𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍° ! percy jackson

𝐢𝐢.𝐱𝐯 - 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭, 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 (𝐚)

There was nothing more terrifying than someone that you loved with your whole heart crying out in fear. Aurora couldn't hear anything but rage as she crept to the cave entrance and saw Polyphemus grinning wickedly, holding up empty air.

The monster shook his fist, and a baseball cap fluttered to the ground, revealing Annabeth hanging upside down by her legs. She struggled, but still looked dazed. Aurora's hands shook and a lump formed in her throat at the nasty cut on the blonde's forehead, her gray eyes classy.

"I'm going for it," Aurora whispered, her voice hoarse as she swallowed her terror. "The ship is around the back of the island. Percy will show you where it is. I'll rush him, and—"

"No." Percy grabbed Aurora's elbow, his green eyes narrowed and darkened as he pulled her closer to him. His grip on her arm was firm to the point where the daughter of Persephone was unsure she could break free from his grasp, but he didn't look at her. Instead, he directed his attention to Clarisse and Grover, his expression grim as he held Aurora next to him, as if watching a leash-less puppy so it wouldn't run away. "Ro's not doing this alone, and I'm assuming you guys aren't going to just leave?"

"No fucking way," Clarisse responded, which was predictable. Her gaze sharpened at Percy's sudden initiative, but, for once, she didn't argue with him. "We'll take him together."

"Yeah," Grover said. Then he blinked, like he couldn't believe he'd just agreed with Clarisse about something.

"Stop—" Aurora started, but Percy talked over her, shaking his head.

"Fine," he instructed with authority, authority that Aurora had never expected from the son of Poseidon. Her eyebrows shot up at how quickly he was able to shut her up—which he would so pay for later. "Attack plan Macedonia."

"No? Who do you think you are?" Aurora scoffed, disputing with an incredulous look.

"Someone who you trust." Percy replied almost automatically, his expression blank yet earnest. His head whipped around to face hers, and he pressed his lips into a thin line as if the words had tumbled out without his permission.

But he wasn't wrong.

Slowly and without assurance whatsoever, Aurora nodded begrudgingly along with Grover and Clarisse. They'd all taken the same training courses at Camp Half Blood, they all knew what Percy was talking about.

"Hey, fuckwad!" Aurora hefted Oleander and shouted with enough power to shake a couple grown men. Percy groaned as the girl took a step forward, as if she was going to let him be the one to die. However, his brain probably cleared up, and he snuck around to the left of the Cyclops as Grover and Clarisse took the other sides, completing the plan.

The giant whirled toward Aurora with confusion. "Another one? Who are you?"

"Who do you think I am, dumbass?" Aurora taunted, dancing dangerously close to the Cyclops. "Put down my friend. I'm the one who insulted you."

"You are Nobody?"

"Oh, so you can think!" Aurora exclaimed. "Of course I'm Nobody. Now, put her down so I can stab your eye out again. Or are you too scared?"

Pro tip: if you ever want to get to any male—halfblood, god, even a monster—insult his masculinity. It makes them outraged and want to kill you. Whether or not that's a good thing will be up to you to decide.

The Cyclops bellowed and dropped Annabeth, which would've sounded like a good thing. But he dropped her head first onto the rocks, and Aurora couldn't watch as she lay motionless on a rag doll.

The strawberry blonde took a ragged breath—or tried to, at least, which was a hard feat, as the Cyclops smelled even worse than the pegasi stable back at camp—and instead decided to face reality: Polyphemus was barreling toward her, and all she had to defend herself was a very small sword, and very small arrows.