Love Against All Odds

Zoe - Shattered

Oskar and I walked back to my tent in complete silence. 

Percy was still missing; no matter how hard we tried, we were no closer to finding him. It felt like we were running in circles, hitting dead ends, and the exhaustion was starting to take its toll. 

By the time we reached my tent, I was beyond tired—emotionally, physically, mentally. Oskar followed me inside, it was almost suffocating. I couldn't even look at him without feeling a surge of frustration.

I turned to face him, my voice sharper than I intended. "What are you doing?"

He didn't even blink, the answer coming instantly. "Sleeping with my girlfriend."

I shook my head, "Absolutely not. You're going to the Hades cabin. We haven't talked—"

Oskar cut me off, stepping closer. "Then let's talk. Let's talk about you being jealous and insecure over some girl who means nothing to me. A girl who doesn't hold a fucking candle to you." His voice was rising, the words tumbling out with the raw edge of frustration. "That whole argument was stupid, and you were the one who walked away. So, I don't know what you're so mad at, Zoe. I should be the angry one. You let something so trivial make you question us."

I stood there, arms crossed tightly over my chest, trying to keep the walls up, but his words were hitting closer to home than I wanted to admit.

"You're my girlfriend," Oskar continued, "We're together. And I'm not the type to go back on my word. When I make a fucking commitment, I mean it. When I say I'm in, I'm all in."

He took a breath, his anger simmering, and I felt the heat of it—his words, as rambling and furious as they were, cut through the fog of my stubbornness. 

 I wanted to snap back, to throw his words in his face, but I couldn't. Not this time. Because, as much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I had let something small or insignificant fester and grow into this ugly mess between us.

All I could do was stand there, my arms still crossed but feeling more exposed than ever.

Oskar stepped closer, his eyes searching mine. "You mean everything to me, Zoe, and when I told you I'm yours, I meant it. Bella, I'm completely yours. No girl across the hall is going to change that."

I felt a flicker of my old anger flare up. "A girl who likes baseball, who you've been hanging out with at the library. What, every night?"

His face twisted in disbelief. "No, not every night. Hardly ever, honestly. Maybe a couple of times. And I don't care that she likes baseball. Can she shoot an arrow? Fight monsters? Be half the badass you are? No, she can't. Would I trust her with my life? Hell no. This whole thing is ridiculous, Zoe. You're not thinking straight."

The words stung, hitting right where my insecurities lived. "So, what, now I'm being hysterical? Like every 'overemotional woman,' right?"

"I didn't say that, and you know it." He sighed, exasperation clear in his voice. "Zoe, that's not what this is about."

My voice dropped, and the anger gave way to something deeper, more painful. "Then where have you been, Oskar? Where the hell were you?"

He hesitated, his hand instinctively going to his jacket pocket, his jaw clenching in that familiar way he did when he was trying to hold back something.

I frowned, confusion washing over me. "Oskar?"

"When we had that fight," he began slowly, "I went out to find you. But then... Aphrodite and Ares showed up."

My breath hitched, and my heart raced in my chest. "What?"

"They sent me on a quest," he continued, his gaze locking onto mine with regret and weariness. "Into the Underworld. And time... time is strange down there. What felt like days for me, maybe weeks, ended up being two weeks here."