𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑮𝒐𝒓𝒆－ 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

𝑭𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒚 𝑶𝒏𝒆

[Tessa Thompson as Nike]
SHE WAS VICTORY

"she never lost"

     THE PLAN HAD SLIGHTLY CHANGED. Although Frank and Hazel had split from the other three, Ariadne was meant to stay back and wait by herself, but after her outburst on the ship, Percy wasn't letting her out of his sight.

She seemed okay after the realization that she needed to protect the young girl inside her and Percy, slightly more focused, but that won't erase what happened in Tartarus.

Percy held her hand tightly. His fingers interlocked with hers, squeezing them every now and then to ensure she was still there. Ariadne had her free hand wrapped around his bicep for a more grounding affect. Leo didn't mind they were being coupley.

"Smart call back there," Percy said, "choosing the air-conditioning."

Them and Leo had just searched the museum. Now they were sitting on a bridge that spanned the Kladeos River, their feet dangling over the water as they waited for Frank and Hazel to finish scouting the ruins.

To their left, the Olympic valley shimmered in the afternoon heat. To their right, the visitors' lot was crammed with tour buses. Good thing the Argo II was moored a hundred feet in the air, because they never would've found parking.

Leo skipped a stone across the river. He wished Hazel and Frank would get back. He felt awkward hanging out with Percy, even if Ariadne was his friend.

For one thing, he wasn't sure what kind of small talk to make with Ariadne who'd recently come back from Tartarus. The girl had only entrusted Percy and Annabeth and Grover with what they had experienced, but he didn't expect the Poseidon boy to expand any further.

Percy had been intimidating enough before—summoning hurricanes, fueling pirates, killing giants in the Colosseum...

Now...well, after losing the love of his life to Tartarus, it seemed like Percy had graduated to a totally different level of butt-kickery. Ariadne was even more terrifying now that she had seemingly lost all control she once had over her bloodthirsty habits.

Leo had trouble even thinking of Percy as part of the same camp. The two of them had never been at Camp Half-Blood at the same time. Percy's leather necklace had four beads for four completed summers, Ariadne had twelve (sad in its own right). Leo's leather necklace had exactly none.

The only thing they had in common was Calypso, and every time Leo thought about that he wanted to punch Percy in the face. But he would most definitely break every bone in his body, and he would lose Ariadne's friendship, who became his older sister throughout their time together.