PHILOXENIA ➸ Percy Jackson¹

εννέα

NINE—Cruel Mirage

─── ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽☼☾.* :☆ﾟ｡ ───

Percy was surprisingly adept at controlling the sailing ship. He seemed to know precisely when to hoist which ropes, which sails to raise, and which direction to steer toward. He looked perfectly at home being the captain, which must be doing wonders for his confidence right now.

They were far away from Circe's island, but the only thing Lux could think about was what had transpired on it and the offer dangled by the Goddess of Magic. She knew better than to trust the words of a deity with a lot to gain from convincing Lux to go to her side. But a traitorous part of her wondered about whether Circe was telling the truth. Could she truly know that tight-lipped secret that had eluded Lux for so many years?

She felt more conflicted now than in the heat of the moment.

Annabeth had gone down below after a few hours of rocking back and forth up on deck, her face green with seasickness. She told Lux to help keep watch for a few hours just until sunset, after which they would change shifts.

Lux was trying her best to look for any signs of monsters, more than once alerting Percy to a ridge of spines breaking through the surface or the dark shape of something lurking underwater so that he could steer away. They were in no way intent on finding out what they were. But half the time, she could feel her mind straying with the movement of the waves,  her energy whittling away as the rays of sunlight slowly got swallowed by the horizon.

She barely even heard Percy making his way over to her.

"Hey," he said, joining her side and leaning on the railing.

"Hey. Taking a break from captaining?"

"Yeah, we're making good progress. We should arrive at Polyphemus' island by tomorrow."

"Is that what your GPS is telling you?"

Percy made a face. "Well, it's the thing keeping us from going around in circles, so yeah."

"Hey, I'm not making fun of you. I still think it's cool."

He lightened up, his mouth fidgeting as if he was keeping himself from smiling too widely. "That glowing thing you have is also pretty cool."

"I'm still not sure how I did it." She flexed her fingers, the memory of fire winding through the gaps.

"Maybe it triggered because you were in danger?"

"Could be. Was it the same way for you with your water powers?"

He shrugged. "I guess. I haven't really thought about it, but it does seem to happen when I feel something very strongly." He looked out at the water. "During those times, it felt like the water became a part of me. Like an extension of myself, almost."

"And what was that like?"

He paused, for what one word could fully explain the rush of water through his veins and the call of the tides pulling him along its ebb and flow?

"Exhilarating."

Lux hummed. If she saw the strange motion of a wave curling toward the ship, she didn't comment on it. "I don't know about having the sun become a part of me. Sounds awfully hot."

"To be fair, you're always your best self under the sun."

She released her hold on the railing and wound her arms around herself instead. "I didn't ask for it. Not if it makes things so complicated."

She didn't need to turn to know that Percy was sporting a confused expression on his face. "What do you mean?"

Lux sighed. "How many Greek gods do you know who can control the sun?"