𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗘! 𝙥. 𝙟𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙤𝙣 ¹

Percy's Guide on How to Make Lydia Allen a Nervous Wreck

CHAPTER EIGHT: LYDIA

They were all pretty miserable that night.

They camped out in the woods, a hundred yards from the main road, in a marshy clearing that local kids had obviously been using for parties.

They'd taken some food, blankets and a first aid kit from Aunty Em's but didn't dare light a fire to dry their damp clothes. The Furies and Medusa had provided enough excitement for one day. They didn't want to attract anything else.

Annabeth had gone to work on Lydia's wound. She was forced to cut up her jeans to treat it thoroughly.

"Can't you try to cut them a little more evenly?" Lydia whined.

"Is that what you're worried about?"

"C'mon Annie, I don't wanna look weird." Lydia pouted.

Annabeth grumbled something indecipherable but chopped up her jeans into some fashionable distressed shorts. After making sure Lydia was pleased with the design, Annabeth finally got to work on her wound, applying ointment—they'd borrowed from Aunty Em—and wrapping it up in gauze.

They decided to sleep in shifts. Percy volunteered to take first watch. Annabeth curled up on the blankets and was snoring as soon as her head hit the ground.

Lydia had placed her own bundle of blankets besides her closest friends' and tried to sleep as well, but it just wasn't so easy.

Grover fluttered with his flying shoes to the lowest bough of a tree, put his back to the trunk, and stared at the night sky.

"Go ahead and sleep," Percy told him. "I'll wake you if there's trouble."

Lydia had tuned out their conversation and turned on her side to try and get more comfortable. There was simply too much on her mind to fall asleep, but she didn't want to think about it.

All throughout the day, Lydia had been on her toes, her fight or flight response had been constantly active and she hadn't relaxed since she left camp. But it was calm now and very quiet— save for Grover and Percy's conversation, so all the adrenaline had worn off.

Lydia could now feel all the emotions she hadn't felt all throughout the day in that very moment; fear, anxiety, doubt, you name it. She was absolutely exhausted now, and her thigh was screaming at her; she honestly wanted to cry but she wouldn't allow herself to. Her friends faced the same hardships she did and none of them were crying. She could do this.

She hoped she could fall asleep like Annabeth did. Lydia wondered if her ADHD was what kept her alive or if it was just a full-blown adrenaline rush that lasted a bit longer than a normal one would.

By the time Lydia had calmed down from the mess of emotions she was feeling, Percy had laid his blanket down somewhere and was snoring away. She sat up brushing the blanket off her and spied Grover sitting up in a tree.

She climbed up to the branch Grover was sitting on very unsmoothly—which was fair considering her avoidance of the climbing wall like it was the plague—and asked Grover to scooch.

Lydia could tell whatever he was talking about with Percy was not very pleasant. She'd caught a few words in their conversation and connected the dots.

"You okay, Grover?" Lydia whispered.

"Yeah." He nodded, his eyes still up in the stars.

"I wasn't eavesdropping or anything, but, I think you're really awesome for coming on this quest." she said quietly, shifting closer to her friend. "Your father would be proud of the goat-man you've become."