𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗘! 𝙥. 𝙟𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙤𝙣 ¹

Lydia Almost Dies From Affection

CHAPTER ONE: LYDIA

"Ugh" Lydia groaned, picking up her sickle off the ground.

The battle was in full swing. Giant bronze bulls were ranging all over Half-blood hill, Campers were in full battle armor getting their asses whooped. Lydia had just been trampled by a fellow camper who was running for his life.

"Border patrol, to me!" A gruff voice called. Lydia recognized it to be Clarisse.

Lydia turned to follow the voice, and stumbled her way over to her. Her fellow warriors were scattering, running in panic as the bulls charged. The grass was burning in huge swathes around the pine tree.

One hero screamed and waved his arms as he ran in circles, the horsehair plume on his helmet blazing like a fiery Mohawk. Clarisse's own armor was charred. She was fighting with a broken spear shaft, the other end embedded uselessly in the metal joint of one bull's shoulder.

Lydia wasn't faring any better either, her orange camp shirt had a few burn holes, and she wasn't sure if she had any eyebrows left at this point, but that wasn't the worst part, the worst part was that she was sweating buckets. She regretted not buying Medea's SPF 50,000 off of Connor that one time.

Either way, Lydia managed to get to Clarisse's side. She spied Annabeth from the corner of her eye running toward them, trying to help. She taunted one of the bulls into chasing her, then turned invisible, completely confusing the monster. The other bull charged Clarisse's line.

The bull moved deadly fast for something so big. Its metal hide gleamed in the sun. It had fist-sized rubies for eyes, and horns of polished silver. When it opened its hinged mouth, a column of white-hot flame blasted out.

"Hold the line!" Clarisse ordered her warriors.

Unfortunately, at that moment, the other bull lost interest in finding Annabeth. It turned, wheeling around behind Clarisse on her unprotected side.

"Behind you!" A familiar voice yelled. "Look out!"

Clarisse was startled. Bull Number One crashed into her shield, and the phalanx broke. Clarisse went flying backward and landed in a smoldering patch of grass. The bull charged past her, but not before blasting the other heroes with its fiery breath.

Lydia was kinda over getting burns—it was so last year— and had just enough time to leap out of the way, crashing into the smoking grass. The other campers were not so lucky, their shields melted right off their arms.

"Glad to see you made it, Percy." Lydia huffed, grabbing his extended hand to haul herself off the ground.

It hadn't been long since they last saw each other. Last summer, Lydia and Percy made a promise to keep in contact. All throughout the year, they'd been I.M-ing and sending letters.

She went to visit him in Manhattan a few times. Once during the winter break, and another time a month or two ago. They'd baked some blue cookies (Sally did most of the work, Lydia and Percy just ate the dough and made a mess of flour that Sally made them clean up) and watched the worst rated Christmas movies—even though it wasn't Christmas.

Anyways, back to the present. Percy gave Lydia a nod and a smile that could've melted her faster than the flames. He was dressed in burned-up tie-dyed gym clothes. Pretty bold fashion choice, if you ask Lydia.

He lunged forward and grabbed Clarisse by the straps of her armor. He dragged her out of the way just as Bull Number Two freight-trained past. Lydia managed to toss her sickle right at the monster, lodging it in its ribs, but the bull merely seemed inconvenienced and kept on going.