✔ | [1] 𝒞𝒶𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝒸 | ᴘᴇʀᴄʏ ᴊᴀᴄᴋꜱᴏɴ

𝓍𝓋𝒾. Oh would you look at that? I was right.

❈ Percy notices Helena staring at his arm and looks down.

He jumps away as he realises Rachel is holding the sleeve of his shirt. He looks back up but Helena is still staring at Rachel curiously.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare," Helena said. "What a surprise."

They stare at each other.

"Oh, look it's Annabeth Chase," Ethan said as he caught his breath. He pulled off his helmet and dropped it. "I hate helmets. You people are crazy by the way."

Percy watches as Helena lets out a sigh and Ethan snorts. An inside joke already? Hadn't they just met each other?

Annabeth gasped. "I remember you! You were one of the undetermined kids in Hermes cabin, years ago."

He glared at her. "Yeah, I am."

"What – what happened to your eye?" Percy asked.

"Don't ask him that!" Helena hisses. Slapping him upside the head. "Honestly."

"It's a good question," Annabeth said. "What happened to his eye?"

"What happened to your wisdom?" Helena quips.

Annabeth glares at her but Helena looks away bored.

"You must be the other half-blood from my dream," Percy said. "The one Luke's people cornered. It wasn't Nico after all."

Helena raised a brow. Had he seen that? Did she look good beating Levi up? She scoffs internally. Of course, she did.

"Who's Nico?" Ethan asked.

"Never mind," Annabeth said quickly. "Why were you trying to join up with the wrong side?"

"Nico's a son of Hades," Helena answers Ethan. Mark whips his head over and his jaw drops. She raises a brow at her brother, so this was new information was him as well. She wished she could say she was surprised.

Ethan nodded at Helena before he sneered at Annabeth. "There's no right side. The gods never cared about us. Why shouldn't I –"

"Sign up with an army that makes you fight to the death for entertainment?" Annabeth said. "Gee, I wonder."

"It was pretty fun actually," Helena mumbles. Mark coughs into his fist to avoid laughing.

Ethan struggled to his feet. "I'm not going to argue with you. Partially, because I can tell you don't give a shit and partially because I know that you won't believe a word that comes out of my mouth."

"We're going after Daedalus," Percy said. "Come with us. Once we get through, you'll be welcome back at camp."

"You really are crazy if you think Daedalus will help you."

"He has to," Annabeth said. 'We'll make him listen."

Ethan snorted. "Yeah, well. Good luck with that."

Percy grabbed his arm. "You're just going to head off alone into the maze? That's suicide."

"Eddie," Helena said. Ethan looks over at her. "Just ask."

"I -" He hesitates for a moment before his jaw clenches and he rips his arm out of Percy's hold. "Will you?"

"Will I... what?"

"Are you actually doing this to me right now?"

"I'm not doing anything." She tucks her hair behind her ears, cups it and waits.

Percy watches the exchange curiously.

"Fine," Ethan groans. "Will you help me fulfil...my exchange with my mother?"