𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠 // 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑦 𝑗𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑜𝑛 ＆𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑙𝑦𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑠

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈.

－ • ꕥ • －

"𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑦"
— 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐬

－ • ꕥ • －

𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐋𝐄 of the night on a train to Los Angeles, Evangeline tried to continue sleeping through Annabeth and Percy's deep conversation. Grover's snoring flooded the compartment and Evangeline covered her ears with her pillow. "Eva? Are you awake?" Percy asked and Annabeth kicked her leg.

Evangeline sighed. "What do you want?" her voice cracked and she yawned, rolling into her stomach with her face towards the others in the compartment.

"What's up with you and your dad? You never talk about him." Percy wondered curiously. Annabeth and him had just finished talking about her dad and his mom, and Percy wanted to know more about Evangeline.

Feeling her stomach drop, Evangeline wasn't sure what to say to Percy. "I... I'm not close with my dad like you're close with your mom, Percy. It's different. My dad never wanted me, and I was never thought of as a gift." she explained vaguely without going deep into the details.

Annabeth pushed her hair from her eyes. "That's why you were so close with Noah?" even she didn't know much about Evangeline's family life. The only person who knew everything was Luke, and he never shared anything Evangeline told him.

"Noah's my family. Not my father or my mother." Evangeline tucked her blonde locks behind her ear, pulling her blanket over her shoulders.

"You awake?" Percy asked Grover as the satyr rubbed at his eyes.

"Well, I am now. Thanks." Grover grumbled and Evangeline riddled with her necklaces absentmindly.

"Are you okay?" Percy wondered tenatively.

"He's super grouchy when he doesn't get enough sleep." Annabeth said, lying on her back.

"'He's super grouchy when he doesn't get enough...' Nah!" Grover mimicked Annabeth's words.

"Wow." Percy mumbled to himself.

"You've never been on the road with him before. A little different than a froofy boarding school." Annabeth teased Percy.

Grover seemed to wake up again. "Who's froofy? Your'e froofy. What's froofy? I think I need to eat."

Evangeline rolled her eyes, pressing her cheek into her pillow. "Can we not have a four a.m. yap session tommorow? That'd be great." Percy and Annabeth were always talking these days, and though Evangeline was glad they were warming up to each other, she wished it was at a reasonable time.

The train still rumbled along its tracks as the quest-mates rose with the sun a while later and settled at a table after getting dressed. "Two days until we reach Los Angeles. Plenty of time before our deadline to reach the Underworld." Grover spoke as Evangeline braided her hair over her shoulder, seated beside Percy.

"Can I ask a dumb question?" Percy questioned a moment later.

"You just did." Evangeline tied off her braid, a crewneck hoodie over her body.

Annabeth furrowed her brows. "It's like you need me to make fun of you." she said from the other side of the table.

"Shoot." Grover said.

"I've never been to Los Angeles before. I'm guessing none of you have been to Los Angeles. So, how will we have any idea where we're going?" Percy wondered. It was a valid point.