𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖 ༄ ᴘercy ᴊᴀᴄᴋꜱᴏɴ

we become allies (or more than strangers)

I squeezed my eyes shut. I was okay. It was all fine. I was not dead.

Yet.

Percy was still also tense in front of me and I couldn't help but wonder if he had ever actually flown before.

If he hadn't, I was going to kill him.

The flapping of the pegasus' wings was all I could hear, and wind was blowing in my face and I felt a little unsteady but I wasn't dying. At the moment. Instead of flying straight we seemed to be tilted upwards, which of course, did nothing to help my anxiousness.

Eventually though, the pegasus evened out and the flaps limited down to only a few every now and again.

Percy must have realised my closed eyes eventually, as he tapped my arms around his waist before turning his head slightly so I could hear him. I only knew that as I felt his warm breath on my cheek.

"Hey, you can open your eyes. We're fine. It's a pretty nice view actually."

I didn't trust him. I want you to know that. He had absolutely no influence over whether I opened my eyes.

I opened my eyes because I was curious.

And he had been right. The view was breathtaking. Clouds that looked like candyfloss stretched further than the naked eye could see. The sun was covered by some clouds by still omitted colour, leaving the sky shades of pink and orange.

It was stunning.

Percy began to remove one of my hands from him and I jolted. "What are you doing?!" I hissed.

He laughed. "Relax. Trust me."

Trust him?

Then he stretched out his hand, holding mine so we were touching the clouds. Then he removed his so it was just me.

I leant out slightly to wave my fingers through it. As I left each cloud, hazy gas lines followed. I laughed, high on the exhilaration of the moment.

"Wow." I mumbled, wrapping my arm back around Percy. I wondered how a demigod or monster would see us, without the mist. Two dumb kids on an ebony black flying horse in the snow white clouds.

Then I remembered Percy. Sure, he had been a bit snappy to me earlier but if it was Kai instead of Annabeth, I might have been the same.

"Annabeth." I spoke into his ear. "Tell me about her."

He was quiet for a minute, but I hoped he saw my words as what they were - an olive branch.

"Annabeth's my best friend. She's a kid of Athena and she is crazy clever. Like really, really intelligent. She likes books - especially mystery books but then she also hates them because she says they're too obvious. She wants to be an architect, and loves telling us facts about national monuments. I used to get annoyed if she talked too much about it. I think I'd give anything to hear her drone on about it again." When he first began, his voice was hesitant but as be continued, it became more steady. And nice. The tone he took when he talked about her was softer. Sweeter.

"She sounds awesome. I hope that after we save her, she and I can become friends."

"She'd love you. You're cool and pretty and stubborn and mean to me - which is a great thing in her books. And you're clever. I think."

I pinched his ribs as he told me I was mean, and then again with the 'I think'. I ignored the cool and pretty parts.

(the burning in my face did not ignore them)

Then he asked," What about you and Kai?"

I smiled automatically. Kai. "He's my best friend. My best friend and basically my brother. We met when I turned 11 and was sent to Westover. He had already been there a couple months. He's funny and sweet and sarcastic and sometimes morbid but I love him for it. He knows everything about me. I know everything about him. He wants to be an explorer. Find new civilisations and meet new people and try new things. He likes the Mayans and Aztecs. It's only cause of him that I like them too."