𝐈𝐅 𝐈 𝐂𝐀𝐍'𝐓 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑 ― p. jackson ⁴ [ COMPLETED UNTIL SEPTEMBER ]

huit

★ 。＼｜／。★

𝗜𝗙 𝗜 𝗖𝗔𝗡'𝗧 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗥

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖎𝖙𝖗𝖊 𝖍𝖚𝖎𝖙:
ONLY KNOW YOU LOVE
HER WHEN SHE PUSHES
YOU OFF A CLIFF

★ 。／｜＼。★

SOMEHOW, DOWNTOWN YONKERS wasn't exactly the weirdest place Belle had gone — which was saying a lot, honestly.

Yesterday, after he had talked to his Nereid guidance counselor, Percy ended up finding the River Elisson. However, he couldn't do much when he found it. One, it wasn't the smartest to do quests solo, and two, he didn't have Iris' staff on them. So, the next day, he got Belle, Annabeth, and Grover to go with him.

They sat on the subway train. The Mist probably obscured them, but Belle was sure that they looked kind of funny holding a whole staff. Grover, being his Grover self, brought a backpack full of snacks and his panpipes — typical. Annabeth had packed everything practical as always. Belle, on the other hand, also packed practical things . . . which, in other words, was the overflow of Annabeth's things that she offered to carry so the blonde's backpack wouldn't be so heavy. By four, they were standing in the creek bed, peering into the mouth of the tunnel.

Grover sniffed at the air. "Cleanest river in the world?"

"This is after the Furies and snakes bathed in it," Percy replied.

"And who knows what else," Annabeth added.

Grover stuck his shoe into the brown water. "I guess we can't just roll the staff around in this muck and call it a day."

"Unfortunately not," Belle stated, accepting a flashlight from Annabeth. "It's never that easy. We'll have to go inside. Let's just try and stay out of the water and hope it gets cleaner as we go."

However, staying out of the water proved to be hard. They moved further into the tunnel, and the sides became narrow and slippery. It was practically impossible not to walk in the water. Belle was just mourning the loss of these Converse (but, honestly, as a Demigod, she had gone through way too many pairs.)

Annabeth stopped about a hundred yards in. "Check it out."

She moved the beam of her flashlight across the ceiling of the tunnel. Through the moss and lichen, a streak of turquoise luminescence was left behind from her light.

"Cool," Percy commented, drawing a smiley face on the wall.

Belle blinked at him. "Mature."

"Hey, I was eight just last week."

She smiled, shaking her head. Percy stared at her for a second, a soft grin on his face and a racing heart. Even though they had been dating for years, he would never get over the sight of her smile.