𝙄𝙉𝙁𝙇𝘼𝙈𝙀𝘿; heroes of olympus

sunrise

ERITH JAY
SHE WOKE UP IN WILL'S BED, in their cabin. She knew it was his bed because she recognized the shape of her own bunk above her.

Her stomach tightened when she tried to sit up. It didn't hurt, exactly, but the pressure was uncomfortable, so instead she just did a quick scan of the cabin. She couldn't see anyone else except for the head slumped on her stomach.

Percy Jackson lay there. It was a really awkward position, seeing as his ass was in a chair but the rest of his body was like a bridge to the bed she was laying in. His cheek was smushed against the blankets covering her, his hair was rumpled, and drool had made a trail down the side of his mouth.

"Percy?" she whispered. Her arms were numb but she forced them to move anyway.

He snapped awake and her entire body jolted as he sat up. His eyes were lined with bags and bloodshot, and one of them was wrapped in a bandage, a bit like Ethan's eyepatch. There were a few more bandages on him as well: one on his upper arm and another on his throat. He stared at her when he saw her, and she felt like she was going to drown in his eyes. It was like she couldn't breathe.

"Erith," he said softly, croakily. He swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing in his sun-worn throat, then said, "Pinch me."

"What?"

"Pinch me," he repeated. "I don't think this is real."

She pinched him. His grin was a slow thing, but it was eternally beautiful. Erith thought that if, a hundred thousand years from now, someone was to make a statue of this moment, they really shouldn't capture her or the cabin or anything else: just Percy's smile.

"Erith Jay, you're the biggest idiot I know, and that's coming from a big idiot." Then he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her so tight it hurt, but she didn't care. Nothing had ever felt better.

"What happened?" she asked. Her whole body ached with each breath, but she needed to know. She couldn't just lay here. She refused to.

Percy took a deep breath. "We found you and Jason and Octavian on the beach after the battle was nearly over. Both Octavian and Jason were awake, but you were just... limp. Like, dead limp. And there was a trail of blood leading to Jason, and there was a lot of blood all around you guys. Jason tried to tell us what happened but he kept crying and shaking and he wouldn't let go of you." Percy tried for a smile, but it didn't meet his eyes. "I guess that's what shock does."

"Is he okay?" Erith asked. She couldn't stand not knowing if this had all been for nothing.

"Of course he's okay, Rith. You saved him. You gave him the cure. His stab wound was just a lump of scar tissue under his shirt." She opened her mouth again, but he held up his hand. "Save all questions for the end. Let me speak, because I fucking hate this tale.

"We got the gist from Jason. It was me, Will, and Annabeth. Annabeth was shaking like hell and so was Will. He just kept staring at you and so I went over to Octavian while those two tried to revive you and I, well. I crystallized his blood. And Will and Annabeth had somehow dragged you away from Jason and were carrying you to the infirmary and Jason stood by me and I had to help him stand up because boy just basically died, and he crushed the air from Octavian's lungs. He was so fucking angry. I didn't think he had it in him. Looked a lot like his sister for a second." Percy took a breath. "But we threw Octavian into the ocean. Made sure he was dead."