𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲.

War is upon us

7 months later

Everyone was on edge at camp, it was almost Percy's sixteenth birthday and that meant the prophecy was approaching.

War would break out in a week.

"Do you have to go?" Silena asked Charles Beckendorf, her boyfriend.

Him and Percy were to go on a mission to try and stop Kronos from invading.

"I'll be back before you know it." Charles said with a smile, he pulled Silena into his chest and kissed her forehead gently. As soon as his face was out of sight of Silena his smile melted away and was replaced with a look of dread.

"I love you Charlie, good luck." Silena whispered with teary eyes.

"I love you more." He kissed her lips then turned to say goodbye to everyone else.

Silena stepped back and Lilia wrapped her arms around her older sister to comfort her.

Charles got on blackjack and flew away, to get Percy.

Lilia prayed they'd both get back safe.

➳

Chiron told Lilia and Annabeth to send Percy an iris message and let him know Charles was coming.

The two girls walked nervously to the water fountain, and Annabeth chucked the coin into the spray of water.

"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering."

The water spray shimmered in different colours, before a blurry image of Percy showed up. He wasn't alone though, he was sat in a car with Rachel.

Annabeth went to call his name but Lilia put her hand over the girls mouth and made a 'shush' motion.

"—yes... but Percy, you'd be doing me a huge favor. It would be so much better if you were with us.
Besides, there's something I want to talk—" She stopped abruptly.

"Something you want to talk about?" Percy asked. "You mean ... so serious we'd have to go to St.
Thomas to talk about it?"

Annabeth looked at Lilia, who was staring at the scene intently.

Rachel pursed her lips. "Look, just forget it for now. Let's pretend we're a couple of normal people.
We're out for a drive, and we're watching the ocean, and it's nice to be together."

He'd been spending a lot of time with Rachel this summer, he kept making up stupid excuses about why he couldn't come to camp and then Lilia would find he was with her. She felt her chest tighten at the thought.

"Okay," Percy said. "Just a normal afternoon and two normal people."

She nodded. "And so .. hypothetically, if these two people liked each other, what would it take to get the stupid guy to kiss the girl, huh?"

"Oh...Um.."

Lilia's eyes widened with anger, Annabeth looked at her in shock.