the great wave | percy jackson

𝑣𝑖𝑖𝑖 - asphodel

Ash's eyes fluttered open, momentarily disoriented by the bright sunlight coming from... below them? Oh right, the stables. She yawned and attempted to get up, but didn't make it very far with something heavy weighing on her torso. She looked down and saw Percy sprawled practically on top of her, snoring on her chest with one leg thrown over hers and arms wrapped around her waist. Even though there was a small puddle of drool on her shirt, she couldn't help but smile down at him. He looked so peaceful.

"Oh... you are in so much trouble."

Ash lifted her head to see the last Zhang standing in the doorway, looking scared shitless. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well good morning to you too, Frank."

"Wha....?" Percy groaned, burrowing deeper into her. She gently ran her hands through his hair, ducking down to kiss the crown of his head.

"Everyone thinks you've been kidnapped," Frank said, wringing his hands. "We've been scouring the ship. Oh gods, have you been here all night?"

"Frank?" Percy questioned, propping himself up, eyes still half-closed.

"Frank!" Ash exclaimed, turning bright red as she finally realized the situation. She pushed Percy off and onto the floor next to her. He immediately latched onto her side like a koala bear, preventing her from sitting up all the way.

"Five more minutes," he grumbled.

"When Coach finds out... Pluto's pauldrons!"

"Percy," she hissed, detangling his arms from her waist. She sat up, running her hands through her hair in an attempt to make it look more presentable.

"Frank, I swear, we just came down here to talk and accidentally fell asleep. That's it."

"Might've kissed a couple times," Percy said cheerfully. "You would have heard if there was more, 'cuz lemme tell you–"

"Finish that sentence, Perseus Achilles, I dare you." She swatted her boyfriend's arm and he had the nerve to laugh.

"We'd better..." Frank threw a thumb over his shoulder towards the hallway. "Uh, we're supposed to meet for breakfast. Could you explain what you did--I mean didn't do? I mean.... I really don't want that faun--I mean satyr--to kill me."

Frank fled.

When everyone finally gathered in the mess hall, it wasn't as bad as Frank made it seem, although it really didn't help that they'd had to swap clothes-- Ash was wearing Percy's sweater and him her shirt, which fit his frame like a babydoll tee, leaving a long expanse of rather distracting abdomen above the hem of his plaid pajama pants. While Ash appeared to be attempting disintegration, hiding herself in his overlarge hoodie, Percy seemed to be enjoying himself deeply, knowing it was either this or reveal the sparse but noticeable hickies littering her neck. Meanwhile, Piper and Jason seemed mostly relieved, while Annabeth was rolling her eyes in pure exasperation. Leo couldn't stop grinning and muttering, "Classic. Classic." Frank had his face in his hands, embarrassed, but only Hazel seemed truly scandalized. Probably because she was from the 1940s. She wouldn't meet their eyes and kept fanning herself; Ash felt oddly bad for that, kind of like she'd upset her grandma, and resisted the urge to draw her hoodie strings tighter.

Oh, and then there was Coach, who naturally was going ballistic. Percy looked like he was trying not to laugh as he stared down at Coach's five foot frame, but Ash's face felt as hot as the Fields of Punishment, and they were the same height. Plus, Hedge had been her original protector, after all, so it was a bit like getting chewed out by her dad. Well, not really. Her dad would be a gajillion times worse.

"Never in my life!" Coach waved his club around, accidentally hitting a home run with a plate of apples. He'd been ranting for at least three minutes, growing more and more incomprehensible as time went on. "Against the rules! Completely irresponsible! Absolutely no baby goats in my stables!"