Flower Food || [P. Jackson] ||

Chapter 20: This Just In - 12-Year-Old Idiot Jumps Off Bridge

Crawling out of the Mississippi River in the middle of a hot, summer day was as miserable as it sounded, and Percy wasn't even actually wet.

Slogging through the muddy banks was actual torture, especially since once they breached the surface and coughed on real oxygen, Song-ee nearly dropped like a sack of bricks and almost gave Percy a heart attack.

"Sorry," she gasped, her voice tinged with pain as she scrunched up her face and hissed when she attempted to lean more into him after he exclaimed in shock. "My side is killing me. I've definitely broken a few ribs."

Just the words spoken out loud made anxiety spike sharply in Percy's chest.

It was only the constitution of a demigod that had saved her life after being slammed through the concrete wall of the Arch, after all; if she had been a mortal, she would've died instantly, and Percy felt ill.

He was extra gentle and slow as he coaxed her arms to wrap around his neck as he bent down and carefully scooped her into a princess carry.

The backs of her knees were warm in the crook of his elbow and her back was secure in his arm, and for the very first time, Percy thanked the godly blood in his veins as he easily marched through the rest of the mud and held her at the same time.

"You idiots!"

Blonde princess curls and a bright orange t-shirt practically shot towards them, and Percy gave a shout as tanned arms slammed around both him and Song-ee, who yelped similarly in surprise.

Annabeth was a fierce hugger and she had no problem showing it, Percy's firm hold around Song-ee being the only thing protecting her from the daughter of Athena's potentially chest-crushing hug.

"You disappeared into the water for so long! Even with my calculations, I knew there was a chance Poseidon's domain wouldn't reach the river," Annabeth sobbed, and Percy felt absolutely horrible when he realized that she was crying. Something felt very wrong with seeing her like this, and her gray eyes were rimmed red as she finally looked up at them both and hiccupped. "We thought you died!"

"Well, almost," Song-ee said, and when both Percy and Annabeth shot her a death glare, she wilted and mumbled, "uh, bad joke. Sorry. Aiya! Will!"

Will, while he at least wasn't in tears, looked close to it as he stomped towards them and slapped Song-ee's arm so hard that even Percy winced.

"Dude!" Percy exclaimed.

"I hope you bruise from that!" Will shouted, his face pale and his eyes so wide that they looked like they would pop out of skull. "What the Hades is the matter with you two! You were gone for so long!"

"It was only for a few minutes!" Percy tried to defend.

"It was half an hour!" Will snapped.

"... Oh." Percy frowned.