"Send me! Send an army! Send a thousand ships! I don't care, just bring her home. I hate being without her."
[ PERCY JACKSON x FEMALE OC ]
[ PERCY JACKSON SERIES ]
cover by @humaneity !
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0005. | A CURSE RIPPLING THROUGH DREAMS AND REALITY
Even in the dark, Apollo's Cabin shone with the dulled sheen of gold. It was a total eyesore, nothing like the sweet smelling wood of Hermes' Cabin or the earthy warmth of Demeter's. Still, Octavia called it home and walking up the porch stairs, she was struck with the horrid nausea of knowing she wouldn't be sleeping there anymore for a while.
The curtains at the windows were drawn but she could still see golden light from bedside lamps leaking through the gaps. Her siblings weren't asleep yet.
She came into the cabin, expecting everyone to leap into their beds and pretend they had been sleeping the whole time (as they usually did when they were up past bedtime), but they didn't. Some were asleep, the younger ones like Kate, or Austin, or Kimmie. The others were crowded around James and Lee's bunk.
They watched her come in.
"Why aren't you all in bed?" She asked them. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. All she wanted was to go to sleep ready for her quest.
James looked at her. He looked exhausted as she felt, dark circles staining his under eyes like fruit juice on a cloth. "We're talking about Ana."
Her stomach churned. She noticed then how Kayla was so red faced and teary, and Michael was biting his fingernails to stumps, and Megan and Gracie were cuddling each other against James' pillow. Lee was sat with Jerry, frowning but not as tearful as the others. How could he be? He hadn't known them.
She sighed and suddenly felt quite sick for the sensation tearing up her stomach. She didn't want to think about Ana or their quest, and hardly on the eve of another perilous journey she was going to have to make, but she did her best to put on a brave face. She pushed her feelings away and came over to them. Sleep would have to wait if her brothers and sisters needed her.
Michael made room for her on his comforter. She sat and leaned forward, rubbing her face with her hands. She was still a bit sweaty from how heated she had been at the bonfire, but she was glad that was the only dampness on her face and not tears. Tantalus didn't deserve her tears.
"You're not seriously going to let Tantalus use the Golden Fleece for himself after what he said about them, are you?" Michael asked her.
They all looked at her, waiting on her answer. There were too many of them for her to meet all of their eyes.
"Of course not." She shook her head.
"Gods," Jerry cursed. Jerry loved to curse. "I wanted to punch him for what he was saying."
Lee, who had been quiet, frowned. "I don't understand." He said. "How can he say stuff like that? Why won't our dad do anything?"
Octavia wanted to tell them that Apollo had defended them. She wanted to reassure them that their prayers weren't useless and that he did care for them all and he had sent a plague to defend their honours, but then that would mean guilt on her part, and she didn't want that.
