"It's fine, my back only feels a little sore, no pain no game." Shayla stopped her and stood up. She needed to learn and she had one pegasus in mind she wanted to ride. Percy did too.
"Well, someone's gotta teach ya." He shrugged. Shayla smiled. No one better to help. The dude who could speak fucking horse.
Pegasus here I come.
The walk to the stables was the hottest she had ever been. She was secretly dripping with sweat under her sweatshirt. Percy saw but she guessed he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable, because he didn't day anything.
They arrived at the stables and they walking in together.
"Here, you can ride Blackjack. He shouldn't kick, but he might play around bit." Percy said and Shayla shrugged. She watched Percy grab not one but two saddles. If he thought she was gonna ride with him and make it hella awkward, he was wrong.
"Whoa, what's the two saddles for?"
"You think you're gonna go alone, on your first pegasus ride? Delilah-no all of Camp Halfblood AND my mom would kill me."
"Oh ok I'll ride alone." She grinned and Percy barked out a humorless laugh.
"Funny."
"I know right!" She smiled before grabbing a saddle and doing her best to saddle up the pegasus. It looked kind of wrong. The straps were tangled together and Shayla didn't think the rein was supposed to be around Blackjacks neck.
"I don't think that's right." Shayla tilted her head, trying to figure out what she did wrong.
"No, that's not right at all, in fact it could be the least right thing I've ever seen." Percy said before walking over to fix it.
"I mean you looked in the mirror today." Shayla grumbled under her breath.
"Yea, and all I saw was pure awesomeness."
"Mmm, how much do you clean your mirrors?" Shayla asked, a sly smirk on her face. Percy reached over and lightly shoved her shoulder. She flinched and a look of regret crossed over his face.
"It's ok Percy." She said before turning back to the saddle. She didn't want Percy to think he couldn't joke around with her. She wasn't a little piece of glass, and she didn't want to be treated that way.
"Can we saddle up now?" She pleaded and Percy nodded. Shayla grinned and leaped onto the pegasus's back, somehow able to scramble up and sit on the horses back.
"That was the most impressive way to get on him today, nice job."
"Thanks." She panted, out of breath and sweating-oh shit, sweat. She pretended to wipe her face but really smelt her under arm, ok good, the Native deodorant was holding out. She was good.
"Ok, get up slowpoke." She grumbled and Percy did so, sitting on the saddle.
"Ok, so-"
Shayla didn't wait for him to finish as she flicked the reigns as she had seen in movies and felt Blackjack launch out of the stable and into the sky.
"HOLY POSEIDON!" Percy screamed and latched onto Shayla's waist. Blackjack nickered and it almost sounded like a laugh.
"Shut up." Percy mumbled under his breath and Shayla held back a laugh.
"What did he say?" She asked and relaxed the reigns. She smiled as the campers below her did camp activities or talked with each other. It was like the legos she'd seen in movies, tiny people, doing tiny things, and living in tiny houses.
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Before The Tides Turn|p. Jackson| Book One
FanficShayla Dawson has never known what family love has felt like. Her biological parents were dead, or so her evil step-parents had said. Her step-father was a drunk alcoholic with a nasty cut-eye. When Shayla runs away and runs into a boy with sea gree...