Anthízo, Percy Jackson

II. her mind is not only her's anymore

AFTER ANNABETH HAD left with reyna, and jason and piper had gone their own way into the city, karina, percy, frank, and hazel were the only ones left.

karina sighed and moved so that she was laying against percy's chest, pulling her legs up to her body, and curled herself against him, leaning her head back tiredly, glancing up at percy with hazy eyes.

percy wrapped his arms around her waist loosely, his fingers drumming on the sides of her stomach as he looked down at her with an eyebrow raised.

"tired?" he asked amusedly.

karina hummed in response, slowly nodding her head. "it's not even the end of the day and i already want to take a nap."

"you and me both, nina." frank said, who had moved to sit next to hazel.

percy let out a deep breath, and laid his head on top of karina's— something that she had learned he enjoyed doing— and looked over at frank and hazel.

"what do you guys think of them?" he asked the group, with a slightly nervous tone, as if he was scared he'd get a negative response.

karina moved so that she could be eye level with percy, and she smiled at him. "i think annabeth is a strong-ass woman for being able to keep up with you for five years before this."

percy glared at her. "i was not that bad of a child. i actually saved annabeth quite a few times, thank you."

karina rolled her eyes. "okay, and how many times did she save you?"

percy pursed his lips, knowing she was right. annabeth had saved his ass more times than he could count. he flicked her forehead. "you're so annoying," he said to her, but she just gave him an amused smile.

"you just know i'm right."

"whatever."

percy turned back to their other two friends, and hazel nodded at him. "i think they're trustworthy. they don't seem like they'd want to blow our camp up."

percy chuckled and nodded in agreement. "well, i don't know about piper and leo, but i know annabeth wouldn't."

frank nodded in agreement, but hazel shook her head, as if she was trying to rack her brain to figure out something. "i just can't— he looks just like sammy." she said, taking a deep breath.

karina looked at her with a sympathetic smile. "i don't know, hazel," she said. "maybe it's just a— "

"coincidence?" she asked, cutting her off.

karina stopped, and swallowed. "again, i don't know, it's just— maybe leo is a distant relative to him or something? i know that's really far fetched, but, you never know."

hazel considered this, and looked at her sadly. "yeah . . . maybe." she left it at that, and they settled back into a comfortable silence, basking in the distant chatter from the rest of the forum.

as they continued to sit there, percy had begun to braid small pieces of karina's hair, weaving the strands all the way down, and then taking it out, and then doing it all over again. karina relaxed at the gesture, and let her eyes rest as he continued to weave his fingers through her hair.

but, the moment was short lived, because as soon as percy had finished his third braid, an explosion blasted a new crater into the forum just beside them. a burning couch tumbled through the air. demigods scattered in panic.

karina stumbled to her feet, hazel, frank, and percy following soon after her, quickly backing up to try and see what just happened.

"what the hell just happened?" percy asked to nobody in particular, staring that the crater with a look of shock.