νεκρός || Annabeth Chase x Fem!OC

Vol. 1-23: Tempest throws hands

ANNABETH

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 "Percy, wake up."

I shook Percy's shoulder and splashed some salt water in his face. He sat up tiredly, squinting as he looked around.

In the distance, the sun was setting behind a city skyline. I could see a beachside highway lined with palm trees, store-fronts glowing with red and blue neon, a harbor filled with sailboats and cruise ships.

"Miami, I think," I said. "But the hippocampi are acting funny."

Sure enough, our fishy friends had slowed down and were whinnying and swimming in circles, sniffing the water. They didn't look happy. One of them sneezed. I guess Percy could read their thoughts, because he nodded.

"This is as far as they'll take us," Percy said. "Too many humans. Too much pollution. We'll have to swim to shore on our own."

None of us were very psyched about that, but we thanked Rainbow and his friends for the ride.

Tyson cried a little. He unfastened the makeshift saddle pack he'd made, which contained his tool kit and a couple of other things he'd salvaged from the Birmingham wreck. He hugged Rainbow around the neck, gave him a soggy mango he'd picked up on the island, and said good-bye.

Once the hippocampi's white manes disappeared into the sea, we swam for shore. The waves pushed us forward, and in no time we were back in the mortalworld. We wandered along the cruise line docks, pushing through crowds of people arriving for vacations. Porters bustled around with carts of luggage. Taxi drivers yelled at each other in Spanish and tried to cut in line for customers. If anybody noticed us- six kids dripping wet and looking like they'd just had a fight with a monster- they didn't let on.

Now that we were back among mortals, Tyson's single eye had blurred from the Mist. Grover had put on his cap and sneakers. Even the Fleece had transformed from a sheepskin to a red-and-gold high school letter jacket with a large glittery Omega on the pocket.

"We need to see the paper," Clarisse grunted.

"I know a place," Tempest said. Without any explanation, she pushed forward, leading us on.

She stopped at some sort of little stand and nodded at the Hispanic guy working it. He started talking to her casually. I mean, she said she didn't have friends, and I think it was clear these guys weren't 'friends', just 'friendly'. She fished something out of her shorts pocket, and I was shocked to see that a jolly rancher had survived this whole experience.

"Yeah, give that to Lacy, will you?" Tempest asked as she grabbed a paper. "She's started school, right?"

"Yep, kindergarten in August. I mean, she's only five, but..."

Tempest nodded. "They grow fast, don't they? Alright, thanks, Julio."

"You're not staying? They just reopened that one place you like!"

"Ah, I got things to do," Tempest waved off. She walked back over to us and shoved the newspaper in my hands. "You're not gonna be happy."

I wanted to ask when she had been to Miami, but then I saw the date and gasped. "Fuck! June eighteenth! We've been away from camp ten days!"