[1] 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 ― p.jackson ✓

013.

「013. percy should be on criminal minds 」

SALT WATER being splashed on your face is... not the conventional way to be woken up- cadie will say that. after what she assumed was only a quick nap- which apparently was more than that- she woke to percy shaking her awake whilst flicking water onto her face. there was a low muttering, probably one of them telling her to wake up. she looked around, her eyes wide, looking between the two of them and then back to the city skyline- with a pretty sun setting behind it. she looked down at herself, still in the same clothes from circe's island. the pretty dress was torn and ripped at the ends, her hair was probably starting to show her roots- no, she thought to herself, they redid it at circe's island.

"where are we?"

"annabeth says miami," percy said quietly, helping her up, "but the hippocampi are acting weird." and with that, there was a whinnying noise from the hippocampi- and they began to swim around in circles, sniffing the water. after a moment, percy looked back to them, "this is as far as they'll take us. too many humans, too much pollution. we'll have to swim to shore."

cadie wasn't too thrilled by that idea, but it was better than nothing. sighing, she ran a hand through her hair- the world seemed to stop for a moment. you've changed, her mind said to her. but in a good way.

to be honest, she agreed. though she didn't know why she felt so different yet so comfortable. if you were to have told her she'd be one a quest with percy jackson and annabeth chase- she might have just combusted. past cadie would have never thought that percy would even look at her- let alone somehow comfort her in a panic attack, somehow stop it in its tracks before it got real bad.

strangely, the only thing she could think of was that the situation she was in now reminded her of... a coat. before, she had liked her coat. it was baggy- like she liked it, but it was plain. but cadie previously had been okay with it. but now- it was more cadie. it was more her. it was more comfy. and that's how cadie felt with herself. only a bit, that is. but she was a bit more comfortable in her own skin- just a bit more confident (but still socially inept and hopelessly awkward. but that's endearing, isn't it?).

she heard a sob and a sniffle, and she turned to see tyson hugging rainbow the hippocampi before unfastening the makeshift saddle, and taking out whatever he'd salvaged from the birmingham wreck. he hugged rainbow for a final time, and then gave him a soggy mango he'd picked up from the island. it was quite possibly more emotional than cadie had expected it to be.

once the hippocampi's white manes disappeared into the sea, they swam for the shore. the waves pushed them forwards, and in no time- they were in the mortal world. back to reality, and back to... some sort of normal? an excited thought ran through cadie's mind- cam and lily. she couldn't help herself but smile. she was steps closer to her dear friends, steps closer to hugging the shit out of them. but... a part of her did feel sad.

the whole quest- it was a life-changer, sure. she'd added on friends to her very short list of current ones. but a little fear wormed into her mind, what if after the quest- they stopped being friends? what if after the quest... percy stopped talking to her?

you don't need somebody to talk to you to feel valid, lily would say- trying to hype her up. probably would follow with you're a bad bitch!

to which cam would respond, oh yeah- a bad bitch. a bitch who freezes up and has the biggest fucking crush on percy jackson.

shut up, cadie would probably reply.