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twoidiotwriters1 · 8 months

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The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Jackson siblings my beloveds -Danny Words: 2,448 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'Kids' -by OneRepublic

XIV: 'Not All Men' You're Right, My Brother Percy Would Never

The four of them clamber onto the ship at the same time. Frank rushes down the steps to look for the others while Percy and Hedge collapse on deck. Ara runs to the control board. She keeps her eyes on the monitors and radars until the ship is at a proper distance from the Aquarium.

"Where are we going?" She shouts.

"Charleston!" Percy yells back, he's still lying on the ground. "Set course for Charleston!"

Leo approaches her holding a cheese-grilled sandwich. "I would ask if you need help, but—is that a shark?" He squints. "And you're blue..?"

"Teal," she corrects him, leaving the controls and returning to her brother. "It's teal..."

"Who was it?" Leo looks at the back of her cloak and grins. "Poseidon! He's officially adopted you too?"

"I already have a dad," Ara laughs, taking off the hat and tossing it to him as she reaches her brother. "But I bet I'll find his blessing most useful."

She looks down at Percy and offers her hand, which he grabs immediately. They look at each other when he's on his feet and share a silly smile. At least now she can confirm quests will never be boring.

"How's that for a flashy trap, huh?" Percy taunts her.

Ara laughs, both their soul-lights are vivid. "Too easy when it's you and me."

Percy high-fives her, then hugs her and ruffles her damp hair.

The group gathers on deck so everyone can hear their story. Percy and Frank do most of the talking during the first half (she wasn't paying attention then), and Ara and Percy narrate the rest with notes from Hedge.

"That's terrible!" Annabeth makes a face when Percy tells them about the sedated creatures. "We need to help them."

"We will, in time. But I have to figure out how. I wish..." he sighs. "Never mind. First, we have to deal with this bounty on our heads."

"This isn't your first time being a wanted demigod," Ara muses. "What's there to talk about?"

"I'm surprised this is your first," he raises a brow. "With the talent you have for exploding monster property..."

"It's always a team effort," she winks.

Annabeth shakes her head. "A bounty on our heads... as if we didn't attract enough monsters already."

"Do we get WANTED posters?" Leo's wearing the hat Ara brought him, which makes him look even crazier than usual. "And do they have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?"

"What are you talking about?" Hazel scowls.

"Just curious how much I'm going for these days. I mean, I can understand not being as pricey as Percy or Jason, maybe... but am I worth, like, two Franks, or three Franks?"

"Hey!"

"Knock it off," Annabeth scolds him. "At least we know our next step is to go to Charleston, to find this map."

"A map," Piper leans against the control board. "But a map to what?"

"The Mark of Athena." Percy glances at Annabeth. "Whatever that is, we know it leads to something important in Rome, something that might heal the rift between the Romans and Greeks."

"The giants' bane," Hazel says.

"And in my dream, the twin giants said something about a statue."

"Um..." Frank glowers at the Chinese handcuffs he got at Phorcys's gift shop. "According to Phorcys, we'd have to be insane to try to find it. But what is it?"

"I—I'm close to an answer," Annabeth's ears turn pink. "I'll know more if we find this map. Jason, the way you reacted to the name Charleston... have you been there before?"

"Yeah," he takes a furtive glimpse at Piper. "Reyna and I did a quest there about a year ago. We were salvaging Imperial gold weapons from the C.S.S. Hunley."

"The what?"

"Whoa!" Leo exclaims. "That's the first successful military submarine. From the Civil War. I always wanted to see that."

"It was designed by Roman demigods," Jason explains. "It held a secret stash of Imperial gold torpedoes—until we rescued them and brought them back to Camp Jupiter."

"So the Romans fought on the Confederate side?" Hazel frowns. "As a girl whose grandmother was a slave, can I just say... not cool?"

"Hazel, there's no need to get violent!" Ara teases her. "Romans being racist is a surprise? Just take a look at Octavian—"

"Easy with the hate speech," Jason interrupts her. "I personally was not alive then. And it wasn't all Greeks on one side and all Romans on the other. But, yes. Not cool. Sometimes demigods make bad choices... Like sometimes we're too suspicious. And we speak without thinking."

Jason elbows Leo so he joins in. "Ow! I mean, yeah... bad choices. Like not trusting people's brothers, who, you know, might need saving. Hypothetically speaking."

Hazel isn't entirely happy with the apology, but she takes it. "Fine. Back to Charleston. Are you saying we should check that submarine again?"

"Well... I can think of two places in Charleston we might search. The museum where they keep the Hunley—that's one of them. It has a lot of relics from the Civil War. A map could be hidden in one. I know the layout. I could lead a team inside."

"I'll go," Leo shrugs. "That sounds cool."

Jason turns to Frank. "You should come too, Frank. We might need you."

Frank's so surprised he stops fighting the Chinese handcuffs. "Why? Not like I was much good at that aquarium."

"You did fine," Percy eases him. "It took all four of us to break that glass."

"I'm not so sure," Frank eyes the Jackson siblings standing side by side. "You two were like a force of nature."

"You should see us when we're angry," Ara jokes. Percy hugs her sideways and squeezes her lightly. "But my brother's right, go and have a bonding experience with those two, I promise you'll like them."

Leo scoffs and Piper elbows him.

"Besides, you're a child of Mars," Jason points out to distract Frank. "The ghosts of defeated causes are bound to serve you. And the museum in Charleston has plenty of Confederate ghosts. We'll need you to keep them in line."

"Okay," Frank sighs. "Sure. Uh, how do you—?" He lifts his fingers, still trapped in the small toy.

Leo grins. "Man, you've never seen those before? There's a simple trick to getting out."

"You have to press on them," Ara explains vaguely.

Everyone stays quiet and watches Frank struggle. After a moment, he grows tired and turns into a green iguana.

"Well done, Frank Zhang," Leo says in an almost perfect impression of Chiron. "That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turn into iguanas."

While the group laughs, Ara picks up the Chinese handcuffs and returns them to Frank. She's not sure whether she likes him or not, he's hostile towards Leo, but insecure and struggles with social interactions. He reminds her of Mike a little bit, he's an archer just like he was.

"That looked sorta cool," she whispers with an amicable smile.

Frank smiles back, though it's brief and awkward. "Anyway," he speaks out loud, "the museum is one place to search. But, uh, Jason, you said there were two?"

Jason's expression changes from amused to concerned. "Yeah. The other place is called the Battery—it's a park right by the harbor. The last time I was there... with Reyna... We saw something in the park. A ghost or some sort of spirit, like a Southern belle from the Civil War, glowing and floating along. We tried to approach it, but it disappeared whenever we got close. Then Reyna had this feeling—she said she should try it alone. Like maybe it would only talk to a girl. She went up to the spirit by herself, and sure enough, it spoke to her."

"What did it say?" Annabeth asks.

"Reyna wouldn't tell me. But it must have been important. She seemed... shaken up. Maybe she got a prophecy or some bad news. Reyna never acted the same around me after that."

"That sounds promising," Ara makes a face.

"A girls' adventure, then," Annabeth looks around. "Piper and Hazel can come with us, Ara."

She turns to her friend. "Say what?"

"You got Poseidon's blessing," Annabeth explains. "If the spirit is close to the harbor, it might be useful to take someone who has some kind of power over water."

Ara sighs. "Could've given me a cake to celebrate, but I guess this works."

"Cheer up, Birdy," Percy pats her shoulder. "You'll have fun."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm not complaining. Who's complaining? Not me."

"So that's settled." Annabeth fixes her posture. "Leo, how long until we reach Charleston?"

"Good question," he mumbles, leaning closer to the intercom. "Festus just detected a large group of eagles behind us—long-range radar, still not in sight."

"Are you sure they're Roman?" Piper leans closer.

"No, Pipes. It could be a random group of giant eagles flying in perfect formation. Of course they're Roman! I suppose we could turn the ship around and fight—"

"Which would be a very bad idea," Jason cuts in, "and remove any doubt that we're enemies of Rome."

"Or I've got another idea," Leo continues. "If we went straight to Charleston, we could be there in a few hours. But the eagles would overtake us, and things would get complicated. Instead, we could send out a decoy to trick the eagles. We take the ship on a detour, go the long way to Charleston, and get there tomorrow morning—" Leo stops Hazel before she can argue. "I know, I know. Nico's in trouble and we have to hurry."

"It's June twenty-seventh," Hazel presses. "After today, four more days. Then he dies."

"I know! But this might throw the Romans off our trail. We still should have enough time to reach Rome."

"When you say should have enough..."

"How do you feel about barely enough?"

Hazel runs both hands over her face and groans. "Sounds about typical for us."

"Well, we have a deadline expert with us," Piper smirks, locking eyes with her sister. "We'll be fine."

"It'll be fine," Ara assures Hazel. "Nico won't get to say he died on my watch."

Hazel eyes her with concern. "If that motivates you..."

"Okay, Leo," Annabeth says. "What kind of decoy are we talking about?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" He pressed many—perhaps too many—buttons around the control board. "Buford? Report for duty, please."

Frank steps back. "There's somebody else on the ship? Who is Buford?"

"Our bundle of joy!" Leo seizes Ara's hand and pulls her away from Percy. "He's the reason we got together."

"Your what?" Percy asks with confusion.

The table climbs on deck whistling and dragging a bag behind it.

"This is Buford," Leo grins.

"You name your furniture?" Frank raises a brow.

"Man, you just wish you had furniture this cool," the boy scoffs. "Buford, are you ready for Operation End Table?"

Buford gets closer to the railing, his top splitting into wooden blades that quickly lift him up and away from the ship.

"A helicopter table," Percy whistles. "Gotta admit, that's cool. What's in the bag?"

"Dirty demigod laundry," the boy smirks. "I hope you don't mind, Frank."

"What?"

"It'll throw the eagles off our scent."

"Those were my only extra pants!"

"I asked Buford to get them laundered and folded while he's out. Hopefully he will." He moves and hugs Ara from behind, leaning his chin on her shoulder. Ara's empath touch senses his irritation. "Well! I call that a good day's work. We'll calculate our detour route now. See you all at dinner!"

As the demigods scatter, Ara turns to face him. "What was that?"

Leo shrugs. "You go on one quest with Frank and now you're buddies?"

"Dude. We have to be a team, otherwise we're doomed. You should be nicer."

Leo brushes it aside. "Yeah, alright. If he stays out of my business, I will."

Ara raises her brows. "Your business being..?"

Leo senses he's on thin ice but it's too late to fix it. "I didn't mean—"

"I bet you didn't," she replies a bit harshly. It reminds Leo of the day they met, which is never a good sign. "Next time why don't you try harder and stop those thoughts before they leave your mouth?"

He gets a sting of annoyance at her tone. "Yes. I'm sorry, General," he mutters, fidgeting with a random nail he pulled out from his tool belt.

Ara sniffs her clothes, gawking at the smell of fish. "Gods, I need a shower..."

"Yeah, you stink." Leo eyes her carefully, a tentative smile on his face. He wants to make her laugh, perhaps in the same way she did a few minutes ago while talking to Percy, he'd never seen her smile like that. "Thank you for the shark hat."

He plants a brief kiss on her lips—doesn't even complain about the fish smell—and Ara playfully pushes his shark-shaped hat over his eyes.

"See you later, Admiral."

She goes to get a fresh set of clothes and finds a purple octopi plushie on her bed... a backpack plushie. There's a sticky note on it with Percy's handwriting:

'Purple is your color :)'

She grabs the plushie and hugs it tight. The octopi's head lights up in pink and blue, and Ara laughs in childish delight.

"Have any of you seen Percy and Annabeth?"

Clarisse's eyes shine with evil intent. "I think they're in the pavilion."

"I wonder if she's giving him a birthday present!"

Everyone around me giggles. I look at their mischievous faces and know they're all thinking what I'm thinking. I sigh dramatically. "We should check on them, just to be sure they're alright."

Percy and Annabeth have their backs turned when we get to them, so it isn't hard for us to eavesdrop. When they kiss, their scarlet light hurts my eyes a little.

"Well, it's about time!" Clarisse shouts, rushing into the scene.

Everyone follows Clarisse except me, I stay at the entrance smiling, my arms crossed over my chest as I watch.

"Oh, come on!" Percy blushes so hard that he's the human version of Rudolph's nose. "Is there no privacy?" He raises his voice. "General, control your campers!"

I shrug. "You're the one who's agitating them."

"What!"

Listen, we're all friends here, but that doesn't mean we won't take the opportunity to humble the strongest demigods in camp. "If only you'd pulled your head out of your ass sooner, my campers wouldn't be making such a fuss," I look at Clarisse. "We don't have all night, you know? Get to it!"

"The lovebirds need to cool off!" She laughs, and the campers hoist Annabeth and Percy up in the air at her command. I follow them closely.

"To the canoe lake!" Connor Stoll shouts.

"You'll be next, Connor," I whisper beside him. He blushes and glows silver. "Off to the lake, everyone!"

"You heard the General!" Lily shouts. She fits the role of my second in command perfectly.

We throw my brother and Annabeth into the lake unceremoniously, they glow red the whole way down. Chucking the son of Poseidon into a lake is the opposite of embarrassing him, but of course, I knew that already. I might be the Strategus, but Percy's still my favorite brother.

"Happy birthday, Nemo," I say quietly, walking back to the Big House.

Next Chapter –>

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#twoidiots writing #pjo fanfic #percy jackson and the olympians #leo valdez x oc #leo valdez fanfic #doo #heroes of olympus

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sailorrose19 · 2 years

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Two days ago, I took a hop on hop off trolley tour of the city these were taken at Centennial Park in Nashville, Tennessee and I'm still in Nashville until Sunday.

I saw this replica of the Parthenon where the nice tour guide said contains a very big and beautiful statue of the goddess, Athena. Part of me wishes to go visit since I felt it might be the closest I'll get to the real deal which is among the ruins in Greece.

I wish I could see that statue of Athena and maybe snap a picture and probably pray to her to grant me courage and wisdom but Tennessee is the buckle of the "Bible Belt" and folks there don't take kindly to polytheistic pagans like me and through their ignorance see me as a false idol worshipper or a something heathenous The gods tagged along with me for this trip and Aphrodite liked how my pictures turned out and told me I will get to see the real deal in Athens one day.

#centennial park #nashville #tennessee #nashville tennessee #the parthenon #music city #athens of the south #diety work #me and the gods #baby witchling #baby pagan #ex catholic

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thebonggirll · 2 years

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chapter thirteen

< previous: chapter twelve

They had to walk for almost an hour before they found a path that led up to the road. It came upon the east side of the river. Then they straggled back toward the dam. It was cold and windy on top. On one side, a big lake spread out, ringed by barren desert mountains. On the other side, the dam dropped away like the world's most dangerous skateboard ramp, down to the river seven hundred feet below, and water that churned from the dam's vents.

Thalia walked in the middle of the road, far away from the edges. Grover kept sniffing the wind and looking nervous. He didn't say anything but he probably smelled monsters.

"How close are they?" Percy asked him.

He shook his head. "Maybe not close. The wind on the dam, the desert all around us... the scent can probably carry for miles. But it's coming from several directions. I don't like that."

"There's a snack bar in the visitor center," Thalia said.

"You've been here before?" Percy asked.

"Once. To see the guardians." She pointed to the far end of the dam. Carved into the side of the cliff was a little plaza with two big bronze statues. They looked kind of like Oscar statues with wings.

"They were dedicated to Zeus when the dam was built," Thalia said. "A gift from Athena."

Tourists were clustered all around them. They seemed to be looking at the statues' feet.

"What are they doing?" he asked.

"Rubbing the toes," Thalia said. "They think it's good luck."

"Why?"

She shook her head. "Mortals get crazy ideas. They don't know the statues are sacred to Zeus, but they know there's something special about them."

"When you were here last, did they talk to you or anything?"

Thalia's expression darkened, "No. They don't do anything. They're just big metal statues."

"Let us find the dam snack bar," Zoe said. "We should eat while we can."

Grover cracked a smile. "The dam snack bar?"

Zoe blinked. "Yes. What is funny?"

"Nothing," Grover said, trying to keep a straight face. "I could use some dam french fries."

Even Thalia smiled at that. "And I need to use the dam restroom." Y/N's face darkened as she whispered, "Me too."

Maybe it was the fact that they were so tired and strung out emotionally, but everyone started cracking up, while Zoe just looked at them. "I do not understand."

"I want to use the dam water fountain," Grover said.

"And..." Thalia tried to catch her breath. "I want to buy a dam T-shirt."

Percy probably would've kept laughing all day, but then he heard a noise: "Moooo."

The smile melted off his face. He wondered if the noise was just in his head, but Grover had stopped laughing too. He was looking around, confused. "Did I just hear a cow?"

"A dam cow?" Thalia laughed.

"No," Grover said. "I'm serious."

Zoe listened. "I hear nothing."

Thalia was looking at him, "Percy, are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said. "You guys go ahead. I'll be right in."

"What's wrong?" Grover asked.

"Nothing," he said. "I... I just need a minute. To think."

They hesitated, but finally went into the visitor center without him.

"Thalia," Y/N said, "....I think I just got my period."

"Now?" she asked, "Wasn't it supposed to come like a week later or something?"

"You think I don't know that?!" she said out of embarrassment, "And I need to change out of these pants too. Thank god I'm wearing black."

"Do you have extra pair of pants?" she asked.

"No, I just have tampons," Y/N sighed, "It's so fucking uncomfortable!"

"..Wait, Zoe might be able to help," Thalia said and turned to her, "...Do you have anything? Anything her size?"

"I do," Zoe said, "Come on."

"....So you guys are just gonna leave me alone here?" Grover asked.

"....I mean, you can join us in our bloody adventure if you want to," Y/N chuckled. Thalia laughed at her comment, while Grover shook his head in disapproval and walked away.

As soon as Y/N was done changing, she stepped out of the stall in the restroom and washed her hands. It looked like Zoe left while Thalia waited for her.

"You know you're gonna have to talk to him in this journey at some point, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Y/N said, "I know when we have to talk and when it's not required."

"You haven't said a word to him since I said that. It makes me feel like it's my fault," Thalia sighed.

"To be honest, you are at fault for like 20 percent. But I'm so done with him right now."

"He's dying to talk to you and you know that."

"I don't think so. He would've talked if he wanted to. Besides, he doesn't want us to become strangers I guess. And that's why he's doing this. He wants us to become friends again but you know what? Just like him, I'm beginning to have trust issues regarding this whole group. I don't wanna force myself to be in a place where I feel unwanted."

"You're not forcing yourself-"

"I know but no matter what you say, whatever goes on in this group makes me feel unwanted. So yeah, I'm just gonna do whatever makes me happy from this point. There's no use trying to make Percy and Annabeth feel less guilty and lying about being friends. In the long run, it's better for all of us."

They walked out of the stall and went to order their food with Zoe and Grover. The cafe was packed with kids enjoying the best part of the tour—the dam lunch. They were just sitting down with their food when Percy appeared in front of them gasping for air.

"We need to leave. Now!"

Okay, so angel statues saving the group from the skeletons? Check.

Forcing Nereus to tell about the monster? Uh, well he tricked them with an irrelevant answer. So no check.

Mr. D saving their ass after almost getting killed by Dr. Thorn, the manticore, and the guards assisting him? Check. Yes, this one seems almost unreal. Dionysus really got on their nerves but he did fulfill his responsibility when it was a serious matter. As a matter of fact, he even got Percy's name right. Although he denied it later.

All around them, the manticore's minions were still acting completely nuts. One of them had found their friend the homeless guy, and they were having a serious conversation about metal angels from Mars. Several other guards were harassing the tourists, making animal noises, and trying to steal their shoes.

Percy looked at Zoe. "What did he mean… 'You know where to go'?"

Her face was the color of the fog. She pointed across the bay, past the Golden Gate. In the distance, a single mountain rose up above the cloud layer.

"The garden of my sisters," she said. "I must go home. But, we will never make it. We are moving too slow. But we cannot leave the Ophiotaurus."

"Mooo," Bessie said. He swam next to him as they jogged along the waterfront. They'd left the shopping center pier far behind and headed toward the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was a lot farther than they'd realized. The sun was already dipping in the west.

"I don't get it," Percy said. "Why do we have to get there at sunset?"

"The Hesperides are the nymphs of the sunset," Zoe said. "We can only enter their garden as day changes to night."

"What happens if we miss it?"

"Tomorrow is the winter solstice. If we miss sunset tonight, we would have to wait until tomorrow evening. And by then, the Olympian Council will be over. We must free Lady Artemis tonight."

Or Annabeth will be dead, he thought but didn't say that.

"We need a car," Thalia said.

"But what about Bessie?" he asked.

Grover stopped in his tracks. "I've got an idea! The Ophiotaurus can appear in different bodies of water, right?"

"Well, yeah," Percy said. "I mean, he was in Long Island Sound. Then he just popped into the water at Hoover Dam. And now he's here."

"So maybe we could coax him back to Long Island Sound," Grover said. "Then Chiron could help us get him to Olympus."

"But he was following me. If I'm not there, would he know where he's going?"

Although Grover was reluctant about getting into the water again after the experience of drowning in the sea of monsters, he was willing to do whatever it takes to help them. In the end, Percy agreed to it.

"Dad," he said. "Help us. Get the Ophiotaurus and Grover safely to camp. Protect them at sea."

"A prayer like that needs a sacrifice," Thalia said. "Something big."

He thought for a second and took off his coat.

"Percy," Grover said. "Are you sure? That lion skin… that's really helpful. Hercules used it!"

As soon as he said that, Percy realized something.

He glanced at Zoe momentarily and said, "If I'm going to survive, it won't be because I've got a lion-skin cloak. I'm not Hercules."

He threw the coat into the bay. It turned back into a golden lion skin, flashing in the light. Then, as it began to sink beneath the waves, it seemed to dissolve into the sunlight on the water. The sea breeze picked up.

Grover took a deep breath. "Well, no time to lose."

"....So where can we get the car?" Y/N asked after Grover left.

"Thalia's right," Percy said. "We need a car. But there's nobody to help us here. Unless we, uh, borrowed one."

He didn't like that option. It was stealing, and it was bound to get them noticed. Percy realized that this was the first time after long days of battling with monsters and traveling that they spoke with each other. Sure, it was regarding the urgent matter that made them talk but so far, she only talked when the whole group was present.

Clearly, she was ignoring him ever since that day. And frankly, they didn't exactly have the time to think or talk about it. He wanted to though. It made him feel something that he didn't ever feel before. No, not even after arguing with Annabeth so much.

As a matter of fact, not even when Annabeth is in trouble. Sure he's scared for her but this feeling was different. It only increased as time passed without Y/N talking to him.

A sense of emptiness. A sense of...longing.

Percy was sure she wouldn't be able to stay mad at him for long but this time she was really pissed. Enough to make her look at him as less as possible. It felt like she didn't want to see his face.

Almost like she's on this mission solely for her sense of duty towards Annabeth. Not because they're friends.

Not for him.

"Wait," Thalia said. She started rifling through her backpack. "There is somebody in San Francisco who can help us. I've got the address here somewhere."

"Who?" Percy asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

Y/N furrowed her brows hearing him. How did he not know this? They've been in a relationship for almost two years and he didn't know this?

Even she knew about it. In fact, it was unnatural for him to not know about it. Surely Annabeth must've mentioned her boyfriend. Something was wrong in their relationship. Earlier Grover escaped from the conversation so there was no one who could tell her about it. But, well.

It's none of her business. Not anymore.

Thalia pulled out a crumpled piece of notebook paper and held it up. "Professor Chase. Annabeth's dad."

next: chapter fourteen >

book three: the titan’s curse

percy jackson x reader series

MASTERLIST

Tags: @the-natureofme @sly-prince @kookiedesi @instabull @jumpingtrainsandflyingskies @idk-bye-no @your-typical-giggle @fjschl @imuziawi @iamparou @marshmallow12435

#percy jackson #percy jackson and the titans curse #percy x annabeth #percy x reader #annabeth chase #percy and annabeth #annabeth PJO #percy jackson x reader #percy jackson x you

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dumbledearme · 6 years

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child of sea and shore

read Child of Land and Sea here

Tale I — The Death of Fear

Andy was in a science class when she heard these noises outside.

SCRAWK! OW! SCREECH!

Like somebody was getting attacked by possessed poultry. Nobody else seemed to notice the commotion. In the lab, everybody was talking loudly. It wasn't hard for Andy to go look out the window without calling attention for herself. There was a girl in the alley outside with her sword drawn. She was tall and muscular like a basketball player. She was hacking at a flock of black birds the size of ravens. A cut was bleeding over her left eye. One of the birds shot a feather like an arrow, and it lodged in her shoulder. She cursed and sliced at the bird, but it flew away.

Andy had no idea what Clarisse, of all people, was doing on the Upper East Side in the middle of a school day, but she was obviously in trouble. And she wouldn't last much longer.

"Mrs White," Andy said, "can I go to the restroom? I feel like I'm going to puke.''

"Go!" Mrs White answered fast.

Andy ran out the door with her ballpoint pen already in hand. Nobody stopped her in the halls. She exited by the gym and got to the alley just in time to see Clarisse smack a devil bird with the flat of her sword. The bird squawked and spiraled away, slamming against the brick wall and sliding into a trashcan. That still left a dozen more swarming around her.

"La Rue!"

The girl glared at Andy in disbelief. "Jackson? What are you doing-" she was cut short by a volley of feather arrows that zipped over her head and impaled themselves in the wall.

"I got to school here."

"Just my luck," Clarisse grumbled, but she was too busy fighting to complain much.

Andy uncapped the pen, which grew into a metre-long bronze sword, and joined the battle, slashing at the birds and deflecting their feathers off her blade. Together, Clarisse and Andy sliced and hacked until all the birds were reduced to piles of feathers on the ground.

They were both breathing hard. Andy had a few scratches, but nothing major. She pulled a feather arrow out of her arm. It hadn't gone in very deep. As long as it wasn't tipped with poison, she'd be okay. She took a bag of ambrosia out of her jacket, where she always kept it for emergencies, broke a piece in half and offered some to Clarisse.

"I don't need your help," she muttered, but she took the ambrosia. Clarisse sheathed her sword and brushed off her jacket. "Well… see ya."

'"Hold up!" Andy said. "You can't just leave."

"Watch me."

"What's going on? What are you doing away from camp? Why were those birds after you?"

Clarisse stumbled past Andy.

"Come on," Andy said. "You just about got killed at my school. That makes it my business."

"It does not!"

"Let me help."

Clarisse took a shaky breath like she really wanted to punch Andy out, but at the same time there was a desperate look in her eyes, like she was in serious trouble. "It's my brothers," she admitted. "They're playing a prank on me."

"Oh," Andy said, not really surprised. "Which brothers? Sherman? Mark? The one with the goatee?"

"No," she answered, sounding afraid. "My immortal brothers. Phobos and Deimos."

They sat on a bench at the park while Clarisse told Andy the story. "So let me get this straight," Andy said. "You took your dad's car for a joyride and now it's missing."

"It's not a car," Clarisse growled. "It's a war chariot! And he told me to take it out. It's like… a test. I'm supposed to bring it back at sunset. But-"

"Your brothers carjacked you."

"Chariot-jacked me," she corrected. "They're his regular charioteers, see. And they don't like anybody else getting to drive. So they stole the chariot from me and chased me off with those stupid arrow-throwing birds."

"Your dad's pets?"

She nodded miserably. "They guard his temple. Anyway, if I don't find the chariot…" She looked like she was about to lose it. Andy didn't blame her. Andy had seen Ares get mad before and it was not a pretty sight.

"I know there's no way you'll ask, so I'll make this easy for you. I'll help," Andy decided.

"Why would you? I'm not your friend," she said irritated.

The two girls faced each other. Suddenly, a guy's voice said: "Aw, look at that. I think she's been crying!" A teenage dude was leaning against a telephone pole. He was dressed in ratty jeans, a black T-shirt and a leather jacket, with a bandanna over his hair. A knife was stuck in his belt. He had eyes the color of flames.

"Phobos." Clarisse balled her fists. "Where's the chariot, you jerk?"

"You lost it," he teased. "Don't ask me."

"You little-" Clarisse drew her sword and charged, but Phobos disappeared as she swung, and her blade bit into the telephone pole. He appeared on the bench next to Andy. He was laughing, but he stopped when she stuck Riptide's point against his throat.

"You'd better return that chariot," Andy told him, "before I get mad."

Phobos gave her that look that said women were only good for one thing. "And who might you be, sunflower? Does Clarisse needs help fighting her battles now?"

"I don't need help!" Clarisse tugged her sword, pulling it out of the telephone pole. "She's nobody, alright? Just... Andy Jackson."

Something changed in Phobos's expression. He looked surprised, maybe even nervous. "The child of sea and shore? The one who made Dad angry? Oh, this is too good, Clarisse. You're hanging out with a sworn enemy?"

"I'm not hanging out with her!"

Phobos's eyes glowed bright red.

"Please, no!" Clarisse screamed. She swatted the air as if she were being attacked by invisible bugs.

"What are you doing to her?" Andy demanded. Clarisse backed up into the street, swinging her sword wildly. "Stop it!" Andy told Phobos. She dug her sword a little deeper against his throat, but he simply vanished, reappearing back at the telephone pole.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Jackson," Phobos said. "I'm just showing her what she fears most."

The glow faded from his eyes. Clarisse collapsed, breathing hard. "You son of a bitch," she gasped. "I'll… I'll get you."

Phobos turned toward Andy. "How about you, Andy Jackson? What do you fear? I'll find out, you know. I always do."

"Give the chariot back," Andy tried to keep her voice even. "I took on your dad once. You don't scare me."

"Nothing to fear but fear itself. Isn't that what they say?" Phobos laughed. "Well, let me tell you a little secret, half-blood. I am fear. If you want to find the chariot, come and get it. It's across the water. You'll find it where the little wild animals live - just the sort of place you belong." He snapped his fingers and disappeared in a cloud of yellow smoke.

Andy helped Clarisse up. Her face was still beaded with sweat.

"How about some help now?" Andy asked.

They took the subway, keeping a lookout for more attacks, but no one bothered them. As they rode, Clarisse told Andy about Phobos and Deimos. "They're minor gods," she explained. "Phobos is fear. Deimos is terror."

"What's the difference?"

She shrugged. "Deimos is bigger and uglier, I guess. He's good at freaking out entire crowds. Phobos is more, like, personal. He can get inside your head."

"Why don't they want you driving the chariot?"

"It's usually a ritual just for Ares's sons when they turn eighteen. I'm the first daughter to get a shot in a long time."

"Good for you. Girl power, dude."

"Tell that to Phobos and Deimos. They hate me. I've got to get the chariot back to the temple."

"Where is the temple?"

"Pier 86. The Intrepid."

"Oh. Well, we've got maybe four hours before sunset," Andy guessed. "That should be enough time if we can find the chariot."

"But what did Phobos mean, over the water? We're on an island, for Zeus's sake. That could be any direction!"

"He said something about wild animals," Andy remembered.

"A zoo?"

"Could be. A zoo over the water could be the one in Brooklyn, or maybe… someplace harder to get to, with little wild animals. Someplace nobody would ever think to look for a war chariot..." Something clicked inside Andy's mind. "Staten Island!" she said. "They've got a small zoo."

"Maybe," Clarisse said. "That sounds like the kind of out-of-the-way place Phobos and Deimos would stash something. But if we're wrong-"

"We don't have time to be wrong."

They hopped off the train at Times Square and caught a line downtown, towards the ferry terminal. They boarded the Staten Island Ferry at three thirty, along with a bunch of tourists, who crowded the railings of the top deck, snapping pictures of the Statue of Liberty.

"He modeled that on his mom," Andy said, looking up at the statue.

"Who?" Clarisse glared at her uninterested.

"Bartholdi," she said. "The dude who made the Statue of Liberty. He was a son of Athena, and he designed it to look like his mom. That's what Anthony told me, anyway. And he thinks I never listen."

"The things he can get you to say..." Clarisse rolled her eyes. "Useless. If it doesn't help you fight, it's useless information."

Andy would've argued with her, but just then the ferry lurched like it had hit a rock. Tourists spilled forward, tumbling into each other. Clarisse and Andy ran to the front of the boat. The water below them started to boil. Then the head of a sea serpent erupted from the bay. The monster was at least as big as the boat. It was grey and green with a head like a crocodile and razor-sharp teeth. Riding on its neck was a bulky guy in black Greek armor. His face was covered with ugly scars, and he held a javelin in his hand.

"Deimos!" Clarisse yelled.

"Hello, sister! Care to play a game?"

The monster roared. Tourists screamed and scattered. Whatever they saw terrified them.

"Leave them alone!" Andy ordered.

"Or what, child of sea and shore?" Deimos sneered. "My brother warned me you were just a little girl. Oh, but I love terror. I live on terror!" He spurred the sea serpent into head-butting the ferry, which sloshed backwards. Alarms blared. Passengers fell over each other trying to get away. Deimos laughed with delight.

"That's it," Andy grumbled. "Clarisse, grab on."

"What?" she looked appalled.

"Then don't, but we're going for a ride."

Clarisse grabbed onto Andy. The two girls leaped off the top deck and straight into the bay, but they were only underwater for a moment. Andy felt the power of the ocean surging through her. She willed the water to swirl around them, building force until they burst out of the bay on top of a ten-metre-high waterspout that steered them straight towards the monster.

"You think you can tackle Deimos?" Andy yelled to Clarisse.

"I'm on it!" she said. "Just get me within three metres."

They barreled toward the serpent. Just as it bared its fangs, Andy swerved the waterspout to one side, and Clarisse jumped. She crashed into Deimos, and both of them toppled into the sea. The sea serpent came after Andy. Quickly, Andy turned the waterspout to face it, then summoned all her power and willed the water to even greater heights.

Fifty thousand litres of salt water crashed into the monster. Andy leaped over its head, uncapped Riptide, and slashed with all her might at the creature's neck. The monster roared. Green blood spouted from the wound, and the serpent sank beneath the waves. Andy dived underwater and watched as it retreated to the open sea. Clarisse surfaced near her, spluttering and coughing. Andy grabbed her. "Did you get Deimos?"

Clarisse shook her head. "The coward disappeared as we were wrestling. But I'm sure we'll see him again. Phobos, too."

Tourists were still running around the ferry in a panic, but it didn't look like anybody was hurt. The boat didn't seem damaged. Andy held onto Clarisse's arm and willed the waves to carry them towards Staten Island.

In the west, the sun was going down over the Jersey shore. Time was running out. Staten Island was a lot bigger than Andy thought.

"We'll never make it in time," Clarisse noted.

"Happy thoughts, man. Good vibes. Flowers. Summer. Water. Chocolate that melts in your tongue-"

"If you don't shut up, I'm going slap you until you can't stand."

"That was a happy thought, wasn't it?"

Clarisse shrugged. "Oh yeah."

After dragging themselves halfway down the island, they finally saw a sign that said ZOO. They turned a corner and followed this curvy street with some woods on one side until they came to the entrance. Thank the gods, Andy had enough cash to get them inside.

Around the reptile house, Clarisse stopped in her tracks. "There it is." A large golden and red chariot tethered to four black horses was sitting at a crossroads between the petting zoo and the sea otter pond. "Where are Phobos and Deimos?" Clarisse muttered, drawing her sword.

Andy concentrated on the horses. "Hey, pretty horses. Looking good, uh? Nice, shiny fur and-"

One of horses whinnied disdainfully calling Andy some names that were too rude even for an animal.

"I'll try to get the reins," Clarisse said. "The horses know me. Cover me."

"Right."

Andy kept her eyes peeled as Clarisse approached the chariot. Her hand had almost reached the rail when the horses reared up, whinnying and breathing flames. Phobos and Deimos appeared in the chariot.

"The hunt is on!" Phobos yelled.

Clarisse stumbled back as he lashed the horses and charged the chariot straight toward Andy. She jumped over a trashcan and an exhibit fence, but there was no way she could outrun the chariot. It crashed through the fence right behind Andy, ploughing down everything in its path.

"Jackson, look out!" Clarisse yelled.

Andy jumped and landed on a rock island in the middle of the otter exhibit. She willed a column of water out of the pond and doused the horses, temporarily extinguishing their flames and sending them into confusion. Andy ran as Phobos cursed and tried to get his horses under control. Clarisse took the opportunity to jump on Deimos's back just as he was lifting his javelin. Both of them went tumbling out of the chariot as it lurched forward. Andy could hear Deimos and Clarisse starting to fight, sword on sword. But Phobos was riding after her again. Andy sprinted towards the aquarium.

"Hey, sunflower!" Phobos taunted. "I've got something for you!"

Andy glanced back and saw the chariot melting, the horses turning to steel and folding into each other like clay figures being crumpled. The chariot refashioned itself into a black metal box with caterpillar tracks, a turret and a long gun barrel. A tank. Andy rolled to one side as the gun fired.

KA-BOOOOM!

A souvenir kiosk exploded in every direction. As Phobos re-aimed his gun, Andy got to her feet and dived into the aquarium. She ran through the rooms washed in weird blue light from the fish tank exhibits. Andy stopped at the back of the aquarium and listened. She heard nothing. And then… Vroom, Vroom. Phobos came riding on a Harley-Davidson.

"Hey, pretty lady," Phobos said pulling a huge sword out of its sheath. "Time to be scared."

Andy raised her own sword, determined to face him. Then Phobos's eyes glowed brighter, and she made the mistake of looking into them.

Suddenly Andy was in a different place. It was Camp Half-Blood. But it was empty. There was nobody there. Andy glanced around, her heart racing. "Anthony?" she called. "Grover? Chiron?"

"No one's here," a voice said from nowhere. "You're alone, Andy Jackson."

"What?" Andy tried to find where the voice was coming from but couldn't. "Where are they? What happened to them?"

"They died. Or they're just gone. Whatever you prefer. The important thing is they aren't here. You're alone, Andy Jackson."

"I..." Andy felt the cold, heavy fear taking over her.

"They've moved on without you. And why would they stay? What have you got to offer them? You are nothing. And now you're alone, Andy Jackson."

Andy's hands trembled. Breathing heavily, she called again: "Anthony?"

"He can't hear you," the voice answered.

"No."

"He can't see you."

"Anthony?"

"He doesn't even know you. You're alone, Andy Jackson."

"No. Stop! Please, I-"

Andy stood paralyzed but somewhere in her brain she had the vague notion this was happening inside her head. It's not real, she told herself. I'm not at camp. She could feel the power of the ocean in her veins. It's just an illusion. This wasn't happening. She wasn't alone. She couldn't be...

Andy blinked and saw Phobos's blade coming down towards her head. She raised Riptide and blocked the blow just before it cut her in two. Andy counterattacked and stabbed Phobos in the arm. Golden ichor soaked through his shirt. Phobos growled and slashed at her. Andy parried easily. Fear still threatened to froze her legs, but Andy kept herself strong. She pressed him back, swiped at his face, and gave him a cut across the cheek. The angrier he was, the clumsier he got and less fear Andy felt.

Finally she kicked him backwards against the water fountain. His sword skittered into the ladies room. Andy sucker-punched him in the nose. "You're going to disappear now," she told him. "You're going to stay out of Clarisse's way. And if I see you again, I'll break something bigger."

He gulped. "There will be a next time, Jackson! I know what you fear the most!" and he dissolved into yellow smoke.

Andy found Deimos and Clarisse in the goat area. Clarisse was on her knees. Andy ran forward but stopped suddenly when she saw how Deimos had changed form. He was Ares now: the tall god of war, raising his fist over Clarisse. "You failed me again! I told you what would happen!"

He tried to strike her, but Clarisse scrambled away. "No! Please!"

In those small words, Andy could still hear her own voice begging Phobos. The feeling of seeing it happen to someone else made everything that much worse. Andy knew she couldn't help. Clarisse had to do this alone. This was her worst fear and she had to overcome it for herself.

"Foolish girl!"

"Clarisse!" Andy yelled. "It's an illusion. It's not real. Stand up to him!"

Deimos's form flickered. "I am Ares!" he insisted. "I knew you would fail me. Now you will suffer my wrath."

"La Rue!" Andy called. "Stand up to him! Girl power, remember? Now get up!"

"I… I can't."

"Yes, you can. Because you're a girl! Because you're a warrior! Any boy in your place wouldn't be strong enough, but you are getting up now!"

She hesitated. Then Clarisse began to stand.

"What are you doing?" Ares bellowed. "Grovel for mercy!"

Clarisse took a shaky breath. "No," she said calmly. "I'm tired of being scared of you." She raised her sword. Deimos struck, but Clarisse deflected the blow. She staggered but didn't fall. "You're not Ares," she said. "You're not even a good fighter."

Deimos growled in frustration. When he struck again, Clarisse was ready. She disarmed him and stabbed him in the shoulder. He yowled in pain and began to glow. Both Clarisse and Andy averted their eyes as Deimos exploded into golden light and disappeared. They were left there beside a horse-drawn chariot.

Clarisse looked at Andy cautiously. "You didn't see that. You didn't see any of that."

Andy held her eyes. "Any of what?"

Clarisse grinned. She glanced at the sky, which was turning red behind the trees. "Get in the chariot, Jackson. We've still got a long ride to make."

Only problem was: they were on an island.

"Great," Clarisse mumbled. "What do we do now? Ride this thing across the Verrazano Bridge?"

Andy had an idea. "We'll take the direct route."

Clarisse frowned. "What do you mean?"

Andy closed her eyes and began to concentrate. "Drive straight ahead. Go!"

Clarisse was so desperate she didn't hesitate. She lashed the horses. They charged straight towards the water. Andy imagined the sea turning solid, the waves becoming a firm surface all the way to Manhattan. The war chariot hit the surf. They rode the tops of the waves straight across New York Harbor.

They arrived at Pier 86 just as the sunset was fading to purple. They parked the chariot on the ramp and jumped out. Andy almost passed out of exhaustion. Concentrating on keeping the chariot above the waves had been one of the hardest things she'd ever done.

"I'd better get out of here before Ares arrives," she decided.

Clarisse nodded. "He'd probably kill you on sight." She wrapped the reins around her hand. "About what you didn't see, Jackson... What I'm afraid of..."

"I won't tell anybody."

Clarisse looked at her uncomfortably. "Did Phobos scare you too?"

"Oh, yeah. Apparently, I'm monophobic. I didn't... I didn't know that. I guess I never thought about it."

Clarisse made a face like she thought Andy was lying. "What, you're afraid of being alone?"

"Not alone like everyone's-too-busy-to-talk-to-me. More like... everyone I love is gone? And there's nobody, just... just me." Andy pushed the thought away. "What I'm trying to say is... I know how you felt."

Clarisse lowered her eyes. "I, uh… I guess I should say…" The words seemed to stick in her throat.

"You don't have to say anything."

Andy started to walk away, but Clarisse called out, "Jackson?"

"La Rue?"

"Just to make things clear... I'd vote for you as less likely to ever be alone. You've got a lot of friends. A lot of people who... who care. It just won't happen, alright?" A faint smile crossed her face and all of her certainty flooded Andy's heart.

The End

#andromeda #andy jackson #child of sea and shore #child of land and sea #fanfic #genderbend #anthony chase #andony #fem percy jackson #male annabeth chase #the death of fear #dfcrosas

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twoidiotwriters1 · 7 months

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The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: I'm looking forward to read what you guys think of this one -Danny Words: 1,533 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'Haunted' -by Taylor Swift

XXIV: I Use the Power of Love (Goes Wrong Too)

When they reach the bottom, Annabeth is staring down a ridge in the middle of the cave. Percy pulls her away from it and hugs her. Annabeth sobs against his chest.

"It's okay, we're together," he eases her.

"Annie," Ara reaches for her T-Rex. "Your leg..."

Ara gets to work quickly while Leo follows her instructions and takes the Athena Parthenos. Hazel and Piper come down with Nico as well, and Ara wants to yell at them to go back, but she keeps it quiet, they're trying to help them get out of there faster.

"Your leg," Piper crouches next to Ara. "Oh, Annabeth, what happened?"

Annabeth starts telling them about her quest, and Ara half-listens, her heartbeat so loud she can barely focus on fixing up Annabeth's ankle. Jason joins them while Leo lifts the statue into the ship.

"Gods of Olympus," he says, listening to the final parts of Annabeth's story. "You did all that alone. With a broken ankle."

"Well... some of it with a broken ankle."

"You made Arachne weave her own trap?" Percy smirks. "I knew you were good, but Holy Hera—Annabeth, you did it. Generations of Athena kids tried and failed. You found the Athena Parthenos!"

"Yeah, good job—now eat," Ara places a piece of ambrosia in Annabeth's mouth. "How're you feeling?"

"My ankle isn't throbbing anymore," she gives Ara a teary but grateful look. "Mike would be proud."

"You have no idea..." Ara strokes Annabeth's cheek, pulling most of the anguish out with her empath touch. "Percy, help me get her out of here."

"On it."

"We have to take her with us to Greece," Annabeth points at the Athena. "The statue is powerful. Something about it will help us stop the giants."

"The giants' bane stands gold and pale," Hazel hums. "Won with pain from a woven jail... It was Arachne's jail. You tricked her into weaving it."

"What about you guys?" Annabeth looks around, still covered in cobwebs that she doesn't seem to mind at the moment. "What happened with the giants?"

"You can talk about that on the ship," Ara urges them. "Get up!"

Percy pulls Annabeth to her feet. "Maybe you can talk some sense into Ara, she's been—"

The floor cracks, reminding the group they're not in a safe place. Jason takes Piper back to the ship, and Hazel holds Nico. "This floor won't last! The rest of us should get to the ladder."

"Great idea," Ara replies. "Nico and you first. Percy—take Annabeth."

"What about you?" He frowns.

"I'll be right behind you," she lies.

"Do you promise?" Her brother presses.

Ara can't, of course, and she doesn't get the chance to, because Annabeth gets yanked away from them screaming.

"Annabeth!"

The cobwebs are dragging her down, probably stuck to some debris that's fallen into the pit. Ara pulls Almighty out of her pocket and runs to her friend.

"You catch her!" She yells at Percy.

The boy throws himself and grabs Annabeth's hand, Ara slashes across the floor and cuts the cobwebs, but her sword cuts through the ground as well, making it more unstable. The girls lock eyes, and Annabeth sees right through her just like Lily would. Her expression shifts into one of pure panic.

"Ara—"

"Leave." Ara sprints towards the pit and Annabeth, charged with adrenaline, gets up and runs, seemingly not in pain as she quickly catches up to Ara. Both girls hear Percy scream at them to come back.

It happens extremely fast. Annabeth seizes Ara's backpack and yanks her back, the girl falls sideways and her elbow explodes in pain, leaving her unable to move for a second... and a second is all it takes for things to go south, quite literally. Annabeth screams, and Ara rolls over just in time to see her and Percy slip out of sight.

"NO!" She rashly crawls to the edge.

Percy and Annabeth had always been there to protect her, and she'd always been thankful for that... but she should've never let them get used to it, cause it has led to this: her brother holding onto a ledge, where Ara cannot save him.

The boy is holding Annabeth with his other hand, and Ara realizes the girl is hugging the T-Rex, the strap must've broken when Annabeth pulled her out of danger.

"You should've left!" Ara desperately tries to reach her brother even though Percy is more than ten feet below. "You never listen to me!"

Percy screams back, sounding as scared as her. "Why didn't you listen?"

Deep down, she believed Annabeth and Percy's love had limits, she convinced herself that even if they cared about her, their resolve would break and they would back off just like Lily did. This is not how she wanted to find out she was wrong.

Nico speaks next to her, sounding shaken. "What did you do?"

Ara whimpers with frustration, none of them should've been there.

"Percy, let me go," Annabeth speaks hoarsely. "You can't pull me up."

"Never," Percy growls. His eyes go back to Ara and Nico. "The other side! We'll see you there. Understand?"

Nico's face gets even paler than it already was. "But—"

"Lead them there!" Percy urges him. "Promise me!"

"I—I will," Nico gulps.

Ara's knuckles are white from holding onto the edge. This is not how it was supposed to go. It was her sacrifice to make... "No." Nemesis speaks in her head. "You don't value yourself, which makes you a poor sacrifice. These two, they are your offerings."

Ara's commitment to the cause runs deep, she's willing to give up her life with Leo, but only because it's her the one stepping out. She doesn't want others to be taken so she can remain. Percy and Annabeth should have never been hers to give away like this. It's unfair, as all her life has been.

Percy starts to slip, and the chamber crumbles down faster, none of them is going to survive if they stay there. "The T-Rex!" Ara shouts. "It's got supplies and my blessing! Love will keep you safe!"

Those words saved Percy's life once, they can do it again. Her brother's eyes burn with anger and something else she doesn't recognize, he realizes Ara had prepared for the fall and it doesn't make him feel better.

That look being the last one he will ever give her is not an option, it would haunt her more than Mike's words.

Her brother's hand loses its grip, and Ara lets out something like a scream and a sob, but so broken it doesn't even sound human.

"GET UP!" Nico yells, pulling her to her feet and dragging her away with the last bit of strength he's got in him.

I always thought having a real family was better than having half-siblings. I imagined it'd be an unbreakable bond, affection with no limits. I feel that way about Percy most times, but right now, I want to trip him down the amphitheater steps.

"Ara!"

I give a start. Mike's sweating profusely, and he does not appreciate it when I ignore training. I look at him, then back at my brother.

"What is it?" He follows my line of vision.

I speak without tearing my eyes away from Percy, currently taking a break from climbing the lava wall. "Five minutes."

"What?"

"Takes him five minutes to climb the whole thing."

Michael rolls his eyes. "Well, it's Percy."

That's the response I get whenever I say my brother can do something better. "It's Percy". I know he's strong and skilled, but I've been in this camp for longer than him, I train more, so why are my efforts still not enough to compare to him?

"Age, gender, godly parent," I pout. "Why do those things set us apart? We have similar experiences, and he might have control over water, but—"

"It's more than that," Mike interrupts me. "There are things that big-three kids get since birth because they get targeted more than us. He heals faster, he moves faster—"

"I don't heal slowly," I argue.

"Percy could get stabbed and keep going for an entire hour before he even starts to feel dizzy. You'd be out of the fight in five minutes. Lily and I know you can be sneaky, but Percy doesn't even need to."

That last sentence irritates me. I don't want to hide and run, I've been hiding and running from every monster for the last three years.

Beckendorf joins Percy while I think of this, both look like all demigods should: Athletic, handsome, and powerful. I'll be fourteen in a week, and I'm bruised, calloused, sweaty, and tired. I'm not like them at all, nowhere near their level.

"Whatever," I mutter, picking up my sword.

Mike sighs. "Don't dwell on it, bug. One day you'll be the daughter of Olympus and you'll be stronger than all of us. It won't matter if you were born with power or not, you'll have it either way."

"I know," I reply, adopting a fighting stance.

I don't know if my friend can tell, but I mimic Percy's movements when I fight. I try not to because they don't work for me, but I can't help it.

I keep saying that. "I try not to", whenever I think about Percy. I try, but I can't stop. Being close to someone like him, and knowing what a great hero he is, it's easy to flick the switch and resent him for the reasons I liked him at the start.

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

#twoidiots writing #pjo fanfic #leo valdez fanfic #doo #leo valdez x oc #heroes of olympus #percy jackson and the olympians

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