wearing sleeveless shirts, so their bare skin was touching. Thalia felt as her whole arm were on fire. Piper was telling them something about her sister, Lacie, and this strange girl sheâd seen at her school, but Thalia could barely concentrate. It was like waging a small war with herself and she kept losing. A small strand of Reynaâs hair had fallen loose from her braid as well, and every time Reyna leaned forward it tickled Thaliaâs chin. She rushed up to rub the feeling away and accidentally caught Reynaâs eyes. And, once again, she lost the small war, but this time she didnât fight back. Youâve given so much, she remembered Annabeth telling her.
Maybe I deserve to try.
Reynaâs eyes were strong and vulnerable all at the same time. When she finally looked away Thalia found that she kept searching for them. She was probably doing a crappy job at keeping up with the conversation, and for a second she felt guilty about not making a bigger effort to listen to her brother. Then she remembered how Jason had moved towards Piper when heâd seen her, opening a space for her to seat beside Reyna. So she sat half-listening to Jason and Piper talk and sing along to cheesy songs. Her other half slowly melted into Reynaâs side. Their hands ended up touching and Thalia felt her heart in her throat as neither one pulled away. Finally, she felt a familiar huff of breath hit the side of her face. âLetâs get out of here,â Reyna said. Thalia grabbed her hand and pulled them into the forest. She knew that if she looked back sheâd lose her nerve so she kept going until she found a clearing with enough moonlight. She was forced to look back when she felt Reynaâs hand finally pull away.
Reyna was looking up at the moon, but quickly looked back down at her. Her eyes only stayed momentarily on hers, then they moved down until they rested on her lips. Thalia was out of breath due to the combined factors of almost running to the clearing and of her heart suddenly choosing to beat erratically. She felt like bolting when Reyna moved closer towards her, but found that her body didnât respond. All she could do was keep her eyes trained on Reyna, and she finally allowed herself to think: gods sheâs beautiful. Reyna wasnât wearing her purple cape, or armor. Thalia realized sheâd never seen her without a combination of both. She looked more real with a simple pair of jeans and a purple shirt. She looked achingly human. Thaliaâs hand moved of its own accord to cup her face. She could feel Reynaâs equally fast heartbeat, could tell she was just as nervous. But they both seemed resolved to stay.
Reyna felt more like herself than she had in years. She was scared, terrified actually, but she wasnât thinking about anything in particular when she looked at Thalia. She caught sight of her lips, felt her hand -rough with callouses from years of wielding a weapon- on her face, and let go.