This Cold Year ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase²

―ix. a semi-romantic stroll to find a ghost

LEO DOCKED THE SHIP AT A PIER IN CHARLESTON HARBOR, right next to the seawall. Along the shore was a historical district with tall mansions, palm trees, and wrought-iron fences. Antique cannons pointed at the water. 

Naomi somehow managed to get some semblance of good sleep, though she involuntarily rose with the sun, feeling only slightly better than the day before. 

She was the first to the mess hall, though the boys weren't far behind, getting ready to go out to the museum and look around. Naomi followed them up to the deck with a half-eaten bagel in hand, trying to make herself finish it despite her lack of appetite. 

Before they left, Jason stopped at Naomi's side.

"I'm sorry, for what I said about Nico yesterday," he said, looking understandably sheepish. "You were right—I shouldn't have implied we couldn't trust him."

"He's not a bad kid," Naomi said softly. "He's just been dealt a crappy hand—even by demigod standards." 

Jason nodded. "I get it," he said, and Naomi believed him. He'd been abandoned when he was two, taken from his sister—the only family he really had—and turned into a child soldier far younger than was fair. "I guess I'm still trying to shake off some of my Roman upbringing—we were always taught to deliberate, to weigh the pros and cons of every action."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Naomi said. "But sometimes we have to trust each other more than our traditions."

"Yeah," Jason agreed. "We'll rescue Nico—we'll do whatever it takes. 

Naomi smiled. "Oh, I know." 

She wished him, Frank, and Leo good luck as they left, then settled by the starboard rail to soak in a bit of early morning sunlight. 

Percy joined her after a little bit, expression sleepy and soft. Naomi smiled as he wrapped his arms around her, having to bend down just to prop his chin on the top of her head. 

"Morning," he mumbled. 

"Morning," she said softly. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," he sighed. "You?"

Naomi shrugged, which was a bit hard with his weight on her. "Fine."

He made a quiet hum of acknowledgement. 

Naomi twisted in his arms, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. She was glad the deck was empty (specifically of angry satyr chaperones). 

Annabeth walked over, her hair in a messy braid, curly strands having escaped already. The gray streak in her hair had come loose from the braid, as if determined to stand out even more than it already did. Percy's matching streak hung over his forehead. 

Before the three of them had started dating, Naomi had been secretly jealous of their streaks. She felt silly admitting it even to herself, but back then it had felt like some kind of divine sign that they were meant to be, and Naomi was the odd one out. She knew now that wasn't what it had meant—that the streaks were just the scar holding the weight of the sky had left on them, just like the scar across her cheek from Atlas's javelin. 

Annabeth tangled her fingers with Percy's. "What are you going to do while we're gone?"

"Jump into the harbor," he said casually, like another kid might say, I'm going to get a snack. "I want to try communicating with the local Nereids. Maybe they can give me some advice about how to free those captives in Atlanta. Besides, I think the sea might be good for me. Being in that aquarium made me feel... unclean."

Annabeth kissed him. "Good luck, Seaweed Brain. Just come back to us, okay?"

"I will," he promised. He squeezed Naomi once before finally letting go. "You do the same."