𝐃𝐄𝐉𝐀 𝐕𝐔 • Percy Jackson.

13

HIS FOOT TRUDGED ALONG THE DEAD GRASS. His body shivered every now and then from the brisk wind kissing his exposed arms.  Dusk drifted and the smell of the Hudson river reeked into their noses. The city of New York was behind him as the group continued their track into the woods. He was filled with nothing but empty numbness while his ears were filled with breaking sticks and owl hoots.

They walked in a tense silence, each and every one of them perhaps processing what had happened only a few minutes ago. He clutched his hands, rubbing them, the friction eased the soreness.

"Three Kindly Ones… All three at once."

It was voiced out in the dead silence and it was all that was returned. The explosion weighed down their shoulders more than any of them would like to admit. He felt that he could still hear his ears ringing.

"Come on the further away we get, the better." Annabeth urged and he had no choice but to continue on. It was like she knew he would stop, even without looking back, it unnerved him sometimes.

The silence continued for a while until Percy reminded them of how poor they are. "Our food and clothes. Everything." He hummed absentmindly, his hands fiddling with the rectangular card in his pocket that was probably frozen by now.  He heard buzzing in his ears now it drowned out everything else.

"Well, maybe if you hadn’t decided to jump into the fight –" Annabeth argued, "what did you want me to do? Let you get killed?" Percy quipped back.

He was ready to end it all, really, (just joking!) He rolled his eyes and shared a look with Grover as they both watched the argument unfold. They really couldn't stay quiet like a few seconds ago? He thought.

"You didn’t need to protect me, Percy. I would’ve been fine." She defended,  scowling. "You'd be sliced." Amani inputted, "like sandwich bread." Grover added on, "but definitely fine!" Annabeth didn't seem to like that, "Shut up, goat boy, go back to sleep Amani!" She thought he promptly shut his mouth.

He didn't.

"What's got you so annoyed? Percy saved our lives–unless your into kinky shit like being burned by her whip." Amani stated, ignoring Grover's mutters of mourning. (What's so good about tin cans?) "Pretty sure me and Grover aren't into that." Amani said, showing his palm red and blistered. Annabeth didn't say anything after that and Amani shrugged.

Percy went in step with him, "thanks." He didn't glance at Percy only ahead. Darkness surrounded them and the trees held a sour odor. He nodded. "I don't really get it, we're a team right? Why does she…" he trailed off, a frown on his face, while Amani only shrugged.

There was silence between them, he could tell Percy was having trouble speaking out. "Is there something you want to say, Percy?" He asked.  "...Did the Furies say something to you?" He felt the urge to pause in his footsteps, but he only clenched his fists inside of his pockets instead. How did Percy see it?

"No? What are you talking about?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows at Percy. He shook his head, muttering a nothing. He nodded before he moved up beside Grover. The two having their own small conversations in between Grover's mornful sorrows of losing his tincans. He could see Annabeth talk to Percy before he moved his sight up ahead.

After walking for a while, "this reminds me of when I ran away." Amani said, he got silence. Why are they quiet? He turned to look towards Grover before looking back to Percy and Annabeth. "What?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You ran away?!" Grover and Percy shouted while Annabeth only stared at him. He nodded, before it dawned on him. He yawned. "It wasn't for a reason. I just did it–got bored waiting, yeah, so I just ran. I ended up at camp a few days later." He explained while Grover and Percy were staring with wide eyes.