#Percy jackson x reader

[xoxochb]

cw: from this request (I couldn’t respond), fingering, jealous/possesive! luke (n he’s mean ☹️), orgasm denial, this is lwk shortttt…

——— ౨ৎ ⊹ ࣪ ˖

only out of the goodness of your heart were you helping a fellow camper. the boy had been fairly new to camp, still learning the general hang of things. you had met him at breakfast one morning, you were both running late and ended up talking for a while. he had explained to you that he was unable to sword fight with other campers because of his inexperienced nature, and you so kindly had offered to help him with this. just a regular camper-helping other camper kind of ordeal— that’s all it was.

unfortunately, your through the eyes of your boyfriend you and the boy had been practically making out shamelessly in the middle of the field! the boy was just ‘all over you,’ and ‘giving you heart eyes’ the whole time, which are both direct quotes straight from the mouth of luke. you denied both and told him you had simply been helping the boy out since he was desperately in need of it. he didn’t believe a word of what you said, and though he knew you were loyal, that didn’t stop him from being any more angry. why would you let that boy openly flirt with you?

good question— he didn’t care. and that was shown solely when his fingers traveled teasingly over your thigh, just only lightly hitting your wet entrance, not daring to do anything further just yet, enjoying the way you’re entirely at his mercy.

“please…” you whine. in response, luke only peppers a kiss to your clavicle. “please.”

“why were you helping him?”

fucking gods.

“I told you,” you swallow thickly. “he- he needed it.”

“does he know you’re mine?”

you nod at a rapid pace, in only hopes he’ll give you what you desire.

“use your words, angel, c’mon.”

“he does- luke, please.”

just this once he allows you to get what you want— next time it isn’t this easy. he inserts one finger, your velvety walls nearly instantly clenching around him. you’re desperate aren’t you? it’s hopeless. the worst part is, he’s barely doing anything, teasing, and you know why, you know exactly why. you quietly murmur pleads for him to pick up the speed and it’s not that he can’t hear you— he can, he’s just choosing to pretend you’re not speaking at all. with one hand, you tug roughly at his curls, fisting then so tightly in your palms.

he gets your memo, he plugs in his middle finger alongside the other. you let a moan slip from your lips, pathetic. you feel your skin heating up, burning. then, he curls your fingers to such a sweet extent, nearly tipping you over an edge. an edge he’ll deny you until you understand that you’re his. your eyes prickle with angry tears.

“please, let me- luke, please-”

“please what?”

you rock your hips into his fingers, in hope for any sort of friction or pleasure you can receive for now.

“y’know… I don’t like when you’re seeing other boys…”

“I don’t-” you can’t breathe, that’s your problem. “don’t like him.”

“you’re mine, got that?”

“yes I- I’m yours!”

“I don’t think you get it, though…” luke’s fingers slow their pace, you let out an involuntarily whimper at this.

“please!” you repeat the word more than you could count, endlessly murmuring it in hopes he’ll simply let you have it (which he doesn’t). “please, luke, I won’t- hm- won’t help other boys, please.”

he doesn’t even respond to this. just progressively and torturously slows the pace of his fingers with every beg escaping your mouth. until, this is, they part from you.

he’s got to be fucking kidding you.

(spoiler warning: he’s not).

[mathitas]

The seven (and Nico and Will) take care of you when you're sick

HOO seven plus Nico and Will x Gn!Reader

Percy

When Percy realised you were sick, he got even more protective over you. He wouldn’t let you go fight or exercise and tried to keep you in your cabin most of the time, even dealing with Mr. D’s lectures.

You couldn’t even fight back when you saw his efforts in making you feel better.

He tried making you comforting (blue) food, and he always told you how his mother always used to make it when he was a young kid.

He’d be so annoying, to be fair, but he would also pamper you a lot, getting you everything you’d ask for, except letting you do anything that would tire you out. You were sick! Let him do it instead! You need to rest!

“Let me get up,” you whined as you struggled to get Percy off of you, “no! No training for today, doctor’s orders,” he hugged you tighter, trying to keep you still. You just struggled more, until you eventually gave up. “You’re not even a doctor” you sighed and he just gave you a cheeky grin, “but I’m your boyfriend.”

Annabeth Chase

She’d stay in bed with you, reading a book, even reading it to you, if you asked so. You just loved hearing your firm girlfriend’s voice when you were sick. She’d gently explain everything her book said to you since it was about complex architecture, if you didn’t understand the chapter well.

She’d also request for you not to do much for the day and scold you if you decide to train anyway. She’d ask you to at least let her help you if she really can’t stop you.

She’d hold you and probably make fun of the way you sound and sleep when you’re sick, just to be mean to you and watch you smile and get mad at her comments.

“Did you actually fall asleep?” she asked, as she finished reading a chapter she got particularly passionate about. She sighed as she got no answer before a smile took over her face. “You look like a duck, a very sick one” she chuckled to herself before closing her book and planting a soft kiss on your forehead before drifting off to some rest as well.

Jason

He would try to keep calm and stay collected, but he’s actually worried as hell. When he saw you all sick and weak, he couldn’t help but think you were dying or something. So he would try to stay close to you, and get information about how you were feeling quietly.

Once you told him you’d get better soon, he calmed down a bit, but he was still worried. You could see how he always kept an eye on you and stopped you from doing anything, just telling you he’d “do it for you”.

He would genuinely do anything you asked him to, and when you started to get better, you might have heard him sigh from relief.

“Your face is hotter than usual,” he says, his sight switching from the wall to your face quickly as he adjusted his glasses nervously. “Yeah, I’m sick,” you answered, and he visibly tensed up. You could see him slowly scooting over to you, placing your head on his shoulder. “I’ll be fine a few days.” He just nodded. “Is that so? I’m glad? Oh, stop. I’ll get it for you.” He put an arm over you and you tried to grab the termometer, and got up to get it himself

Leo

Leo would whine a lot about how you weren’t able to cuddle with him properly, or train with him, or spend time with him. Not that’s gonna stop it. If you told him you’d didn’t want him to get close to you so he wouldn’t get sick too, let me tell you… this boy DID NOT care!!!

He wants to hold you and make you feel better. Hell! He INVENTED a special dish to make you feel better, which is inspired by his mother’s special recipe.

He’d make you watch your favorite shows with him, holding you in your cabin, as he completely ignored Mr D’s scoldings (he asked for Nico’s help to get rid of him. Good thing Nico was his friend, kind of).

If you complained about him being too hot, he would loosen his hold on you (reluctantly) and probably feel a bit bad about it. But what do you want him to do? You’re all sick and cute like this;let him cuddle you!

“Hey, what do you wanna watch?” he asks as he puts the covers over you. You mumbled against his shoulder and he chuckled, “Yeah, I understood that.” He teased you as he held you a bit closer to him. “Can you make me some more?” you asked softly, pointing to the empty bowl. He looked at you happily before nodding, “thank you, Leo”. He kissed your hand as he got up and said, “No need to thank me, amor.".

Frank

Frank would definitely panic at first, getting nervous about how to treat you, especially the first times it happened. He didn’t know what to do since he was shyer early in your relationship.

However, that didn’t stop his protective side from showing.

He would probably be surprised by how frail you looked, and felt an urge to protect you like he never did before. You were a pretty impressive demigod after all, and now you looked so weak and in need of care. Of course he was gonna give it to you.

You appreciated it even more, knowing how shy he would be normally, and took all the love happily.

“Here, I got you something. It’s gonna make you feel better” he says as he handles you some medicine. “Thanks, Frank,” you said and you noticed how he didn’t walk out your room. He looked down and his face was red. He didn’t want to leave. You got up and hugged him, and he hugged you back softly. “Stay here,” you asked, and he nodded, “of course.”

Piper

Piper would be extra sweet to you, bringing you treats and offering to spend the whole day with you, to take care of you. She would accept whatever decision you make, secretly hoping you’d choose her company.

She’d ask you to do something with her, to spend time, and find some excuse to take care of you. She’d also ask if you’re just up to resting, if you said yes, she’d hold you softly as you rest against her. She wouldn’t dare to move.

In a modern AU, just know she'a gonna take a lot of pictures just because she thinks you look cute like this.

She’d probably consume some media as your eyes are closed, or read something, and she feels the happiest she’s been in a while, after everything she went through, to have you just relying on her on your sick days.

“You’re really cute, you know that?” he said softly, as you mumbled in your sleep at the sound of her voice. She chuckled as she tried to keep as still as possible. Her quiet laugh filled the room, other than your soft (or loud) snoring. She sighed happily, and gave you soft scratches, putting you into a deeper sleep.

Hazel

She would spend all of your sick days trying to find an healing spell that wasn’t too rough for your simple cold. Or whatever it was.

However, she’d do everything you ask her to do. Like, if you pleaded her to stop searching for a cure, and just spend some proper time with you, she would leave everything she was doing just to make you happy. Even tho she’d still try to find something when you’re asleep or closing your eyes.

She’d also be kind of shy at first, and wouldn’t make the first move to cuddle you if you didn’t ask first, but she was very happy when you did and she couldn’t help from enjoying herself when she got to hold you close.

She also saw you as someone she wanted to protect in that moment, and now she had you all to herself.

“Hazel, come here.” You whined as she repeated some spells silently. “Wait, I think I found the one.” You just sighed and she stopped reading out loud. “What is it?” she asked quietly.“Just spend time with me, please?” you asked, and she smiled shyly. “Alright, I’m coming.” In a few minutes you were in her arms, and in a few minutes you were out. You wondered how you were feeling so much better after a few hours’s sleep, but you quickly got your answer,

Nico

He would try to act like it was not a big deal (and it probably wasn’t) but he also wouldn’t leave your side. No way he would, genuinely. You’re stuck with him. And you couldn’t feel luckier. THE Nico Di Angelo cared about being with you through your illness, your sweet sweet (and kinda emo) boyfriend.

He would be way sweeter than usual, he’s usually pretty sweet, but he would get not only protective, but even sweeter than normal.

He’d stop you from getting out of your bed, and force to move to his cabin, because it was a “more sterilised place” than your room and you would feel better easier.

You complied, because he was right. And he cuddled you when you asked him to, even tho he tried to hide how happy he was about it.

“Hey, what if you get sick because of this?” you ask as you snuggle against his chest, “then it’d be your turn to take care of me,” you chuckle weekly, as you let out a few coughs. “You’d be insufferable,” you complain jokingly. “I always am.”

Will

Will would honestly be the best AND worst option for this. He would make you feel better immediately and be the most annoying one about it too. Gods, he wouldn’t let you do anything. He’d keep saying everything he was asking you to do was “doctor’s orders”, and not only that, you genuinely had no other choice but to do it.

We all know how annoying Will gets otherwise. You just couldn’t deal with that. And he was very proud about it.

He’d take you to the infirmary until you feel better, and trust me, you’re going to get better fast. He’s putting all of his care on you and he’s not gonna stop until you’re 100% healed.

But, if he were the one to get sick instead, he probably wouldn’t let you do much for him. He’d never really say no to some pampering.

“Will, come on, I’m good already!” He shook his head as he stopped you from getting up, “your nose is still stuffy, no way.” “Ugh… Will, come on.” “Nuh-uh, doctor’s orders,” he insisted, before you complied again “doctor’s orders, my ass” you mumbled, “what did you say?” he asked, even tho he heard perfectly, and you just rolled your eyes and said, “nothing, nothing.” He just laughed at you, and gave you a soft kiss on your cheek.

[islassour]

luke castellan x reader angst plsss

ofc. 🫡

you should've come over.

luke castellan x reader

you always thought of that day that luke had left camp to serve kronos. you thought that you would've changed his mind if you didn't have that argument over him sneaking out, you really, really regretted everything you'd said. did he regret it too? only the gods above would know.

it trailed back into your head everyday as you passed by the hermes cabin, it was a bit more quiet and less hyper-active as it was. you missed the sound of them messing around and their stupid pillow fights they'd have almost every day.

"do you understand how worried i was?!" you whisper-shouted as you walked along the forest trail. it was only a month ago now.

'you need to chill out," luke rolled his eyes. "i got back here just fine, it was a little bit of fun thats it."

"it might have been, but i was genuinely gonna freak and go ask connor where you were at, and i really do not like that kid." you stated bluntly.

"can't you just come over to my cabin and i'll make it up to you? please?" he pleaded, his tone etched with annoyance.

"unlike you, i don't break the camp rules." you mumbled, glancing at him softly. "we'll just talk about this tomorrow, besides the celebrations on for percy-"

"oh my fucking gods. percy this, percy that, can you please stop talking about this kid?" he groaned again as he stopped in his tracks.

"what has gotten into you recently?" you took a step towards him with a mixture of concern and anger on your expression. "you've been really strange ever since you came back from your quest and its killing me not knowing whats up with you."

"oh come on, are you really that paranoid on everything?" he grunted with his hand running through his hair. "just- just please act like your not upset with me, not tonight."

"what makes this so different to any other night?" you scoffed. "don't make up stupid excuses cause you know i'm right."

"just stop getting so worried!" he snapped, immediate regret on his expression. "shit- i'm sorry, i really am-"

"what the fuck is up your ass?!" you yelled as your arms flew into the air for a split second. "you know- ugh forget it. i'll speak to you in the morning."

"no come on, don't do this." he shook his head, taking your forearm into his hand as he tried to tug you back. "please i really am sorry."

"your apologies don't mean anything to me right now." you scowled, you could tell he meant it but you were angry and upset.

"please." he begged, he acted as if he wouldn't be here ever again.

"goodnight, luke, i will see you in the morning." you growled, the passive aggressive tone in your voice thick.

little did you know, it really was the last day he would step foot in camp. and your heart ached, to hear his soothing words and feel his kind hands again.

[wqlfstqr]

◟𖥻 ♡⃕ spider boy, king of thieves:

spiderman ! percy jackson

▰▰▰ pairing(s): percy jackson x female!reader.

Spider-boy, king of thieves Weave your little webs of opacity

author: percy jackson is the textbook definition of a peter parker variant, fight me

y/n loved Percy Jackson, she was sure of it. Had been sure of it for years now. For some time, she had been sure, too, that those feelings were one hundred percent reciprocated.

Percy and her, they had this pull towards each other, or that's what everyone else seemed to believe when they said the two of them were perfect for each other. Sadly, y/n was aware that the fairytale everyone seemed to buy was far from perfect and, as much as she wanted to be with him, something always seemed to get in the way.

This was the thrid time they broke up, and y/n was sure it was going to be the final time. Of course, they always seemed to find their way back to each other but she couldn't allow that to happen another time. As much as she loved him, she simply couldn't.

Because dating Percy was a mess, a hurtful mess. it wasn't always like that. they used to be happy and in love, but then he started disappearing for hours with no communication, arriving late to pick her up or standing her up on dates, and he always gave some kind of made up explanation about it. The last straw was when he arrived two hours late to the winter dance he had promised to take her and then refused to tell her why.

y/n's friends seemed to think there had to be two explanations: he was cheating on her or losing feelings for her. Either way, she didn’t want to find out, so she broke up with him before he had the chance to break her heart again. Now there was absolutely no going back, even if all she wanted to do was call him back and take back everything, that wouldn't even work since he never even answered his phone.

"so this is the last time, huh?" her best friend said skeptically, as if she really didn’t believe her. Fair enough, she had already gone back to him two times already.

"yes, and you'll see I really mean it this time." she reassured her friend as she held her phone in between her ear and her shoulder, her hands busy while she went through her closet. "this trip is just what I need, when I'm back I won't even remember who Percy Jackson is."

That was hardly the truth, but at least she hoped she could begin to get over him while she was away for the holidays. She was going to Boston to visit family there, and maybe some time apart from the city and from Percy would be just what she needed.

"y/n, you know I love you" her friend started and she was taking the clothes she needed for the trip but she paused when she heard her tone. "but I find that hard to believe."

y/n was about to reply in her defense, when her gaze landed on a blue sweater in her closet. Percy's sweater. She didn’t even know how long it had been there, but she knew exactly what to do.

"i'm being serious, I'll even go and give him his things back before I go to Boston." she decided, dropping her own clothes in her suitcase before taking the sweater from her closet.

that was something she had never done in the past two breakups, and she did have a lot of his stuff just hanging around in her room. Some of his clothes, his camera from the last time he came around, some of his books, drawings, comics, even the christmas gift she had already bought and wrapped for him weeks ago.

She hadn't realized how much of his stuff she had until she hung up on her friend and she already had a box full of his things. It was difficult not to cry while going through it all, everything held a memory behind it and every memory having anything to do with Percy was painful enough to bring tears to her eyes.

Still, she managed to keep her feelings in check as she took the box and walked out of her apartment, thankfully her parents seemed to be too busy packing to have any questions as she slipped out of the front door. Then, walking to Percy's was easy enough since he didn’t live too far from her, so twenty minutes later she stood upside of his apartment with the box in one hand as she knocked with the other one.

It wasn't Percy that came to open, and she should've been grateful that it was Sally instead, but her smile almost dropped because maybe she had wanted to see him. Still, Sally was too sweet not to smile at her as she opened the door. "y/n! what are you doing out in this cold? and without sweater!"

something she could admit was that she was going to miss was Sally, Percy's mom was just the sweetest and always cared for y/n like she was family. And now the tears were threatening to spill again.

"I wasn't planning on spending too much time out of my house." she started, biting the inside of her cheek because she couldn't, for the love of God, cry in front of Sally. "I was just dropping Percy's stuff off."

Sally looked at the box in her hands and finally seemed to register what was happening, her smile fading slowly as she now looked at the teenager with pity. y/n knew she was probably aware of the break up, Percy always told Sally everything, but it was hard having to stand there and act all tough when the woman was looking at her with such sadness.

still, Sally was nothing if not positive, so after a second she smiled again. "he's not here right now, but you can come in and wait for him if you want." she opened the door further, as if welcoming her in.

and y/n knew she shouldn't, she should just leave the box with Sally and forget all about Percy, but she simply couldn't say no to Sally. And, well, she hadn't seen Percy since last week, it would hurt to see him one last time. Maybe make sure he was doing alright.

"okay" she nodded and stepped into the apartment, following behind Sally as she beamed at her.

Of course, Sally gave her some hot cocoa and blue chocolate chip cookies while she waited, and she made sure to avoid the breakup topic when they both sat down to talk. y/n loved Sally, she was always full of stories and advice and a kind of motherly love y/n herself wasn't used to receiving from her own mother.

But after an hour, Percy hadn't came back and Sally didn’t have a clue where he was, so she sent y/n to wait for him in his room while she went to run some errands. Which y/n should've refused to do but yet again didn’t.

"And y/n?" Sally called as she opened the door, the younger girl was still amazed at how much the woman trusted her just to leave her there. "I can't say I know what exactly happened between you and Percy, but I can tell you he cares about you."

Yeah, that's what y/n had wanted to believe for years, what everyone always told her. But now she wasn't so sure about it, still, she smiled at Sally and let her go before she went into Percy's room, which was exactly how she remembered from the last time she had been there.

She tried not to look around too much, knowing she would feel too nostalgic about it all, instead she busied herself with playing some game on her phone while she waited. Unfortunately, thirty minutes later Percy hadn't arrived and she was already too tired of waiting for him. That's all she ever did. So she stood up from his bed, leaving the box there and shortly after making her way to the door while the dissapointment settled in her stomach.

but then just as she was about to turn the knob, she heard some ruffling behind her back and then the noise of Percy's window opening. She immediatly turned around, her heart racing as she expected to find some thief entering through the window, yet she had to stop herself from screaming when she didn’t find thief but, far from it, Spider-man.

what was Spider-man doing in Percy's room? As he entered the room, y/n put her hands over her mouth to stiffle a stragled sound. Spider-man didn’t seem to realize she was there as he started crawling through the roof.

y/n was gaping at the superhero, unsure of what to do as her mind raced through countless scenarios. Yet, nothing could have prepared her for what happened next. She let out a squeak she couldn’t contain when Spider-Man started to remove his mask, catching his attention

wait wait wait y/n froze when she realized- first she recognized the hair. his hair. the one she had ran her fingers through countless of times. When he finally turned around, she already knew who he was.

Percy looked as shocked as she was once his eyes finally found her, her pale face and her back against the door she had been trying to open just seconds before. "this is not what you think it is." he blurted out, still hanging from the roof.

She had trouble finding her voice again. "so you're not Spider-man, you just go around crawling on people's ceilings dressed as him?" she asked, surprised at the slight sarcasm in her shocked voice.

He let go of the roof, y/n was about to point out that his amazing landing didn’t exactly help his case at all, but he looked at her with panic in his eyes so she shut her mouth. "well maybe it is what it looks like."

She lost her breath, and she knew she had to sit down soon, so she simply walked past him and took a seat in his bed, exactly where she had been minutes before. Percy's eyes shifted at the box placed beside her, and he looked like he was about to question it before he shook his head and pushed it away so he could sit.

"So you're Spider-man." she managed to say after a few seconds of silence that felt like hours.

"I guess I am." he replied, shrugging like it wasn't a big deal at all, for a moment y/n wanted to throw something at him but now that she knew he was Spider-man, it was likely he was going to catch it before it even came close to hitting him.

That thought opened the door for many others as realization dawned on her: Every time he caught something without even looking, every time he was late to dates or disappeared for hours only to reappear suddenly—she realized it all added up. The missed calls, unanswered messages, and the times he stood her up, and-

"Oh my god, is this why you were late for the winter dance?" he seemed to hesitate before he nodded slowly, she averted her eyes to look at anything but him, she couldn't look at him right now. "so you let me break up with you instead of just telling me the truth?"

"it's not-" he stopped himself, taking a deep breath before he could go on. "it's not like that, I just wanted to keep you safe."

She didn’t know if she was annoyed or sad, but she sure as hell wanted to cry. "Percy you've been lying to me, that's not fair."

Percy rubbed the back of his neck, looking directly at her even though she wasn't looking at him. "I know it’s not fair. I know I messed up. But I didn’t want you to get hurt because of me. I thought you’d be safer if you didn’t know, if I kept you away from me."

"Safer?" she scoffed, finally meeting his gaze with her eyes filled with tears. "Percy, you don't get to decide that for me. Do you know how much it hurt to think you didn’t care? I thought I wasn't enough for you for so long."

Seeing the tears in her eyes made Percy want to reach and hug her, but he knew her too much to know that she would probably pull away. "I care about you, that's why I did it." he felt like he was drowning as he tried to explain himself. "you mean everything to me, I wouldn't want to risk putting you in danger."

Her lips trembled as the anger melted into exhaustion. She wanted so badly to just let it go and fall back again into his arms, but the wound in her chest still ached. "You should’ve told me. I would've understood you."

He hesitated, his shoulders sagging as he admitted, "I was scared, okay? Scared the people after me would use you to get to me. Do you think I wanted you to feel like this? To lose you to this?"

The room fell silent again, but after a moment she looked away and stood up from the bed, she couldn't bear another minute there "I don’t know if I can forgive you," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Not right now."

And with that, Percy let her go. He had so many things to say, but he knew it wasn't the right time, it was better to just give her some time to think. But he also knew that she wouldn't let her walk away again, not this time. Not ever again.

y/n's parents were very mad at her but she couldn't bring herself to care just yet. The boston trip would've been an excellent idea after all the mess with Percy, but instead she had decided to skip it altogether and stay home for christmas.

Fortunately, New York was big enough so that she could avoid running into Percy. Unfortunately, it was difficult not to think about him when everything reminded her of him.

y/n loved to spend her afternoons walking through the bustling streets of New York. Right in that moment, she was trying to distract herself, but everything reminded her of him: the street vendor they always stopped by for pretzels, the bookstore where he had listened to her talk about every book she had read, the park where they had shared their first kiss just under a snowy day like this. Every way she looked to, there was a memory of him hidden.

She was so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice him hidden, following her every step until suddenly strong arms wrapped tight around her waist, and before she could even gasp, she’s was already soaring into the sky. Wind rushed past her as she looks at the the familiar red-and-black suit. "Percy!" she yells, half-angry, half-dizzy from the height.

He chuckles, the sound muffled through the mask. "Hey. Missed me?" she wanted to keep screaming at him, but she looked down and realized just how high they were so she gasped intead, holding tighly onto him.

He swung them higher, the city blurring beneath them until they landed on the rooftop of some random building. She stumbled a little, trying to catch her breath, but Percy steadied her.

"What the hell, Percy? you can't just do that and-" the words died in her mouth once she looked at what was waiting just in front of her.

"Surprise." he said softly, motioning to the cozy picnic blanket and basket waiting for them. The setting sun was casting a golden glow over the skyline, the view breathtaking.

He pulled his mask off as he turns to face her, his sea green eyes full of guilt. "I know it won't solve everything, but I just need you to listen to me, and after that if you hate it, you can push me off this roof."

That made her smile just a little, unintentionally showing the lingering affection she had been trying to bury. "as if that would work, you would probably land on your feet."

He laughed, and she realized just how much she was missed that laugh.

However, before she could even try to commit it to memory, he turned serious again as he took a step closer to her. "I'm really sorry for not telling you the truth sooner, I should have never let you believe that I didn’t care about you. I can't take what I did back, but from now on I swear to you that I'll never keep anything else from you again. Just let me show you how much you mean to me. One day at a time"

She tilted her head to the side, giving him a soft smile. "You’re really not going to give up, are you?"

"Not a chance," Percy replied almost immediatly, as if he didn’t even need to think about it. "You mean too much to me."

She looked at him for a long moment of silence, but she didn’t say anything, she simply stood there in silence before she finally sighed and went to sit on the blanket he had set up, he seemed confused but immediatly followed her to sit beside her. He didn’t push her, didn’t try to force a resolution. He just sat there, letting her process, letting her feel.

"Does this mean I don’t get pushed off the roof?"

"Don’t push your luck, Jackson," she replied, rolling her eyes even though there was a smile tugging at her lips.

They both sat right there in silence until she finally speaked again, looking up at the sky before going back to find his eyes, that were already on her. "one day at a time." she granted finally, and before he could even begin to smile, she continued. "but no more secrets."

Percy’s lips twitched into a small smile, and he nodded. "no more secrets."

She smiled at him, and he smiled at her. And they both knew that maybe not everything was okay just yet, but they would work it out. They were both in silence, except this time it was peaceful knowing that there was no secret between them.

However, as much as Percy was happy, he was also Percy so he couldn't hold the silence for much longer. "have you ever wanted to see New York the way I do?" he asked.

She hesitated, narrowing her eyes at him. "What does that mean?"

He stood up, offering her a hand as his eyes had a certain playful shine on them. "trust me, just let me show you."

And because y/n would follow that boy just about anywhere without any doubt, she took his hand after a second and let herself be pulled by him. It all happened so fast, one moment she's was standing up and the next he had her arms wrapped around her waist, stepping backwards off the ledge of the rooftop.

"Percy!" she shrieked, clinging to him instinctively as they both hung upside down.

"Relax, I’ve got you," he told her, chuckling softly. He started to walk slowly along the side of the building, his movements careful. She clutched onto him tightly, her heart racing from the adrenaline... and maybe from being so close to him again. "I always do."

When they reached a quiet spot where they could see the skyline, he stopped, holding her steady. "Look" he said softly, holding her with one arm as he uses the other to point to the city.

She followed his gaze, her breath hitching at how breathtaking the city lights looked shining beneath them. "it's beautiful, Percy" she mumbled.

"You’re beautiful" he didn’t meant to say it out loud, but he did and maybe he didn’t regret it, because when she looked at him, just a moment, the weight of their recent struggles melted away.

She rolled her eyes, but a small laugh escaped her. And it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. "That’s the corniest thing you’ve ever said."

"hey! I’m trying here" he replied, grinning. "besides, you deserve all the cheesy lines in the world."

y/n shook her head, but she couldn't hide her smile. And maybe, she thought, it isn't perfect at all but it's right. He's right for her. They are right for eachother.

They stayed there, just looking at the city underneath them as the night stretched on until it's was time for her to go back home. With the city humming below, Percy swung her back to her apartment.

The night air felt cold against her face, but thankfully her apartment wasn't far away. in no time, Percy was settling her down on the fire scape by her window.

"home sweet home." she couldn't see his face since he had put on the mask, but she knew he was grinning.

"thank you for dropping me home, quite literally." she smiled at him as she opened her window, but she didn’t step inside just yet because she wanted to be there with him for a longer moment. "and for everything else."

"anytime." once again, y/n wished she could see behind the mask because she could swear he was smiling, and she loved seeing that smile. Percy seemed like he was also buying time before he had to go. "hey, we're ok?"

"we will be" she nodded, and that seemed to be a good enough answer for Percy, who nodded back and took a deep breath.

Not knowing what else to say, she finally stepped into her room. Percy he took a deep breath as he saw her, then legs hooked over the ledge and he hung upside down, his head poking through her winsow.

"good night, y/n" he mumbled softly, ready to swing away. but just as he was turning to leave, she finally spoke.

"wait, Percy" she called for him, making him stop and turn his face back to her almost immediately, he looked alarmed, like he was bracing himself for something terrible to happen.

He was about to ask what was wrong, but y/n didn’t even stop to think before she pulled his mask down, uncovering his lips. Percy, perched outside her window, let out a surprised gasp just as she leaned in and claimed his lips with hers.

Percy's breath caught in his throat as he froze, surprised. But when he finally did react, he steadied himself, and leaned into the kiss, his heart pounding so hard he was afraid it might jump out of his chest at any moment.

The kiss started tentative, a mix of hesitation and longing. But as they melted into each other, the city around them faded away. For the first time in weeks, she felt whole again.

When they finally pulled apart, she could finally see the smile on his face. "and there it is folks, Spider-Man always gets the girl."

She rolled her eyes, swatting his chest lightly, but she couldn't possibly fight the smile tugging at her lips. "You’re impossible."

"And you love it." he replied, his grin widening.

y/n chuckled, looking down at him, her heart full. "I’ll see you soon, Percy," she said, her voice playful yet fond.

"make that tomorrow." He winked at her, then swung away into the night, leaving her standing by the window, knowing that they would be alright.

[dreamdragonkadia]

a/n: Something something Percy and vacation, because we all know the poor guy deserves a break. For some reason, I have this entire short series of Percy and his partner in Hawaii floating around in my head. Surfboards, shaved ice, and a lot of sunburn jokes (because you know Nico would never let this go). Honestly, it’s the idea of him being both so in his element with the water and so hilariously out of his depth when it comes to the whole “vacation” thing.

daughter of hades! reader

For as much as you were your father's daughter, the sun seemed to give you the perfect tan—unlike any other child of Hades. (RIP Nico, your lobster-colored skin will never be forgotten.) At least it usually did. This time, you were pretty sure you'd leave the water with a good sunburn, judging by the relentless warmth soaking into your skin. But you couldn't bring yourself to leave your surfboard. Not with the way your sunglasses fit snuggly on your nose, nor when the waves were so perfect, lapping against your legs and carrying you with a kind of ease you'd been craving for weeks.

This whole trip was a much-needed vacation after weeks of college exams and late-night stress eating. The only thing keeping you sane during those grueling study sessions was the promise of seeing Percy again. Long-distance relationships were complicated as hell—ironic, given your family ties—but somehow, the two of you made it work. Even going from opposite ends of the world to just two states away hadn't magically solved the struggle of missing him every single day. But him attending New Rome University did make things easier when it came to shadow travel.

So, when your semester ended, you made it your mission to convince your boyfriend that a trip to Hawaii would solve all your problems. It was the ultimate win-win situation. You got a week on the beach, Percy got to try out his water skills in style, and both of your families got a much-needed break. Plus, it wasn’t every day that the son of Poseidon got to show off in the Pacific. Plus, this whole trip was going on Daddy's credit card anyways.

The sound of a familiar laugh cut through the rhythmic crash of waves, and you glanced toward the shoreline. Percy stood there, grinning ear to ear, holding what looked like a painfully large plate of shaved ice. He waved it in the air as if to say, Hurry up, or I’m eating this all myself. Typical.

"You're lucky I like you," you muttered to yourself with a grin, lying flat on the board and paddling toward the beach. The salty spray stung your eyes, but it was worth it. Every second you spent in Hawaii with Percy felt like another little reminder of why you'd fallen for him in the first place. His effortless charm. The way he somehow always made you laugh, even on your worst days. And, of course, how he absolutely refused to stop teasing you for being a "walking contradiction."

"You're Hades' kid," he'd said when you first arrived, eyes sparkling as he watched you grab a lei of bright yellow plumerias. "Aren't you supposed to, like, hate the sun or something?"

You’d shoved the lei into his face. "We don't all brood like Nico, you know."

The water rushed around your ankles as you pushed the board closer to shore, and Percy handed you the shaved ice with a cheeky smile, already plotting something—you could tell by the glint in his sea-green eyes. Sure enough, as soon as he sat down, he used his powers to send a gentle wave rolling up behind you, pushing the board—and both of you—back into the ocean. "Took you long enough. I thought I’d have to send a search party."

"Oh, please." You rolled your eyes, trying to steady yourself while digging your spoon into the colorful mound. "I’m not the one who spent half an hour arguing with the guy about blue raspberry being superior to pineapple."

"It is superior," Percy argued, unrepentant, pressing his legs against either side of yours. "I’m just spreading the truth."

"Spreading lies, you mean," you shot back, handing him the bowl, then, with a content sigh, you lay back against the board, letting the gentle rocking of the ocean drift your mind away.

How the two of you managed to fit so perfectly on the surfboard was a mystery, especially considering that Percy was anything but small. But somehow, it worked. Maybe that was just...you and him. Always finding a way to make things fit, no matter how chaotic or improbable it seemed.

“We should do one of those couple massages the hotel offers,” Percy muttered, breaking the peaceful silence. You felt him lean forward against your legs, his voice a warm rumble as the waves continued to lap softly around you. “Mom and Paul got one this morning, and she said it was worth it.”

So that’s why Sally and Paul had left Estelle with you two earlier. Not that you minded. Estelle adored both of you, and you couldn’t say no to that little face. The memory of her tiny fingers tugging on yours that morning as she lay between you in bed brought a smile to your lips. She had giggled uncontrollably every time you’d snuggled closer, her bright laugh filling the room in a way that made your heart feel impossibly full.

“She’s the best, isn’t she?” Percy asked, as if reading your mind.

“Definitely,” you agreed, a fond smile curling your lips. “She didn’t even cry when I accidentally dropped her pacifier. Just gave me this little side-eye like, ‘Really? You’re supposed to be the responsible one.’”

Percy barked a laugh, the sound so genuine it made your chest ache in the best way. “Yeah, that’s my sister, all right. She’s already better at judging people than I am.”

“Low bar,” you teased, nudging his side lightly with your foot.

“Hey!” He grabbed your ankle in mock indignation, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You wound me.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, the sound blending with the soft crash of waves around you. Moments like this—peaceful, playful, with no looming monsters or world-ending crises, or college essay's due—were rare, and you wanted to soak in every second.

“So,” Percy said after a moment, letting go of your ankle and leaning back again, placing the bowl of already half eaten ice in the empty space under your legs. “Massages or no?”

You hummed in thought, pretending to deliberate even though you already knew the answer. “Fine. As long as this sunburn doesn't kill me tomorrow."

“Ah, yes, finally you will achieve that lobster burn like all children of Had—” Percy started to laugh, but you didn’t let him finish. With a quick shove of your leg, you pushed him off the surfboard, sending him tumbling into the water.

There was a startled yelp, followed by a loud splash, and then silence. For a moment, the waves lapped peacefully, as if the ocean itself was holding its breath.

Then, with a dramatic gasp, Percy resurfaced, water dripping from his soaked bangs as he propped himself up on the edge of the board. His nose was inches from yours, his sea-green eyes narrowed into an exaggerated pout. “Hey! What was that for?!”

“For daring to slander my superior tanning skills,”

Percy squinted at you, water glistening on his skin. “You know, I could just flip this board and end this little truce right now.”

“Percy, so help me, if you try—” Your words were cut off as he leaned forward, slotting his mouth against yours.

The kiss was warm and salty, the ocean’s spray clinging to both of you as his hand found your cheek. For a moment, the world stilled—the waves, the sky, the sun—all of it fading into the background as his lips moved with yours. All that mattered was Percy, his touch, the quiet certainty that he was yours, and you were his.

When he pulled back, his grin was back in full force, all smug and playful. “That’s what I thought,” he said.

You narrowed your eyes at him, trying to keep your expression serious, though the heat blooming in your cheeks probably gave you away. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

“Lucky?” Percy quirked an eyebrow, sliding back onto the board with practiced ease. “Babe, I’m a catch.”

You groaned, pushing the shaved ice back into his hands. “And now I’m regretting everything.”

“Liar,” he teased, bumping his knee against yours. The two of you sat there, the surfboard rocking gently beneath you. You let out a long sigh, resting your head against Percy’s shoulder, your fingers idly trailing through the cool water beside the board. “You know,” you said after a beat, “I think this might be the longest we’ve gone without a sea monster showing up.”

“Don’t jinx it,” Percy warned, his voice light but carrying just enough seriousness to make you laugh. “The last thing I want is a giant crab ruining my shaved ice.”

“Or ruining our massage plans,” you added with a small grin. “You’re still treating me, by the way.”

“Treating you?” Percy shot you a faux-offended look. “I’m the one risking my life out here. You’re the one who almost drowned me.”

“You fell off,” you corrected, snickering as you felt his gaze on you. “I just… gave you a little nudge.”

“Yeah, sure,” he muttered, shaking his head, but the way his arm wrapped around your waist told you he wasn’t really upset.

The two of you drifted for a while longer, the sounds of laughter and waves filling the air. As the sun moved across the sky, Percy glanced at you, his eyes softening. “Thanks for this.”

“For what?” you asked, turning to meet his gaze.

“For... making everything better,” he admitted, his voice quieter now. “Even when stuff sucks, you somehow make it less sucky.”

You smiled, leaning into his warmth. “That’s what I’m here for.”

Percy grinned, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “Well, good. Because I’m not letting you go.”

You smiled up at him. “You’re stuck with me, Seaweed Brain.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

[valsverse]

⠀(୨୧) 💭 ׄ ︵͡ EVERLONG | P. JACKSON

﹙🌊﹚ in which：𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖼𝖺𝗍𝖼𝗁 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 𝗐𝗈𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝖿 𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅𝗌 𝗂𝗍 𝗍𝗈𝗈, 𝗈𝗋 𝗂𝖿 𝗂𝗍’𝗌 𝗃𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎.

percy glances over his shoulder, his sneakers swinging loosely from his fingertips as he beckons you forward. sand clings to his calves, damp and sticky from the tide that brushed against his legs earlier. he’s barefoot, naturally.

“shoes are overrated,” he whispers to you, the grin on his face soft and crooked.

you pause, glancing down at your own sneakers, a small frown tugging at your lips. “you’re gonna regret that when you step on a shell.”

“nah,” he just grins wider, that boyish thing, sharp and crooked, and it makes you want to throw something at him. “i’ve got you to save me.” you bite back a smile, rolling your eyes, your footsteps quickening as you follow him toward the pier.

the two of you walk side by side, skirting the water’s edge, the rhythm of your steps in sync with his. then, a ripple in the water catches your eye, and you tug at his wrist, a little too hard, a little too frantic.

“percy,” you hiss, pulling at his wrist. “what if the naiads catch us?”

“they won’t,” he assures, though his voice dips quieter. “they like me. i think.”

you snort, nudging his arm and arching a brow, “do they?”

he doesn’t answer, just nudges your shoulder with his—casual, easy—and when you stumble just slightly, his fingers find yours without hesitation. he's not even looking at you—like it's nothing, like it's everything. it’s so natural, like he’s done it a thousand times before. your pulse flutters, but you don’t pull away.

the pier looms ahead, weathered wood creaking under your weight as you step onto it. you both settle at the edge, legs dangling above the dark water. percy places his sneakers beside him and leans back on his hands, his damp hair curling at the ends from his earlier dip in the lake.

“your hair’s a mess,” you say before you can stop yourself, the words spilling out too easily.

he tilts his head, giving you a look that’s half exasperation, half something softer. “it’s fine.”

“it’s not.” you’re already reaching over, brushing a stray curl away from his forehead.

he flinches, a soft sound escaping him—“what are you doing?”

“fixing it.”

“it’s fine,” he mutters again, but he's quieter now, shoulders stiffening as he glances away. his voice cracks on the last word, and you almost laugh, but you don’t.

your fingers move carefully, smoothing the damp strands back into place. he doesn’t flinch this time, doesn’t move away, and when you pull back, his gaze flickers to yours—uncertain, almost shy, like he’s waiting for something, or maybe just hoping.

“better,” you say, voice barely above a whisper.

he doesn’t answer right away. his gaze lingers on your face, steady, like he’s searching for something. and when he speaks again, his voice is nearly a murmur, the words like they weren’t meant for anyone but you.

“you think so?”

you nod, and your heart stutters—once, twice, a quiet thrum against your ribs. the night feels heavier now, like something’s shifting beneath the surface, something unsaid hanging in the air between you.

the air between you feels thicker, but not in a bad way. percy shifts closer, his knee bumping against yours by accident, and your breath catches as you pull away, your heart racing for reasons you can’t quite explain.

he glances at you, that small, soft smile tugging at the corner of his lips, but it’s different now—more knowing. he’s figured something out. maybe it’s not something either of you have said aloud, but he knows. and he knows that you know, too.

“you’re cold,” he says quietly, noticing the goosebumps on your arms and the chill in your skin.

“i know,” you reply, lips twitching into a small smile. “it’s not a big deal.”

without saying anything, percy takes your hand in his, the warmth of his skin seeping into your cold fingers. he blows a soft breath onto your palm, like he’s trying to warm you up, or maybe just hold on to the moment. his fingertips are a little sticky from the sugary condensation of the soda he was drinking earlier, but the action is endearing nonetheless.

his hands are rough and worn from years of harsh training, with a small callus between his middle and index finger. you notice the little things— like the tiny scar on his thumb, the worn and uneven edge of his nails. he looks at you, eyes soft and serious, like he’s still trying to figure out the mess of this moment, the mess of you.

you don’t break the silence.

then, as if to test the waters, his knee nudges yours again—this time on purpose. his touch is warm, solid, and you don’t move away. you don’t need to. not this time.

©valsverse — do not steal, edit, or repost my works. plagiarism is prohibited.

[jgraceslittleone]

Kinks I think Jason Grace would have

Warnings: includes controversial kinks (including DDLG 😱😱😱), but isn’t too hardcore imo. AFAB reader. Jason’s a sweetie like always. This includes a lot of hot takes. (Reminder: I write sub!reader only). MDNI.

Oh LORD do I have a lot to say

I’d say he’s kinky compared to vanilla people, but he’s vanilla compared to most other kinky people yk???

Like he has kinks, a couple of them taboo, but he’s a soft dom for the most part.

Everything he does is for your benefit. Even punishments. Your punishments are always very fair and he gives multiple warnings before resorting to punishing you.

Definitely into dd/lg chat (I’m biased but I really can’t help myself I’m sorry 😔)

He’s pretty strict but it’s all for your own good!

He has a strict bedtime and lots of different rules set with various consequences for breaking them repeatedly

But if you’re well behaved for the entire week, he gives you a reward!

Also into petplay 🤭

He thinks it’s so so so cute to see you dressed up in little puppy ears, with a tail plug in. He would probably bust on the spot if you let him get you a collar with a little tag on it saying something like “Jason’s puppy”

He’d leash you too but he’d still be so sweet about it. He’d walk you around the house, making you follow him wherever he goes

Controversial take

He gets jealous easily…

He loves leaving marks on your neck and telling you not to cover them, just so everyone will know you’re his !!

Going back to the puppy play thing from earlier, he loves to make you do a little twirl for him and show off how pretty you are whenever you put on your ears and tail.

Breeding kink ‼️ especially if you’re a virgin. Idk I just kinda feel like he’d have a thing for claiming you and “carrying on his legacy”. He also just generally wants to have kids

The first time you told him he could cum inside you, he went fucking feral. By the time he was done with you, you were shaking and crying from overstimulation.

He always tells you have much he loves you during sex, and how pretty you are, especially if you slip really deep into subspace. He has to make sure his little baby knows he loves them ❤️

[goldencherriess]

I fall to my death.

Pairing: Percy Jackson x Fem! Reader

Summary: Y/N and her friends become prey on their way to Los Angeles and she quickly realises she might be stronger than she thought.

Word count: 11.5k

Warnings: Y/N being the icon she is, mentions of blood, angst

Previous part || Series masterlist

Stars were twinkling in the sky as Y/N fluttered her eyes open. Something soft was cradling her back and she quickly realised she was laying in the dirt, on a bed of moss. She frowned. She didn’t remember falling asleep in the woods. She sat up, her eyes immediately recognising a familiar sight. A cabin stretched towards the starry sky in sturdy wooden beams, shadowed by pricking pine trees. Her blood ran cold, something about it struck a fight or flight response in her.

Or maybe she was just back home. But shouldn’t home feel welcoming?

She got to her feet slowly, turning to look around, but darkness hid what the woods would otherwise whisper in daylight. Everything was quiet. Still. Abandoned even. She turned towards the cabin, startled that a golden light appeared in the window. It was faint and if she remembered well, it came from the old living room, in which she and her mother used to spend evenings reading by the lamplight. Sometimes, her mother would recount to her old legends about Olympus, other times she would refuse to utter a word about them. Y/N didn’t dwell too much on it, happy enough to share some quiet moments with her before bed. It became a ritual. 

Y/N took shy steps toward the cabin, the light flowing from the window illuminating her way and stretching shadows on the mossy ground. She pushed the door open. It creaked as she stepped inside. The light from the living room reached the hallway and she hesitated as she took in her surroundings. Everything was how it used to be. The wool carpet was still biting at its touch, the walls deep brown, a rich aroma of an entire forest residing in the cabin. A few photos hung on the walls and tears gathered in her eyes as she pinpointed the moment they were taken. In one of them there was that creek ten minutes away from the cabin and her dipping her toes in it at the ripe age of three. She frowned. Beside the photo there was one she didn’t ever remember seeing. It depicted her. But as a baby. In the arms of a man. She could only see his arms but Y/N already knew. She sniffed and took a step closer, but the floor whined under her feet and in the darkness surrounding her, she felt being watched. Goosebumps raked on her arms.

“Mom?” she called out, her voice trembling. 

Silence stretched on and she stepped forward. A waft of tomato sauce and spices hit her and she almost stumbled at the familiarity of it all. 

“Mom? Are you in the kitchen?”

She gulped down some tears and stepped into the kitchen. The aroma was stronger there. Pitch black surrounded her, but the moon rays shed light on a pot full of steaming spaghetti and two empty plates. The sight was so familiar that her heart ached. She blinked. She didn’t have enough courage to take a seat at the table and dig into the fresh meal. She turned on her heels, her knees buckling. 

“Mom, where are you?”

Her throat was closing in and she had to swallow just to breathe. Shaking, she stepped into the living room. The lamp was on and the light bathed everything in warm colours. Dust swirled in the light and Y/N almost sneezed. 

“Y/N?”

She whipped around, the heart in her chest stopping for a second. Her mother was standing before her, with a warm smile stretching on her cracked lips. Her hair was curling in millions of ringlets, just as it always did. A few wrinkles decorated the corner of her eyes and a silver flashed from her neck. It was the necklace she always used to wear. The pendant curved in the form of a single raindrop. Y/N frowned at the sight of it. She remembered her mother gifting it to her on that cursed hospital bed. Y/N almost had a half of mind to check her own neck, but the extra weight confirmed to her that she still had it. She blinked in confusion.

“Mom?” Y/N whispered. 

Her mother nodded. “I made spaghetti, my darling. Your favourite.”

A pang pricked Y/N’s heart, as her eyes glistened with unshed tears. And then she rushed towards her and tightly wrapped her arms around her, burying her face in her chest and inhaling her scent. After all this time, she smelled the same. Of pine trees, and dusty books and spaghetti. Of home. 

“What’s gotten into you, sweetheart?” her mother chuckled.

“I just really missed you,” answered Y/N, all choked up.

And with her heart quivering in her chest, she felt the gentle hand of her mother caressing the top of her head. Y/N squeezed her eyes shut, her hands balling the shirt of her mother and she gulped down tears.

But then the caressing turned into hurtful pulls. Y/N frowned. “Mom, it hurts.”

Silence fell upon her ears and the hands continued to pull her by the roots of her hair. Y/N’s face twisted in pain. “Mom, please, it really hurts.”  She tried breaking free from her arms, but it was as if her feet were glued to the floor. “Mom, it’s hurting me.”

“You’re forgotten, child.”

The voice that reached her ears in a sonorous chorus wasn’t her mother’s and she fought against the suffocating hold.

“With no father, no mother and no aunt, you are forgotten. You are no hero.”

Y/N twisted in the arms and fell back, on her bottom. Somewhere in the distance thunder rumbled. Fear clawed at her throat and she looked up. A cloaked figure holding a lantern peered down at her with a pair of golden eyes. 

“You are no hero on this quest. You shall fail it.”

She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. When she snapped them open, she was met with the sight of a moving ceiling. Her heart was racing and her breath was shallow. She sat up, panting, letting her eyes roam around. The puffing of the train reached her ears and she slowly exhaled, remembering she was on the way to Los Angeles. Panic subsided and the blood seemed to flow more easily in her veins now. She heard Grover quietly snore on the top bed of the train cabin. She glanced to the bed in front of her, her eyes catching the silhouette of Annabeth, wrapped in bed sheets, her back to her. 

Y/N sighed through her nose, leaning her back on the wall, bringing her knees to her chest. She let her head fall back, watching how the train sped by through the window, grateful that the cabin stopped spinning in circles. She knew what it came after an occurring nightmare. She wouldn’t fall back asleep, no matter the night hour. 

It wasn’t the first time she dreamed in the dead of the night. The dreams and nightmares never left her in peace. They followed her even in the deepest cores of her subconscious, haunting her mind and soul. But this one felt different. More real. Her mother felt real. But only for a split second. The illusion was ruined and she was awake, drenched in sweat and alone in a swaying cabin. 

She hugged her knees and frowned. Someone knew her most burning desire and lured her in with it, twisting it until her home was only standing on shadows, empty rooms and dusty photos. Until her mother was an unrecognisable ghost of what she used to be. Her mouth twitched and she sniffed. 

She leaned her chin on her knees, looking out the window. The moon was enveloping the dark rolling fields in a silver blanket. The stars were winking playfully at her. She missed watching and counting them. In Manhattan they were never visible, and at Camp Half-Blood she was too stubborn to glance out the window, choosing instead to stare angrily at the ceiling every time she woke up during the night. A cloud rolled by and swallowed the moon. Y/N blinked and closed her eyes, listening to her friend’s snoring and the train engines’ puffing. A quiet gasp reached her ears and she opened her eyes, turning to look at the mop of golden curl from beside her. 

Percy was staring up at the ceiling, his lips slightly parted and he looked how she always felt whenever thunder invaded her dreams. How she was currently feeling, still under the effect of the nightmare. She heard him swallow audibly and she uncrossed her arms. “Had a nightmare?” she asked softly, mindful of her friends sleeping. 

Percy jumped, startled at the sound of her voice. He glanced at her, before moving his gaze back on the ceiling. “How did you–?”

“I have them too.”

Silence settled between them and the moon won against the darkening clouds, bathing the cabin in a silver glow. Y/N could see Percy better now, thin beads of sweat crowning his forehead. “Wanna talk about it?”

“No,” he simply answered.

She nodded before she crossed her arms around her knees once again, turning her back to him and her face towards the window. A pine tree stretched towards the inky sky and homesickness washed over her at the sight of it.

She heard Percy rustle in his makeshift bed. She didn’t need to turn around to know he was staring at her. “Do you want to talk about yours?” she heard him whisper.

“No,” she replied, her hands clenching her legs until her knuckles turned white. 

The whistling of the train filled the air and Y/N felt her eyelids get heavier, as if they were made of lead. She blinked the sleep away, sitting straighter. 

Percy’s voice eventually cut through the heavy silence. “Why do you hate me?” 

She stilled. “I don’t hate you.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“Well, I don’t. Believe it or not.”

A few beats of silence passed before he spoke up again. “Have you ever met Thalia?”

Y/N’s eyebrows twitched and she looked at him from the corner of her eyes. He was laying on his back again, his hands intertwined on his stomach, searching the ceiling, as if it could give him answers to his questions. “Why do you ask?”

He shrugged. “Well, I mean, she was the last forbidden kid before me, right?”

“From what we know, yes,” Y/N nodded slowly.

“She must’ve dealt with the same kind of stuff.”

“Maybe. I wouldn’t know, I’ve never met her.”

Percy frowned, turning his head to look at her. “But I thought– I mean, you and Annabeth are close. You and Luke, as well. I just thought–”

“I came a year later than them to the Camp. The pine tree was already there,” Y/N interrupted him with a firm voice. “I’ve never met Thalia.”

“Then how come you’re so attached to the tree? I saw you.”

Y/N hesitated for a moment too long. She remembered the rough bark and the energy flowing through it every time she touched it, as if it was alive. As if it somehow knew her.

“It’s sacred,” she murmured.

She heard Annabeth turn in her bed, the sheets rustling, a soft sigh coming through. Percy moved his gaze from Y/N to the figure of Annabeth laying on her back. “Hey, you asleep?” he whispered. 

Y/N rolled her eyes at his question, turning to look at Athena’s daughter. Her chest was raising and lowering in even breaths. 

“Yes,” Annabeth answered, sarcasm coating her tongue. 

“You and Thalia were really close, right?” continued Percy. 

“Yeah.”

“What was she like?”

Annabeth hesitated. “She was tough. I mean, she knew she was a forbidden kid, she just didn’t care. When Luke and Thalia found me, Luke cared for me right away.”

Y/N heard the story already, she knew how it all went down, how the three of them became to each other the home they had lost. She also knew that Luke caring for lost, little children was just the way he was. An older brother even to those who might not have been his half-siblings. But she knew, he was hers, half-sibling or not.

“But Thalia… she made me earn it,” whispered Athena’s daughter in the quiet cabin.

Percy blinked, slightly frowning. “Is this why you give me a hard time? I gotta earn it with you too?”

“Yeah. Maybe,” Annabeth sighed. 

Y/N lowered her gaze, looking at the socks on her feet. They were of the dullest a colour, a washed out grey. A flashing memory flowed into her mind. Giggling and running around barefoot, behind the cabin in the woods, dipping her toes into the creek, climbing trees tall enough to touch the ever crystal sky. She blinked and the memory faded.

“I gotta say, that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,” voiced Percy, his tone sharp.

Y/N moved her gaze onto him. “What doesn’t?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow. 

He looked at her, exhaling in frustration. 

“What doesn’t make sense to you?” emphasised Annabeth.

“The way you guys all talk. The way the gods want us to think. Gotta burn an offering to get a parent’s attention. Gotta beat up on Clarisse just to get my father to admit he’s my father. Gotta go on a quest just to get claimed at the end of it,” he said, gazing at Y/N with a storm swirling in his eyes. “It isn’t supposed to work that way. People who are close to you aren’t supposed to treat you that way.”

Y/N moved her gaze away, his words echoing true in her mind. She knew all too well what love is supposed to feel like, she felt it once too. She was lucky to grow up happily between the swaying of the trees and the whispers of the wind. But then luck had run out. 

“You wanna know how I ended up on the road in the first place?” asked Annabeth, cutting the silence. “I started out as a gift to my father. That’s how it works with Athena. We’re born from a thought, and then given to a partner she feels connected to. And for a while, I was treated like a gift. My father cared for me. He loved me. I knew it. Then he met a woman. They had their own kids.” She inhaled, a hand wrapped around what Y/N knew was her father’s ring. “And to her, I– I wasn’t a gift. I was a problem. So I left. I was seven.”

Y/N turned to look at her, her eyebrows downcast, a matching sorrow in her gaze. She wanted to reach out and take her by the hand, just as she always did. 

“It isn’t the gods who think that way. It’s everybody. But at least with the gods you know the rules. Show them respect and they’ll be in your corner no matter what.”

Annabeth let a hand fall beside her, at the edge of the bed. Y/N took it and squeezed it. She felt Annabeth squeeze back. By this point, it had become their friendship token. 

“What about you, Y/N? How did you arrive at the Camp?”

Y/N detected curiosity in Percy’s tone. She glanced at him. He was still staring at the ceiling.

“Did you have a Protector satyr?”

“No. I grew up outside of the city for most of my childhood. Just me and my mom for a while.” A nostalgic smile blossomed on her lips and she looked at her outstretched shadow on the floor. If she squinted, she could imagine it was her mother’s silhouette. “Just the two of us against the world.” Her eyebrows pinched together in a furrow. “My aunt brought me to Camp when my mom couldn’t. She was my protector. Both of them were.”

“You’re a year-rounder,” said Percy in realization.

“Yeah,” she nodded, her voice fading.

Percy didn’t reply, a deep silence filling the cabin. Groans and sheets rustling from the top bunk reached their ears.

“You awake?” the blond asked

“Well, I am now. Thanks,” a grumpy voice answered back.

Y/N smiled, hearing it. “Sorry, Grov.”

He just grumbled back.

“Are you okay?’ Percy continued. 

“He’s super grouchy when he doesn’t get enough sleep,” explained Annabeth, her hand still in Y/N’s. 

“He’s super grouchy when he doesn’t get enough… Nah!” mimicked the satyr in a pitch high voice, with the back towards them, talking to the wall.

Y/N let a giggle escape her lips. 

“Wow,” said Percy, raising his eyebrows. 

“You’ve never been on the road with him before,” stated Annabeth. “A little different than a froofy boarding school.”

“Who’s froofy? You’re froofy. What’s froofy?” said Grover, his voice hoarse. “I think I need to eat.”

“Well, I think we should get a little more sleep while we still can,” said Y/N, taking out her hand from Annabeth’s hold and settling back in her makeshift bed, raising the duvet up to her chin. “It’s still early out.”

“Already ordering everyone around and it’s not even daylight,” retorted Poseidon's son, but his tone turned playful. Challenging. 

“You will regret not listening to me in the morning when all you will have left is bags under your eyes and a sleep deprived brain.” She paused. “Which it will be a shame, since it’s already made from seaweed.”

“Stop calling me a seaweed brain!”

“Stop giving me reasons to!”

Annabeth audibly sighed, turning in her bed, her back to them. “Go back to sleep.”

“On it,” said Grover, seconds away from snoring again. 

Y/N fluttered her eyes shut, the rocking of the train lulling her back to sleep. Before she fell into her slumber, she heard Percy whisper to her. 

“Sweet dreams. I’ll keep the nightmares away.” 

The sleep came to her swiftly, a deep, dreamless one. 

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

She only managed to sleep for an hour, as Annabeth acutely told her, before she was woken up by Grover’s grumbling stomach. Dawn was just breaking through, painting streaks of fiery orange and deep indigo into the skies, the first rays of sun bathing the dining car in shallow light. And after Grover gulped down an entire breakfast in the span of ten minutes, a silence only cut by the train's horn settled between them. Y/N blinked the sleep out of her eyes, her head in her hand, watching the clouds gather shy and quivering sun rays in them. 

“Two days until we reach Los Angeles. Plenty of time before our deadline to reach the Underworld,” chirped Grover. Y/N turned to look at him. He was bearing a slight, satisfied smile. Y/N suspected that the breakfast must have done its job. She felt the corners of her own lips curling up. 

“Can I ask a dumb question?” she heard Percy say beside her.

Her smile fell from her lips and she rolled her eyes. “You always do.”

“It’s like you need us to make fun of you,” added Annabeth, squinting her eyes at the blond.

“I think he does, Annie,” snickered Y/N, earning a sharp jab in the side from Percy. She frowned at him, kicking his feet under the table. The boy huffed, glaring her way.

“Shoot,” interrupted the satyr, a note of panic seeping into his tone as he witnessed the exchange.

“I’ve never been to Los Angeles before,” stated Percy, his gaze shifting between the three of them. “I’m guessing neither of you have been to Los Angeles.”

Y/N shook her head. She had never been anywhere in the world, apart from the wild pinetree forest where she spent the first few years of her childhood growing up, Manhattan and Camp Half-Blood. She could still recall the fresh, raw smell of pines and the crunching of leaves under her feet. Her senses still remembered the feeling of home. As if she had never left it. A shudder passed her, as fragments of her nightmare resurfaced once again.

“So, how will we have any idea where we’re going?”

Grover shrugged. “No idea.”

“We can always acquire a map,” piped in Y/N. 

Percy panned his gaze onto her. His eyebrows pinched together. “We can’t read maps.”

She rolled her eyes for the second time that day. “I’m well aware, kelp head, thank you.” A small smile blossomed on her lips as she turned to look at the satyr. “Grover can read it for us.”

A look of remorse passed on Grover’s face, his lips curling in an apologetic smile and his eyes softening. “I’m not great with maps either, actually.”

Y/N blinked. “Well, then–”

“But that’s like step thirty-seven, and we’re still on step four. Cross that bridge when we get there,” he continued in a reassuring, warm tone, nodding his head. 

Percy slightly nodded his head along, his eyebrows still furrowed. “Follow-up stupid question.”

“Dude,” Annebeth sighed, rolling her eyes.

“And you shall fail to save what matters most in the end. Back in Jersey, I told you the Oracle said this quest will fail. And no one’s mentioned it since,” he said, gazing at Y/N. “Seems like something we oughta be taking more seriously…” His voice trailed off, as he caught a glimpse of outside behind Y/N’s shoulder, his lips parting. “Hey. Look at that. Are those–”

Y/N turned her head towards the window. Four centaurs were galloping alongside the train, on rolling green fields, carrying arrows and bows. Y/N quirked up a smile at the sight of them. This was the first time she was seeing centaurs outside the protective barrier of Camp Half-Blood. She still vividly remembered meeting Chiron for the first time. Words had died in her throat as she took in his hooves and four legs. Wonderstruck, she had asked if he was a horse (“And if you are a horse, does that mean I can ride you? I’ve never ridden a horse before, or saw one for that matter! You’re the first, mister Chiron.”). Alas, she was much younger back then. And much more naive. 

“Centaurs,” she and Annabeth said in unison. She threw her best friend a small smile. 

Percy looked around the dining car, confusion lacing his features. “No one even knows they’re there.”

“They can’t see through the Mist,” explained Y/N, tearing her gaze away from the centaurs and towards Percy.  “Unlike us. Few mortals do.”

“There used to be herds of them everywhere,” voiced Grover, wistfully glancing outside the window.

“What happened to them?”

“Humans.” He sighed, eyes downcast. “A few thousand years ago, the god of the wild, Pan, disappeared. And ever since, without Pan to protect the natural world, humans have been trying really hard to chip away at it.” 

“The bravest satyrs volunteer to become Searchers, trying to find Pan,” added Athena’s daughter, knowledge dripping down her tongue. “None have ever returned.”

A thick tension fell upon them, like a heavy winter blanket. 

“Your uncle we found in Medusa’s, Ferdinand,” said Percy, closely watching his best friend. “He was a Searcher?”

Grover only nodded. Y/N’s heart grew heavy at the sight of him, quiet with his lips curled downwards. She tipped her head sideways, catching his gaze, and she smiled his way. He softly smiled back. 

“The Oracle didn’t say the quest would fail,” voiced Annabeth, raising her eyebrows. “Fail to save what matters the most. That could mean a lot of things. That’s how prophecies work, that’s how fate works. It could mean a lot of things. The harder you work to understand, the harder it gets to understand.” She shook her head, her dark locks swaying. “Sometimes, you’ve just gotta let it come to you when it’s ready.”

“Excuse me. Can I see your tickets, please?”

Y/N jumped in her seat, turning her head towards the voice. She immediately frowned upon seeing a police officer asking for train tickets. Didn’t they have a conductor for that?

She opened her mouth to retaliate, but upon seeing Annabeth subtly shaking her head, she shut it back down. She watched as her friend took out their tickets out of her jacket pocket, handing them to the officer. He glanced down at the tickets, before snapping his gaze back to Annabeth. “You’re in Cabin 17B?”

The hair on her neck stood up and Y/N felt that familiar fire travelling through her veins. “Yes. Is there a problem, officer?”

She felt someone kick her under the table and she briefly acknowledged that someone as being Percy but she ignored him this time, holding eye contact with the police officer. The man only sighed through his nose and waved them to follow him. She shared a look of confusion with her friends, pursing her lips in thought. Her stomach twisted in knots as they followed him out the dining car and through the corridor. He swiftly pushed open the door and a cold draft hit her, chilling her to the bones. The wind whistling reached her ears and her mouth fell open as she took in the disarray state in which their cabin was in. The window was smashed open, sharp glass glinting dangerously on the floor. The mattresses were thrown across and turned up-side down, the white sheets fluttering in the wind. The pillows were strewn across the cabin. 

“You wanna explain?” asked the officer as he pointed towards the chaos. 

Y/N snapped her gaze towards him, the air stuck somewhere in her throat. “What is there to explain? Someone clearly vandalised our cabin!”

The man only raised his eyebrows at her.

“Wait. Wait, you think we did this?” asked Percy in disbelief, turning his whole body towards the officer. 

“Did you?”

Y/N scoffed, crossing her arms. “What gave you that idea? The fact that we are kids?”

“I mean– How? And why?” added Percy, taking a step closer, his shoulder lightly touching Y/N’s. 

“Sir, when we left to get breakfast, everything was intact,” intervened Grover, his voice calm but his eyes frantic. “We don’t know how this happened.”

“We got a witness here, says she heard the window smash, and then heard children’s voices.”

Y/N looked over the officer’s shoulder. A woman with long, lush brown hair was talking to another police officer, waving her hands around. She was wearing a light pink blazer, which to Y/N looked expensive enough to seem out of place in a Second Class train wagon. She shifted her gaze back to their own cabin and took a step towards it.  A hand shot out in front of her, colliding with her waist. 

The police officer hardened his gaze. “Do not enter, kid.”

Y/N frowned. “Why? Now I am not allowed to enter my own cabin?”

The man clenched his jaw but let her pass. She fisted her hands and crouched near the window. There were a million shards sticking into the carpeted floor and glimmering in the just risen sun. She frowned as she took hold of one. It bit into her finger, drawing blood. She winced and raised the finger to her lips, a metallic taste invading her mouth. There were way too many shards for the window to have been broken from inside. Someone must have done it from the outside. Someone or something. 

She got up, her eyes catching sight of a slashing mark left on the wall. It stretched across it, in dark and wide lines. She absently acknowledged Percy exclaiming in the background, his voice strained in frustration.

“Can you tell me what time you left the cabin?” interrogated the police officer.

Y/N turned around, her gaze immediately meeting Annabeth’s hardened one. 

“Are we under arrest?”

The officer backed up, frowning. “I don’t think you wanna take that tone with me, little girl.”

“Are we under arrest?” she repeated, her voice raising. 

The officer huffed and crossed his arms as he glared down at Annabeth. Y/N’s mouth twitched and she marched towards him, her eyes clouding in white hot anger. “No, no, she asked a good question. Are we under arrest?”

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

“Turns out we are under arrest,” huffed Y/N as she fell into her seat beside Percy, back in the dining car. Her arms were crossed, and she was tapping her foot impatiently. Her blood was boiling in her veins. The train was speeding down the tracks, the sun now suddenly covered by clouds that weren’t there before. 

Percy glanced at her as he gulped, before he shifted his gaze towards the policeman now speaking with the supposed witness. He was jotting down on a small, black agenda, taking her statement.  “So, we’re just killing time ‘till we find out that guy’s like a werewolf or something, right?”

“Werewolves don’t exist, kelp head.”

Percy shifted in his seat as he felt the fury radiating from Y/N in scorching waves.

Annabeth glanced behind her shoulders at the officer. 

A static voice filled the car, announcing the next station. They were soon arriving at St. Louis Gateway in ten minutes. Y/N thought that was as good a time as any to get off that cursed train and try their luck somewhere else. She would even go on foot if it meant she wouldn’t see that police officer again. 

“I don’t think he’s a monster,” replied Annabeth in a whisper. 

“Hard to say,” said Grover. 

“He’s definitely an idiot,” added Y/N, as she burned holes into the police officer’s head. 

“Well, if he’s not a monster, what’s going on here? Why would anyone tear our room apart?”

“Maybe they were looking for something,” suggested Grover, throwing Y/N a worried glance. The girl only sighed through her nose as she tore her gaze away.

“We don’t have anything,” answered Percy.

Annabeth slightly leaned over the table, meeting Percy’s eyes. “The people who think you stole Zeus’s master bolt might disagree.”

Percy shifted his gaze away, blinking. “Right,” he replied, dejected.

The train horn blared, and Y/N shook away some of her stupor at the sound of it. She straightened in her seat. 

“Well, look, they’re not gonna find something we don’t have,” Grover hastily replied, shaking his head. 

“Either way, we aren’t spending the day answering questions in the St. Louis police station,” added Athena’s daughter, frowning.

“Or anywhere for that matter”, mumbled Y/N.

“We need to get out of this before we get delayed,” continued Annabeth, panic lacing her features. 

“I agree,” voiced Y/N as she uncrossed her arms. “We get off the train and take another or…” Her voice faded as she saw that woman tapping Annabeth gently on her shoulder. She was bearing a wide smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes and Y/N felt a shiver travel down her spine at the sight of it. 

“D-do you mind if I sit?”

Y/N roamed her eyes over her, taking in her clean appearance. Her teeth were pearly white and her clothes were ironed to perfection. She definitely did not spend the night on the train, and as far as she knew, the train didn’t have any stops during the night. She was carrying a pet carrier. It was slightly shaking, whimpering sounds coming from inside of it. 

Y/N raised her gaze towards the woman and smiled a strained smile. “We do, in fact.”

The woman disregarded her reply as she took a seat beside her, pushing her towards Percy. Y/N huffed in annoyance, shifting as her thigh grazed his. “You poor dears. Your parents aren’t here, are they?”

Sounds of whining came from the pet carrier and Y/N shared a look with Annabeth.  Suspicion simmered in her dark eyes and Y/N gave a small nod. 

“Isn’t that right, precious?” the woman said, as she bent towards the bag with the smile still etched on her face. “Don’t children get scared when they’re all alone?” She straightened her back, shifting her gaze between the four of them. Y/N scooted closer to Percy once she felt her shoulder touching the woman’s.  

“It’s okay. I’m a mom. I know how scared you must be,” she smiled Y/N’s way. 

Y/N’s eyebrows twitched in a small frown. 

“Excuse me. Would you mind giving us a little space?” the stranger asked the police woman standing guard near them. “I think– I think you’re making them nervous.”

“I don’t think she’s the one making us nervous,” Y/N muttered, her lips scowling in disdain.

“Did you say something, dear?”

Y/N plastered a tight-lipped smile on her face. “Nothing.”

The woman closely regarded her, smiling back. There was something sinister about her smile. Something that chilled Y/N to the bones. “You must be the rebel kind.”

Y/N’s eyebrows shot up to the top of her head. “Sorry?”

“The child who’s angry at the world and therefore rebels.” Her lips pouted. “I would know. I am a mother after all.”

Y/N shifted under her heavy gaze. She felt Annabeth nudge her foot and she raised her eyes to meet hers. Annabeth’s gaze shone with kindness and unspoken reassurance  and Y/N knew that if she could, her friend would have squeezed her by the hand. 

“I want you to know… I don’t actually think that you made that mess back there,” the woman nodded. 

“Really? And then what did you even tell the officers?” replied Y/N, her voice dripping with acid poison. 

“I just wanted a moment alone with you. There are some things I need you to understand–”

“You have something on your jacket,” interrupted Grover, his eyes pinned to the pink blazer the woman was wearing. 

Y/N moved her gaze towards it. Something was glimmering, catching the faint, morning light. The sun was still hidden away behind clouds, but a few rays braved them. 

“It looks like– It looks like glass.”

She reached towards the small shard, pinching it between two fingers and taking out of the blazer. A white, thin thread stuck to it. The shard tore into her tissue, a droplet of crimson blood bubbling up and streaming downwards her skin. “It is glass.”

“No one smashed out the windows from inside our cabin.” Grover’s voice hardened as his gaze never left the stranger’s, realisation dawning on him. “Someone smashed them in from the outside.”

“It was you,” added Y/N, her voice trembling with notes of anger. “You tore our cabin apart.”

The woman hummed, her smile faded by now. Grunts and whimpers shook the pet carrier and she shifted her attention towards it, rising from the seat and crouching in front of the bag. “Yes, sweetheart. I know, I know. You’re impatient.”

Whatever was in the bag snarled and Y/N’s eyes widened upon hearing it. “There’s no dog in there, is it? It’s something else. Something bigger.”

The stranger rose up and turned towards her, smiling that bone-chilling smile. “Well, aren’t you perceptive?” She shook her head, shrugging. “This isn’t your fault. But sadly, you’re going to have to bear the burden of your parents’ mistakes today.”

Percy’s voice didn’t waver as he spoke up, eyes darkening, determination written on his face. “Listen, lady. I don’t know who you are, but I think I know what you are. We’ve run across a few monsters like you and we sent them all packing.”

The woman scoffed, still smiling. “Monsters like me?” She tilted her head. “Well… of course they’re like me.” Her smile fell off her face and her gaze hardened. “They were my children.”

Y/N froze as goosebumps raked her arms. 

“Children?” asked Percy, shifting in his seat. “What does that mean?”

The satyr straightened his back. “The Mother of Monsters.”

“Echidna,” explained Annabeth, her lips parting. 

The woman smiled at the mention of her name, her eyes glinting. 

The pet carrier rattled and growled. Echidna turned towards it, her hand reaching out to caress it much like a mother would embrace her child. She calmed the monster down, her voice coming in comforting shushes and Y/N started at the familiar look in her eyes. She saw it in her mother’s and aunt’s gazes whenever they used to look at her. Looks of warmth and nurture. 

“Monster. It’s an odd word, considering my grandmother is your great-grandmother, and this has always been a family story” said Echidna, leaning on the table behind her, but still staying close to the pet carrier. Her smile appeared on her face, stretching her lips wide  and showing her sharp pearly white teeth. “But… to my eye, the demigod is the more dangerous creature. Disruptive. Violent. If I exist for anything, it is to stand in the way of monsters like you.” 

The monster inside the bag growled once again, and for a split moment Y/N thought she was hearing the two-headed dog from four years ago, standing in the pouring rain, outlined only by the flashing lightning. Her breath hitched and she backed into her seat, eyes glued to the pet carrier.

“My little one here. She’s just a pup now. Bless her heart,” Echidna chuckled, laying a mothering hand on the bag. “Today… you will be her prey.”

Y/N gulped and she felt Percy stiffen beside her. 

“Are you afraid yet? Oh, it’s all right. Fear is natural. It’s also essential to the hunt. Your fear. Your doubt. Your confusion. I needed  you to understand what was happening so that she could track your scent.’ Y/N was suddenly hyper-aware of the blood dripping down her finger, of its scent lingering in the air. “So that she could learn and grow, because that’s what a good mother does for her children.”

The bag unzipped, furious growling filling the air. Y/N breathed in, her hands twitching, well aware she wasn’t able to use her bow and arrows in such a proximity. She was cursing the day she chose to learn archery, instead of sword fighting.

“Not that you would know,” continued Echidna, her face now devoid of any emotion. 

Y/N’s jaw clenched and she saw red before her eyes. She did know. And she had a feeling Percy did too.

The bag opened with a whoosh. Y/N squinted her eyes and she realised that whatever was in that bag, had a sharp tail.

“You should run now,” smiled Echidna. 

“Duck!” yelled Y/N, as she leaned over with her hands sheltering her head. A draft of air rustled the hair from the crown of her head and she heard a resounding stab near her. Pained screeching followed and she raised her head to see Annabeth sticking her dagger into the monster’s tail. 

“Go!”

Y/N shot up from her seat and bolted towards the door, slamming it open. She sprinted down the corridors, almost sliding as she went. Padded footsteps told her the others were close by.

“You! Stop! Stop!”

Her teeth grinded together as she recognised the policeman’s voice. The train shuddered and she stumbled, falling into a door compartment. She looked over the shoulder, seeing Annabeth lock the door behind them. 

“Percy!” Grover exclaimed, his voice wavering. He reached out to take something glittering out of Percy’s green shirt. 

Y/N frowned and she leaned closer. 

“What is that?” panted Percy.

“It’s a stinger,” replied Annabeth, running up to them. 

“It got to you?” asked Y/N, her eyes wide as she stared up at Percy. The boy only swallowed as he held eye contact with her. A grimace flashed across his face.

“Grover, do you know what kind of monster has one of those?”

“I don’t know. I mean, nothing good probably.”

“Do you feel okay?”

Percy moved his gaze off Y/N onto Annabeth. His breathing turned heavy and he was clutching his shoulder, his eyes widened. “I think so. Why? Do you think it’s poisonous or something?”

“I’m not sure,” replied Annabeth, studying the stinger. 

Y/N sighed through her nose, her eyes flashing. “I told you to duck! Why are you never listening?!”

Percy snapped his gaze back onto her, eyebrows furrowing. “Why are you always ordering me around?”

She scoffed. “Would you prefer for me to leave you to die?”

“Guys, is this really the best time?” asked Annabeth as she looked behind her at the officers banging on the door. The train whined and stumbled forward before slowing down. The sound of approaching, thunderous steps shook the train. Y/N’s eyes widened in horror as a door’s window shattered, the metal creaking and the lights flickering. Familiar growling reached her ears and she took a stumbling step back. 

“We gotta move!”

They rushed through the corridors, out of the train and over the train tracks, hurried steps raising dust and leaving traces behind. They came to a stop once they didn’t hear the growling anymore. 

“Why isn’t it still chasing us?” heaved Percy. 

Y/N inhaled a breath of air as she doubled over. 

“Echidna said whatever she was hiding in that carrier, it’s young. It won’t venture too far from her mother. She’s learning to hunt and this seems like the hunting part,” explained Athena’s daughter, fear clouding her eyes.

“Great,” muttered Y/N as she straightened her back, a faint pain stabbing her in the side. “Let’s go, we can’t stay here.”

Soon the train tracks were replaced by streets and buildings. The occasional raw green of trees popped up between the gray of buildings and concrete as Y/N marched down the street, her hand now gripping her bow. Her mind was reeling and there was a hurry in her steps. 

“We aren’t gonna be able to outrun them for very long,” said Grover, struggling to keep up with her. 

“I know,” replied Y/N, her knuckles turning white on the bow.

“We don’t need to,” intervened Annabeth. “We just need a safe place to hole up.”

“Some place safe,” added Percy. “Any ideas where we might find one of those?”

Y/N spared him a glance. He was much paler than a few minutes ago, his lips turning an alarming shade of purple. He glanced back at her once he felt her gaze on him and she blinked before looking forward. 

“I do,” said Annabeth, her voice confident and steady. She skipped a few steps ahead, now leading the group. “A sanctuary, dedicated to Athena, built by one of her demigod children a long time ago.”

“There is an Athenian temple hidden somewhere in the middle of downtown St. Louis?” asked the satyr, disbelief written on his face.

“Yes. Except it’s not all that hidden.”

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

A wide arch stretched towards the sky, bending and shining under the sun. To Y/N’s eyes, it looked like an unfinished bow and she grinned upon seeing it. 

“It’s 630 feet wide, 630 feet tall, both to within an inch. It’s got no internal support. Each side is balanced perfectly against the other. The arch is held up by symmetry. It’s held up by math,” said Annabeth as they entered the Gateway Arch, a sparkle in her eyes and her voice filled with pride and wonder. “And it’s earthquake-proof, so Poseidon can’t ruin it.”

“Impressive,” said Y/N, sending her best friend a smile. Annabeth smiled back.

“Nice,” added Percy. 

Annabeth excused herself as she made her way through a crowd of students on a school trip and Y/N wondered for a split second what it would have been like if they were simply just kids, visiting a monument with the class. “This is how you show Athena your love. A monument to the power of perfection.”

“It’s a monument to some other stuff, too,” replied Grover, looking towards an animal skull and a rifle put on display. 

Y/N’s smile fell off her face at the sight of them and she worriedly glanced at him. His eyes were glued to the skull and his jaw clenched. It was the first time she ever saw Grover harden his face. Whenever she thought of the satyr (which was much more often when he was away from Camp, as her mind worriedly travelled to one of her few friends) she thought of a face warmed by the sun, a face lightened by a soft smile. She tried catching his gaze in an attempt to reassure him, but he avoided any eye contact. 

“You’re talking about what some humans want this place to be about. I’m talking about what it actually is.”

“Annie,” Y/N gently called out, slowly shaking her head.

Annabeth met her gaze and softly sighed. 

“Whatever,” replied Grover, looking around. “We’re safe here, right?”

“No monsters can enter. Not even Echidna. We’re safe.”

“Great. Well, since our train exploded, I’m gonna see if there’s another one we can get tickets on. We can’t stay here forever.” Grover’s gaze slid to a picture hung on the museum wall, depicting two horse riders hunting a bison, holding a pair of rifles.  “Just because we’re prey, doesn’t mean we need to be helpless.”

“Do you need help with that? I can come with you,” offered Y/N, mustering what she hoped would be a kind smile.

“No, it’s alright," replied the satyr, before walking off.

A silence stretched for a few seconds before Percy spoke up, walking around and letting his eyes travel the size of the room. “He doesn’t like it when people mess with animals.”

“Yeah, I know. I shouldn’t have snapped at him, I just–” Annabeth sighed. “I know.” Her gaze shifted between her best friend and Percy before she took a step back. “I’ll go help him out. Even if he said he didn’t need any help.” 

“Right,” nodded Percy.

She sent Y/N a pointed look that screamed “Behave!” as she walked away. The girl just rolled her eyes in reply. A thick silence fell between her and Percy and Y/N crossed her arms, taking in the sight of the small museum. 

“So, uh, this is Athena’s place, huh?” she heard Percy ask as he shuffled his feet.

She looked at him from the corner of her eye. He was looking around, slightly swaying on the spot. 

“Apparently so,” replied Y/N, frowning as Percy took in a laboured breath.

“Wonder if she’s around.”

“I doubt it”

“Be right down, just going to the potty,” said Percy in a squeaky voice, attempting a posh, British accent.

A smirk tugged at Y/N’s lips and she turned fully towards him. “Charming.”

“I have a gift,” smiled Percy.

“Who told you that?”

“My mom.”

Y/N’s smirk faltered and she uncrossed her arms. “I’m sorry about your mom.”

Percy just shrugged, a sadness swirling in the ocean of his eyes.

“I know how you’re feeling.” 

She did. When her mother fell sick, she lived in a constant state of waiting. Waiting for her to live, waiting for her to die. Waiting for someone or something to give her a sign. A small flicker of hope. And when her mother took her last breath, Y/N felt as if she had lost a part of herself, as if someone had taken her from her. Afterwards, everything was a blur. She didn’t remember the first month after her mother’s passing, nor did she recall the funeral. But she remembered the rage that had clawed its way into her heart. 

Percy’s eyes locked onto hers. “You do?”

“Yes.”

He just nodded, almost imperceptibly. “I’m sorry about your dad.”

A bitter chuckle escaped her lips. “Yeah, well, I’m sorry, too.”

Percy waved his hand around. “This is a temple, right? You can pray to him. Like you did back at the Camp.”

“I’m past praying.” She moved her eyes away from him, already feeling that rush of fire taking over her and clouding her mind in red wrath. “I’ve prayed enough. He doesn’t seem to listen.” She turned her eyes back on Percy, who was closely watching her, his pale lips parted. “But maybe you should try. Maybe Poseidon will listen.”

Percy’s gaze fell on the floor. “No thanks.”

“Why not?”

He took in a shuddering breath, as he raised his ocean eyes to hers. “My father…He… I don’t want anything from him, not like you do. He’s had his chances. You’ve done a lot more for me in the past few days than he ever did, even if you annoyingly love to order everyone around. But I’ve seen you do it with care and if I’d had to stick to someone, I–”

He fell silent.

“What? You’d stick with me? Is that what you were about to say, seaweed brain? You don’t even know me.”

“I wouldn’t stick only with you. The others, as well,” he swallowed.

She squinted at him. “Right. And if I didn’t know any better, I would have thought you were thanking me for ordering you around but—” She stopped short once she noticed his uneven breathing. The vibrant ocean in his eyes was now a dull shade of blue and the once now tanned skin was ghostly white, the freckles prominently spotting his cheeks and nose. There were dark eye bags that weren’t there before. “Hey, are you feeling alright?”

He nodded before he collapsed. Y/N latched onto him just before he hit the floor. “Woah! Easy there!”

Thundering footsteps announced her friends’ presence and she grimaced as she struggled to keep Percy upwards.

“Hey! What happened?”

“I think– I think those stinger things were poisonous,” croaked out the blond as he gave up and slid down on the floor. 

Y/N’s frantic eyes met Annabeth’s. Her friend only reached towards Percy, taking him by the arm. “I have an idea. Come on, help me.”

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Standing in a fountain wasn’t something that Y/N had on her bucket list. As a matter of fact, she hadn’t even spared the idea a thought. But there she was, crouching in front of Percy in the middle of the fountain, spraying him in the face with water. She scrunched her nose in disgust. The water fountain wasn’t very clean. Not like the creeks in the woods. Not like the one behind the cabin. 

“You look awful, seaweed brain,” she said in an attempt to raise his spirits, her tone teasing. 

The boy met her gaze, pain twisting his face. He inhaled a sharp breath. “Gee, thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiled as she threw a handful of water onto his face. He coughed it out.

“The water cured him back at Camp, it should work for poison too, right?” asked Annabeth as she splashed water onto him from the side. 

“Right, but I don’t think it’s working, Annie,” replied Y/N, sharing a worried look with Grover. She looked back at Percy. He was blinking the water out of his eyes, breathing heavily, his chest rising up and down in an effort to ground himself. 

“You know, I think it’s– I think it’s working,” he eventually breathed out, his voice scratchy. “This was a great call.”  He grimaced as he leaned his weight on his hand and tried getting up, only to fall back into the water not even a second later. “Or not.”

“Maybe it needs to be naturally running water for Poseidon to be able to heal him,” deduced Annabeth.

Y/N opened her mouth, her mind sparkling with an idea. Wasn’t the Mississippi river just behind them? A car honking interrupted her train of thoughts. It slid down the road, tires screeching before it spun out of control and crashed, the widows shattering, coating the street with sparkling glass.

“Okay. We need to get back inside,” said Annabeth, an urgency in her tone.

“No, we need to keep trying!” replied Grover.

“This isn’t working and she’s coming!”

“Grov, listen to me,” said Y/N, her voice firm and authoritative. “We can’t be any help to Percy if we’re killed, can we?”

The satyr’s eyebrows frowned in regret and he sighed. Another car honked, police sirens wailing in the distance. Y/N snapped her head around. Echidna was advancing towards them with steady steps and a smile stretching on her face. 

“Gods,” Y/N mumbled, a cold fear scratching at her neck, raising her hair. 

“Okay, look, we’ll take Percy inside and we’ll go to the temple’s altar,” voiced Annabeth, getting up. 

“Altar? Where is there an altar?” asked Grover, standing up, water dripping down his arms.

“The highest point, the best view.”

Y/N’s gaze locked onto Percy’s and she sighed through her nose. Her hands reached out to him, latching around his shoulder and arm. “At three, okay, seaweed brain?”

The boy nodded.

“One, two, three!” She pulled him up, heaving as her Converse almost slipped on the wet floor of the fountain, water sloshing around them. Percy breathed out as he leaned his whole weight on her and she almost staggered. 

“Okay, but what good is that even gonna do us?”

“We’re gonna get to the altar and we’re going to ask my mom for help,” replied Annabeth, a note of finality in her voice.

“I thought we don’t ask for help,” said Percy, looking at her. 

Another car honking and skidding down the path. 

“Come on, let’s get moving.”

Grover took hold of Percy’s other arm, putting it around his neck. Together they jumped out of the fountain, landing with a splash on the concrete. Percy swayed before Y/N put her arm around his back, steadying him. “Gods, kelp head, you weigh like lead.”

“Sorry,” he grimaced, leaning all his weight on the satyr. 

“I didn’t tell you to stop leaning on me, did I?” she said, pulling him back onto her.

“Guys, d–did you hear that?” asked Annabeth, her voice shaking. She was trailing behind, looking towards Echidna. 

Y/N’s footsteps faltered and she frowned, turning toward her best friend.

“Hear what?” questioned Grover.

The girl remained silent for a second, her eyes flickering between the three of them. There was a confusion and a familiar sadness simmering in her gaze, one that Y/N got to know in the time she befriended Annabeth. During camp fires, and quiet nights when the nightmares became too much, during fiery sunsets at the edge of the Camp, near Thalia’s pine tree.  “Annie?”

Annabeth only hastily shook her head. “Never mind. Come on.”

They rushed to the entrance, hastened steps slowed down by Percy’s weight. They dodged crowds and made their way into a tram. Y/N, with the help of Grover, let Percy fall gently into a seat, before she settled next to him. The fluorescent blue light of the tram coloured his face in the shades of a million oceans, illuminating his now discoloured freckles and dark indigo circles under his tired eyes. He was panting and Y/N realised that speaking hurt him, as well. 

“What was that back there? What did you hear? She spoke to you. Alecto did that with me back in the museum in New York. What did she say?” he asked Annabeth. 

Y/N’s gaze moved onto her friend, watching her closely. She was avoiding her gaze, her lips parted and eyebrows slightly furrowed. And Y/N knew then that what she must have heard had to do with one of her many wounds. The kind that only cut deep when growing up with the absence of a mother. One that Y/N knew all too well. “Annie, did she–” But the sound of growling froze her and she snapped her head towards it. Echidna had just entered the museum with her head held high and back straightened in pride and silent rage. The shadow of a monster with two sharp horns was stretching on the wall. Y/N gaped as the tram’s door slid closed, fear paralysing her body, her mind going in overdrive. The tram jolted and started to ascend. 

“Was that the Chimera?” whispered Grover, shock painting his features. “I think– I think that was the Chimera! 

“It was the Chimera,” replied Y/N, still staring at the closed door. 

“How did the Chimera even get inside here? How did any monster get inside here?”

“Annabeth?” called Percy, trying to stay upright but failing. His breathing was shallow. Y/N could hear it near her ear. 

She shifted her eyes on Annabeth. Her best friend was still staring down at the floor, blinking and furrowing. She caught her gaze. Shame was painting her cheeks in a dusty pink and her eyes turned into a dark pool of sorrow. 

“We’re in a sanctuary. Athena would have had to let her in, but why would she do that?”

“Annabeth! What did Echidna say to you?” asked Percy, frustration building in his tone.

She sighed through her nose. “She said my impertinence wounded my mother’s pride. And that that will be my doom.”

Y/N’s lips parted. “No…” she muttered in realisation, guilt starting to eat at her stomach. She clenched her fists on her knees.  

Percy started shaking his head, eyebrows creasing together. “Impertinence? What kind of–” His face softened, eyes widening. “Medusa’s head.”

“I embarrassed my mother.”

Now there was a hole in Y/N’s stomach, a glowing deep red flashing beneath her eyelids. “But how’s that possible? You didn’t do anything.”

“I’m the one who sent the head to Olympus,” added Percy, crouching in pain. A drop of water fell from his hair onto his forehead as he shook his head. “I signed the note. Only mine and Y/N’s names were on it.”

“And I went along with it!” flared up Annabeth. “It embarrassed her. Now, she’s angry.”

Y/N shook her head, remorse lacing her features. Her hand itched as it wanted to reach out for her friend’s, but the guilt handcuffed her, tying her to a surging anger and a deep flowing regret. 

“Guys, what are we gonna do?” inquired the satyr, eyes downcast.

“She isn’t gonna help us when we get to the top to save Percy.”

“No, I meant what are we gonna do about Echidna and Chimera?” emphasised Grover, looking between them. “They’re gonna be right behind us!”

“We’re gonna fight,” answered Y/N, feeling the curving of the bow on her back.

The tram slowed to a stop, its door opening with a ding. 

“We’re not gonna have much time. They’ll be up here any minute. And if my mother isn’t going to protect us, then we’ll just have to fight it up here,” said Annabeth as she came out the tram, putting her bag around her shoulders, determination glinting in her eyes.

Y/N followed her out, marching up the stairs. She came to an abrupt stop, as chatter filled her ears. Tourists crowded the top of the Gateway Arch, smiling and pointing towards the view. 

“Oh, no,” voiced the satyr from beside her, steadying Percy up. “We gotta get everybody out of here.”

Y/N swallowed, looking around the room before a wailing alarm slashed the air, blaring and whining. She jumped at the sound of it, before she felt the warm hand of her friend on her shoulder, guiding her along. “You and Percy follow them down.”

Y/N frowned, stopping in her tracks, implanting her soles into the floor, letting them grow roots there. “Absolutely not!”

“What? No, no, no. W-we’re not splitting up,” agreed Grover, shaking his head.

Annabeth sighed, taking him by the arm and pushing him down the hallway. “Grover, come on.”

“No. No, no, no, no, no, we’re all getting out of here together,” breathed out Percy, his lips by now cracked and dry. 

“We won’t make it. Someone has to stay back and slow her down and buy everyone some time.”

“And that someone has to be you?” retorted Y/N with a frown etched on her face.

“Yes. It’s the only way.”

“Well, then, I’m coming with you.”

“What? No.”

“I’m coming with you, Annie. Whether you like it or not. Whether you want to or not. We’re in this together,” Y/N replied, taking her by the hand. She gave it a comforting squeeze. 

The girl opened her mouth in protest, but fell silent upon seeing the lightning in Y/N’s gaze. 

“You’re not Thalia,” continued Y/N, her tone harsh. “You don’t have to do this alone.” 

A look of understanding passed between them and Annabeth’s frown softened. She nodded and squeezed Y/N’s hand back. “Come on.” She pushed the boys down the stairs. “Okay, help him down the stairs and get him to the river. And don’t stop. Not ‘till you get to Hades, not ‘till you have the bolt. Do you hear me?”

The blond started to shake his head, his eyes moving between the girls, his mouth hanging open in clear panic.

“Okay, go,” urged Annabeth.

“It’s not negotiable,” voiced Y/N, staring down at Percy. 

He inhaled a breath of air to reply before a shot of pain made him cower and grimace. 

“You need to get to the river. We’ll be fine, seaweed brain. We’re tough girls.”

“But–”

“Just listen to me this once,” she cut him off. “Trust me.” 

She sent him a small smile and started closing the door, her other hand still in Annabeth's. 

“Wait! Take this,” said Percy, taking a pen out of his pants pocket. A metallic ringing tinkled in the air. A golden, glowing sword materialised in Percy’s hand and he held it out for Y/N to take. She hesitated. “Keep it, you’ll need it, seaweed brain.”

“You need it more than me now,” he croaked out.

“I have my bow and arrows and Annie has her dagger.”

“Just take it,” he sighed.

She reached out for it, wrapping her hand around the handle. It was smooth to the touch, the metal cooling her hand. “Thank–” But with a grunt, the boy pushed her through the door and down the stairs. Annabeth fell behind her, knocking into her and Y/N lost her footing, crashing into the satyr. She whipped her head around after Grover steadied her, but the door to the panoramic view was already closed.

“Hey! Open this door!” she yelled, banging on it with knuckled white fists. 

“Hey! Percy! Percy, please!” Grover pleadied. 

“Percy, no! Don’t do this. They’ll kill you.”

“You idiot! Open this door right now!” 

Percy’s muffled voice travelled to them through the door. “Poseidon’s never helped me before. He wasn’t gonna start now. I would’ve never made it to Hades. But you can. And now you will.”

She heard enough and with a low grunt, she turned around, marching down the stairs, a scowl curling her lips downwards. 

“Y/N? Where are you going? Y/N!” Grover called out after her but she ignored him, her determined steps carrying her down. Her blood was boiling again and she took out her bow, the wooden curve of it fitting in her hand like the piece of an intricate puzzle. She turned the corner, arriving on the first floor. Her eyes roamed around the room, stopping onto an opened tram. She looked around, seeing a scrawny teenager dressed in the uniform of the museum as he hurried to the exit, the alarm still blaring in the background.

“You!” she called out to him.

The boy turned his head towards her, his gaze fearful. He pointed towards himself. “Me?”

“Yeah, you! You’re gonna make this tram work and ascend towards the top,” she replied, marching up to him, her jaw clenched. 

“B-but, miss, the alarm–”

Her voice turned thunderous, her eyes flashing, as she raised her bow and an arrow. “You will do as I say.”

The teenager stammered, his eyes flickering between her and the weapon before he hastily nodded, rushing towards his working cabin. Y/N followed his example, marching towards the tram. After she entered, it closed with a bang and jolted as it started ascending. She lost her balance, colliding into the wall. With a pained grunt, she rose up as the door opened with a ding. She sprinted out, running up the stairs, her hand gripping her weapon. 

“I knew you were coming, demigod. My little one here sensed your blood,” Echidna’s voice echoed, a malice coating tone. “She said it smelled sweet.”

Y/N panted as she arrived at the top, her heart beating in accord with her heavy breathing. Her gaze flew around the room, seeing no sign of Percy, but a hole into the floor. Flames were licking the floor and walls. Echidna was standing proudly in the middle of the room, the Chimera growling beside her, showing its sharp fangs.

“Where’s Percy? What did you do to him?!” she shouted. 

“Down below. 630 feet below. Are you in a rush to meet his fate?” Echidna replied, cocking her head to the side. “Perhaps that can be arranged.”

The Chimera started advancing towards her, opening its mouth in a loud growl. Y/N shuddered and raised her bow, willing her hand to not tremble. The monster growled once more, its scaly skin catching the light of the flames. A bulb of fire scorched the air towards her and she dodged it, before launching an arrow. It stabbed the Chimera in the neck. It gave out a pained growl and raised its tail to hit her but Y/N let another arrow to slay the air, implanting itself in the tail. 

“You really don’t know when to quit, do you?” she heard Echidna say. 

Y/N shook her head as another arrow flew, stabbing the Chimera in its chest and drawing blood. The red slits of its eyes widened and the monster gave out a furious growl, raising its paw, sending Y/N across the room. She fell to the ground, hitting her head. She blinked, grunting in pain as she tried getting up. A buzzing filled her ears and blurred lines obscured her vision. Growling reached her ears, padded steps shaking the Arch. Y/N searched herself for more arrows, quickly realising she ran out of them.

“Heroes have short lives,” Echidna’s voice echoed, stepping towards her. “You are no exception. It’s just how the tales go.”

Stinging tears gathered in Y/N’s eyes as she crawled away from the monster. Fear froze her body, her stomach turning into a small knot as a lump blocked the air in her throat.

And then she felt it. 

Something electric seemed to travel through her body, needles pricking her skin. But they didn’t hurt. It was as though someone was caressing her skin, energy leaving in its wake. It was levitating and life-giving. 

She felt very much alive.

And then she finally understood. She understood that her father was the king of the skies and of gods. And that she was his daughter, in every conceivable way. And that despite his long absence, he granted her the power to pick herself up from the cold ground, that his powers and skies were also hers, that he was the sky she grew up under and that even in her most thunderous dreams he chose to show himself in ways she hadn't understood at first.

Her feet lifted from the ground, her eyes glowing purple, and she let the energy welcome her home, her hair ruffling in the wind. She raised a hand, conjuring lightning and directed it at the Chimera. It bashed upon the monster in crackling fire and thunder. The monster whimpered before it charged towards her, its skin burning, smoke swirling into the air. Y/N raised both of her palms and hit the monster with a final lightning. It dissolved into ashes, wind carrying them away. 

“No!” shouted Echidna, her voice breaking. “You monster!”

The wind slowly lowered Y/N to the ground and she blinked the glow out of her eyes. Her hands still crackled with alive energy. “Between the two of us, I think you’re the monster.”

Echidna’s face darkened with a scowl, as she stepped towards Y/N. The girl realised that she preferred her bone-chilling smile. She took a step back. “Above it all, I am a mother. And you took that from me.” 

“You killed Percy!”

The Mother of Monsters steadily advanced towards her, her scowl slowly turning into her sinister smile. Y/N backed away from her until the back of her sneakers stepped onto the edge of nothing. She regained her balance, as she looked over her shoulder. The ground was stretching before her eyes, wind hollowing. 

“Who’s gonna save you now? You have no one. A motherless and abandoned child.”

She whipped her head around. “That’s not true,” she replied, her voice trembling. “My father helped me today!”

Echidna tilted her head at her, still smiling. “Poor you, so naive. I am so sorry, but you took my baby from me.” Her hands clawed out to her, slashing her across the shoulders and pushing her down the open hole into the floor.

And then Y/N was falling. 

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

A/N: So, there it is! We have finally learned about Y/N's father. How do we feel about the big reveal? Did you guys suspect it? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Any kind of feedback is greatly appreciated.

I expect the next chapter won't come out very soon, I'll try my best but I've been very busy lately, with uni especially. I'm graduating this year so it's a tumultuous one. Thank you for understanding x

If you'd like to be added to my main tag list or the series tag list, drop a comment or send me an ask!

Lots of love xx

Main tag list: @bohemianrhapsody86 @andreead @asgards-princess-of-mischief @islayhawkin

Series tag list: Storms tag list: @mynicknameisgasoline @constellation-archive @leptitlu @br3nt-12 @utterlyunawarewriter @spidermansfangirl

[thebestsetter]

WHY ARE THERE SO LITTLE PJO FICSSS

Guys, please write more. I beg you. I'm going crazy over the lack of stories.

Pls tag me in any great pjo fics you find/write, thank you.

[lady-ashfade]

When you realize you were just a escape for them…just to love them like the sun.

(Real life— big thinking of some angst ideas…Someone wrote it)

[xoxochb]

Your stories make my brain tingle in a very comforting way <3 Could you try to capture the feeling of laughing with your friends, unable to stop, in a percy × reader (daughter of demeter) fic? Some fluff, light banter, and teasing

— strawberry fields ꣑ৎ‧₊˚.

warnings: swearing, quick sex reference small make out… and unfortunately a wes bennett AND a young sheldon reference 😣 pairing: percy jackson x daughter of demeter on the radio… lovers rock by tv girl!

“you already had three. kindly had that over.” you outstretch your hand and wait for your boyfriend to drop his, now fourth, strawberry into your hand. he doesn’t, he pouts and holds it protectively to his chest.

“this is mine. I picked it.”

“but there’s only—” you frantically search your basket and count the berries one by one. “twelve left.”

“you gonna eat those all yourself?”

in your lap, you cover your cats ears before speaking your next words, “oh, fuck you.” you remove your hands gently, petting him tenderly.

“watch your filthy mouth, (name), there’s a child.” percy removes the cat from your lap and places it atop his own. you frown at the loss of contact, sadly popping a berry into your mouth, excluding the leaves at the top, you throw those out in the field. “gimme a strawberry, woman.”

“excuse you?!”

now, percy isn’t typically scared of you, no, you’re his loving-always kind-warmhearted-daughter of demeter girlfriend who’s always saving him strawberries. but in this moment, he was sure you were going to severely hurt him. you might, that’s probably the most mortifying part, it’s no secret that you’ve hit him playfully from time-to-time, that’s an everyday occasion. your glare doesn’t falter and this makes his uneasiness heighten.

“sorry— I didn’t even… I didn’t even want one anyways. and— uh, here’s your cat…” he swiftly places him back into your lap.

“you’re such a dipshit.” you lift the cat from your lap into your arms instead. “you’re lucky I’m hopelessly in love with you or I would’ve beat your ass.”

“I have no doubts in that.”

“lovely.” you sigh and take a strawberry from the basket, moving closer to percy so your knees touch. you take a bite into it, savoring the juices on your lips, before taking the rest of the uneaten portion and splaying it over percy’s. you throw the berry to the side and cup his face between your palms, murmuring a quiet ‘c’mere’ before placing your strawberry coated lips over his. percy only realizes after the second kiss what you had been doing.

slowly, and careful not to break the kiss, he removes the cat from your lap, ushering him to go wander. and before you have the chance to pull back and yell at him for doing so, he horribly tangles a hand into your hair and slips his tongue in your mouth. you attempt to mumble his name into his mouth in any hopes he’ll listen— which he doesn’t, you’re not surprised by this. you have to do something…

you ultimately end up digging your nails into his arm that holds your head. he yelps and pulls away (successfully).

“thanks.”

“thanks? you hurt me!”

“lemme kiss it better.” you take his arm into your hands and place a light kiss to where your nails had imprinted crescent shaped into his skin.

he smirks. “you know… I think I could use a kiss somewhere else too.”

you wait expectantly. then you realize too soon his gaze had left you and was averted to his jeans.

“you are such a fucking weirdo!”

[hernamewaslily]

LILY'S MASTERLIST

(requests still open)

rafe cameron x reader:

"How old is she?"

jj maybank x reader:

texts with boyfriend

percy jackson x reader:

"but your dad will be so mad"

instagram stories

[comfxrtablykai]

on that note, I take it back, the dumbass guy I gave my TUMBLR BLOG over DUMPED me🎀so i'm back and badder than ever. peace was never an option comfortably🔪, kai xoxo☕💋

ok, so I deleted a few of my posts because I wanna make some changes in the blog and the type of blog I wanna run😭

it'll mostly be the same type of stuff, just more organised and a little less simping because I have a bf whom I love so my vision for this blog is changing<3

but seriously, those who followed for a good fanfiction story, I'll still be writing those, im just facing a major writing blog currently. I've had more than a few mental health problems recently and I thank each and every one of you for sticking with me and waiting so patiently

comfortably,

kai☕

[c1nnam00n]

me seeing that my fav character barely/doesn’t have any fanfics OR imagines

[percabething]

when the fandom is so small that everybody knows everybody

[yawneon]

how i look at my screen after y/n just got called kitten/puppy/bunny