𝙄𝙉𝙁𝙇𝘼𝙈𝙀𝘿; heroes of olympus

kiss and lie

ERITH JAY
AFTER THE MESS WITH KYM, the Argo II limped through the Aegean, too damaged to fly, too slow to outrun monsters. They fought hungry sea serpents about every hour. They attracted schools of curious fish. At one point they got stuck on a rock, and Percy and Jason had to get out and push, which Erith found greatly amusing.

Over the course of three very long days in which Leo looked like he was about to break down every time the ship's engine wheezed, they finally made port at the island of Mykonos. Seeing as they had made it this far, Erith was prepped and ready for another attack.

Percy and Annabeth went ashore to scout. The only reason Erith didn't go with is because she figured she had been third-wheeling those two enough these days, not that they seemed to mind. Still, she amused herself with watching Jason move. It was one of her finer delights to see him healed.

There was also Piper. Piper, Piper, Piper.

Oh, those two were going to be the death of her. 

She hardly noticed Percy was back until he was handing her a cup of orange gelato. She loved orange ice cream. She could've kissed him on the mouth.

The whole crew sat on deck, without a storm or a monster attack to worry about for the first time in days, and ate ice cream. Well, except for Frank, who was lactose intolerant. He got an apple. Erith pitied him and let him eat some of her ice cream, because, well, who was she to deny one Frank Zhang the delight of gelato?

The day was hot and windy. The sea glittered with chop, but Leo had fixed the stabilizers well enough that Hazel didn't look too seasick.

Curving off to their starboard side was the town of Mykonos―a collection of white stucco buildings with blue roofs, blue windows, and blue doors.

"We saw these pelicans walking around town," Percy reported. "Like, just going through the shops, stopping at the bars."

Hazel frowned. "Monsters in disguise?"

"No," Annabeth said, laughing, "just regular old pelicans. They're the town mascots or something. And there's a 'Little Italy' section of town. That's why the gelato is so good."

"Europe is messed up." Leo shook his head. "First we go to Rome for Spanish steps. Then we go to Greece for Italian ice cream."

But Erith wasn't complaining, not when Annabeth was gleaming like artwork in the sun. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her so happy, and it made her feel like everything in this stupid world was worth it.

Piper set down her cup, which was rather distracting. "So, the island of Delos is right across the harbor. Artemis and Apollo's home turf. Who's going?"

"Me," Leo said immediately.

Erith was surprised, but she didn't miss a beat. "And me."

No one looked surprised by Erith's proclamation; they were all busy staring at Leo. "What?" he demanded. "I'm diplomatic and stuff. Frank and Hazel volunteered to back me up."

"We did?" Frank lowered his half-eaten apple. "I mean... sure we did."

Hazel's gold eyes flashed in the sunlight. "Leo, did you have a dream about this or something?"