𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐀 --- PJO Series¹

𝐈: 𝐒o, You Like Knives?

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EVEN BEFORE seeing the unconscious body, Maia's energy was low.

That was probably due to the lack of sleep she got and nothing to do with the knocked-out kid laying in the forest (that was just usual demigod stuff) - but she had a good cause. Who wanted to sleep anyway?

It was still somewhat dark out - the sun just barely arising out of the horizon. With the way the ground covered the giant star it looked as if the earth was the sun's blanket. The more it woke up - the more an orange and purple hue coated the sky.

Maia was lying on top of the roof of the Hermes cabin. Her back laid rested again the smooth wood - one of her legs propped up to keep her stable while the other lied down. As if her eyes weren't already dark enough - but the bags underneath them only highlighted that snakelike feature of hers. Her shaky hands were fidgeting with the beads that adorned her neck - specifically playing with the black one on the end which had a white feather painted onto it.

Maia traced the faint outline of constellations in the sky. Her eyes carefully followed every connection - never blinking as if worried they would disappear if she did.

Even as she heard a faint noise that got closer and closer her gaze remained unwavering on the stars - showing no sign of acknowledgment.

Which she didn't have to. She knew who it was.

Luke lied down next to her - tilting his head in her direction to give her a small smile. He nudged her shoulder with his.

"Hey." He said softly.

She gave him a small hum and her eyes momentarily flickered over to her brother. Full brother - as in they share the same two parents. Same dark set of curls. Same set of snakelike eyes. Same craftsmanship of their words. The only thing that was different (besides gender and her slightly darker skin) was everything else. That including the way they carry themself or even how they use said words. Maia hardly used hers while Luke relished in his.

Luke rested his hands behind his head - looking over the edge with a small chuckle before looking over at her with an amused expression. "Surprised you're not worried about falling down."

Maia mocked a scoff. "I'm not that much of an idiot, I won't fall."

"Unless you lost your footing...or I pushed you."

"Not helping."

He held up his hands in surrender. He cracked a smile as if in hopes it'd infect her, but she remained blank faced - still wistfully looking up at the stars. He let out a breath and did the same.

"I'm here to check up on you." He said as he raised a hand - tracing the sky so one of its shapes could be revealed to her. "You seemed on edge earlier."

If that's what you could call her poking at an unconscious body, then yeah, she was just a bit on edge.

"I was," Maia agreed with a small nod. She tilted her head over at him to attempt a smile - it felt wrong on her face at a time like this. "But I'm fine now."

She looked back at the sky so she didn't have to see that concerned face of his. It wasn't just him - if it were anyone really - she'd want to blurt out every tiny detail of things she knew since she understood how to comprehend things with just making eye contact alone. Fidgeting with something usually took her mind off of things - so thank Hestia for the beads around her neck that endeared her endless fidgeting. True soldiers they were.

Luke hummed - tracing out another constellation. "Y'know, for some reason, I don't believe you."

"Probably 'cause one of the Stolls snagged a few of your braincells." She suggested in a casual tone with a shrug - earning a laugh from her brother.