❈ The rest of the summer seemed dull to Percy.
He had tried to go and talk to Helena the next day, only to have Clarisse slam the door to the Ares cabin in his face after telling him she got permission to go home early.
He texted and called her every day but each call went unanswered and each text was unread.
Daily activities continued: archery, rock climbing, and pegasus riding.
Percy felt as if he was just going through the motions instead of living in them.
He sat out of capture the flag. He sat to the side during the campfire. He spent a lot of time with Tyson, playing with Mrs. O'Leary, but she would still howl at night when she got lonely for her old master.
Annabeth could tell something was off with him but he had told her to lay off so now they were pretty much skirting around each other. He was glad to be with her, but he also hated to be around her.
His thoughts were peaking away, bits and pieces of his brain one nerve at a time.
Maybe if Annabeth hadn't pulled him back, he could have helped Helena get away from Kampê.
He had wanted Annabeth and Helena to become friends but instead they were at each other's throats after she had been claimed.
Percy wanted to talk to her about Kronos, but he couldn't do that any more without bringing up Luke. And that was one subject he couldn't raise. She would shut him out every time he tried.
He also couldn't bring Kronos up without thinking of Helena, so the topic remained benched.
•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•
July passed, with fireworks on the beach on the Fourth of July.
August turned so hot that the strawberries started baking in the fields.
Finally, the last day of camp arrived.
The standard form letter appeared on Percy's bed after breakfast, warning him that the cleaning harpies would devour him if he stayed past noon.
At ten o'clock, he stood on the top of Half-Blood Hill, waiting for the camp van that would take him into the city. He'd made arrangements to leave Mrs. O'Leary at camp, where Chiron promised she'd be looked after.
Tyson and Percy would take turns visiting her during the year.
Percy hoped Annabeth would be riding into Manhattan with him, but she only came to see huim off. He had wanted to ask her what he should do about Helena but thought better of it.
It was finally clear to his that the two girl hated each other for reasons unknown to him.
Annabeth said she'd arranged to stay at camp a little longer. She would tend to Chiron until his leg was fully recovered, and keep studying Daedalus's laptop, which had engrossed her for the last two months. Then she would head back to her father's place in San Francisco.
"There's a private school out there that I'll be going to," she said. "I'll probably hate it, but..."
She shrugged.
"Yeah, well, call me, okay?" Percy said. "I might die from loneliness."
"Sure," she said halfheartedly. "I'll keep my eyes open for..."
There it was again. Luke.
She couldn't even say his name without opening up a huge box of hurt, worry, and anger.
YOU ARE READING
𝒞𝒶𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝒸 | ᴘᴇʀᴄʏ ᴊᴀᴄᴋꜱᴏɴ¹
Fanfiction❝Guess I don't have a choice, All because I like a boy.❞ ❈ The favoured daughter of Ares finally reaches camp with the help of the boy her father hates most and is immediately thrown into war. Luckily for her, she thrives in battle. ᴏʀ ɪɴ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ❈...
