NEVER BE THE SAME . . . percy jackson

seventy: the girls trip.

AFTER WAKING UP from a nightmare — Brooklyn didn't know what it was about much, it just had a shit ton of mud, water, and evil laughter — she took part of night watch with Jason. It was more sort of dawn watch as she sat on the railing between two shields, eating a breakfast sandwich next to him.

"I told them we're going early," he told her, eating a piece of toast — he told her that he'd learned the hard way to eat things that are quick, and not easily destroyed, like a bowl of cereal for some reason. She didn't ask. Seemed like a personal preference.

"Busy guy," she commented, taking a bite out of her sandwich. "J Money."

"I thought I told you not to call me that," he raised an eyebrow at her.

"'Twas a different nickname," she said around her mouthful of food. "Besides, I can do whatever I want."

He rolled his eyes. "Gods, you're insufferable."

"Yeah, but you'll come to love me," she shrugged. "You're my brother."

"Suddenly wishing I wasn't," he muttered under her breath as footsteps pounded up the steps and there was Frank and Hazel.

They talked absentmindedly, albeit with a lot of shoving from Brooklyn and laughing from Jason, but eventually Leo came up and Jason had to go, and she hugged him goodbye, and he promised he'd be back by sunset.

Percy replaced him, nodding to him as he walked off the gangplank. Percy kissed her, and she smiled, grabbing his necklace to pull him closer.

When she got tired of being pressed against him in that position, she pulled away, her smile stupidly growing wider. "What are you doing today?" she asked.

"I'm gonna go in the ocean," he told her. "You know, do whatever."

"Cool," she stood up on the deck, delicately balancing herself on the railing.

"What are you gonna do?" he teased, "jump with me?"

She sighed. "I wish." Brooklyn delicately walked a couple of steps. "I have to go, though."

"Yeah, I know." Percy frowned up at her. "Can you look at me?"

"I can do whatever I want," she simply told him.

"I just wanna see those bags under those eyes, Princess," he explained. "What's up with those?"

"No," she pouted.

"No?"

"No."

"Okay," he sighed. "But you'll never guess what I stole off someone at the hardware store we went to a couple of days ago . . ."

He brought out a pack of cigarettes, and she gasped and reached out for them. "Mine!"

"Nope!" Percy danced away from her, dangling the pack in her vision. "Not until you tell me why there're bags under your eyes."

Brooklyn rolled her eyes. "I had a nightmare, then I didn't have time to put on makeup. I went to do night watch with J Dog so I didn't have to do it later."

Then Annabeth was next to them, and Brooklyn didn't know how she didn't notice when she was literally standing on the railing.

"J Dog?" Annabeth repeated.

"That's what I call Jason," Brooklyn shrugged. "He's okay with it. Do you have gum? Percy won't let me smoke."

Annabeth sighed. "I'll give you gum if you promise that you're ready for the trip. And that you won't smoke while we're out."