𝐖𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐂! percy jackson

xx. Muddy Waters

━━ chapter twenty
muddy waters

✿✼:*ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑

    ━━Fiona felt like her stomach had dropped down into the marsh with him.

    "Your bow!" she shouted to Frank, heart racing. He didn't ask questions, dropping his pack and slipping the bow off his shoulder. Fiona didn't realise what it was until Hazel had shouted━muskeg: marshy silt and decomposed plants that made a surface look completely solid, but was far worse than quicksand. She had read about them once, and Hazel had experienced them back when she lived here. Some could be twenty feet deep or more, and impossible to escape. She tried not to think what would happen if Percy had sunk lower than the length of the bow. "Hold on to the end!" she ordered Frank and Hazel. "Both of you━and don't let go!"

    She grabbed the other end, took a deep breath and before she could think that this might be a stupid idea, Fiona jumped straight into the bog. The earth closed over her head.

    (As the earth pushed around her like mousse, Fiona couldn't help but think, of course, Percy would fall into muskeg. Out of all of them, it would be him, wouldn't it?).

    But before she could sink further to find Percy, her vision clouded, and a voice whispered like cold wind through her ears.

    Fiona immediately knew who it was as the scene of the fountain near her home in New Rome materialised around her. Get out of my head, she growled to Gaea.

    Oh, but my dear, purred Gaea. I'm giving you a gift, you'll want to see it.

    I don't want any gift from you.

    Gaea chuckled, but said no more as the scene surrounded Fiona. She was sitting on the ground near the fountain, watching as a bunch of other kids played inside, spashing at each other, and laughing. Fiona remembered this day, she was by herself, too afraid to go into the water. She was five, and her mother had gone out to get them icecream, a very nice gesture of her considering her personality. She was a lovely person, but did take after her mother quite a lot. Fiona hoped she didn't see her as a disappointment like Victoria did.

    This was your favourite place, wasn't it? said Gaea. But you were always afraid to go into the water. Why?

    I'm not here for a therapy session, let me save my friend!

    Was it because of them? Fiona's vision seemed to just tunnel straight to the group of girls that played in the fountain, the same ones that threatened to hurt her back at the swing. Is this where your fear began? Why your grandmother calls you a coward? Because you could never beat a group of girls who bullied you?

    She was right, and Fiona hated it. Her breath hitched in the memory, and she remembered her little self when she saw those girls immediately try to get away, but they had seen her━ "Hey! Weird Filly! Go away! No one wants you here to play━you're weird!"

    They were such young girl insults, but they had hurt. They had hurt very bad for little Fiona. But she had the same temper that she had now, and immediately, she snapped back a weak, "No, I'm not!"

    They kicked water at Fiona and she held her arms up, whimpering as her whole outfit became drenched. Gaea sighed, as if in sympathy. My children were bullied by their father, some were thrown into Tartarus, others shamed, and so I had my favourite chop their father up into little pieces. I want to help you, Fiona. Your life will end once this quest is finished, don't you want to go home afterwards? Go home, and never have to face those girls again? You will be victorious in your camp; a praetor━respected, looked up to, above everyone else in rank, even that pesky girl Reyna.