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THE VOICES IN JUNE'S HEAD were beatboxing again.
It was honestly so fucking annoying, having to bear with them 24/7. She was trying to listen to something Percy was saying to her, but she kept getting distracted. At one point they began to rap, and that was when she'd had enough.
"Shut up," she muttered fiercely.
Percy froze mid-sentence. His face fell.
June's eyes widened with horror. "No! Not to you—"
"—Don't worry, June's just kinda crazy," Leo butted in helpfully. He gave Percy a Cheshire grin. "Talks to herself all the time, this one."
They were seated around a low table in the forum, pillows and miniature couches strewn about. There were several such tables around them, Roman demigods gathered in groups of ten or twenty, chatting and laughing. Nature spirits flitted around, delivering pizzas, cold drinks, and snacks. The occasional satyr stopped at a table to bargain for food and spare change.
Purple ghosts (Lares, June's voices told her) floated around in Legionnaire armor. She sensed fields nearby, the tiny sounds of the wheat pleading for her help as they got trampled by Mrs. O'Leary and the frolicking war elephant.
Percy was beside her, Leo and Piper across them. The others, Reyna and Octavian included, were at the table as well, talking among themselves.
The whole scene kind of reminded her of her table at Camp Half-Blood— Miranda sitting tall at the head of the table like Reyna was at the moment, Katie and Billie laughing together across from her in the same manner as Piper and Leo, Steve a comforting presence beside her, and Doug in the centre of it all, poking at his food.
"I'm sorry," June told Percy. "I've been a little frazzled lately. What were you saying?"
He gave her an understanding smile. The look in his eyes made June's hands tremble.
"I was saying I wanted to show you around after this. There are these beautiful gardens I think you'd love, I've been wanting you to see them since forever."
She smiled. Her eyes traced his form, landing on the SPQR tattoo branded on his arm. It was similar to Jason's— except with a trident in the place of Jason's eagle. She'd run her fingers over it many times when she'd been unable to sleep, and if the memory of it stung, he'd never complained.
Percy's lips quirked up. "You like the tat?"
June's mind flashed to her own faint tattoos of five white lilies she'd gotten almost a year ago— three clustered on her right hip and the other two on her left thigh.
"They symbolize purity and rebirth," the tattoo guy had explained, then chuckled nervously. "You sure you're old enough for this, kid?".
She'd showed him the fake ID Connor had given her. Travis was still unresponsive. He hadn't shown his face at all besides showing up for the funeral. "For Katie," was all he said to her.
