𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐖 ,, percy jackson

𝐈𝐈 : that's that adira espresso

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐈
❝ sorry, but i can't relate to desperation ❞
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After Aurora and Percy's miniature debate about who was more of a sleeping beauty variant, Aurora won despite her complaints. It would've been Percy if Chiron weren't biased about the princess curls), Annabeth and Aurora began giving the boy a tour of the camp.

After exploring most of the cabins, they approached Cabin Eleven. Percy found that this cabin looked the most casual, almost like one that would belong in an actual summer camp. Dull brown paint all over the cabin was chipping in different areas. The cabin reminded Percy of a toddler's favorite toy; it looked worn out.

Above the doorway was a symbol he recognized from ambulances in the city and a bunch of doctor's offices. Aurora noticed how fixated Percy was on the symbol, clearing her throat. "It's a caduceus. The symbol of Hermes," she explained, almost like she could read his mind and understand his confusion.

Percy glanced over his shoulder, growing red when he realized she was watching him and quickly looking back into the cabin.

Annabeth judgmentally gazed at the boy before leading him inside the cabin. Most of the campers in cabin eleven shifted their attention onto him, curious to see who was the great demigod who killed the minotaur only a few nights ago.

Bunk beds ran along both sides of the cabin, converses hanging off the support beams by their laces. Due to how full the cabin was, it seemed more warm and welcoming, to campers who didn't kill a minotaur at least. Shelves beside every bed held golden items, jewelry seeming to be a recurring one. The cabin smelled like wood and honey, an interesting combination yet oddly calming.

"Percy, meet cabin eleven," the daughter of Athena said.

Percy looked around the cabin and was met with several different expressions. Some of them were judgmental, some of them were curious, and the others weren't necessarily the kindest.

"Regular or undetermined?" A familiar voice asked.

"Undetermined," Annabeth answered.

More like annoying, Aurora thought to herself.

The campers groaned in annoyance, Percy staring at the ground awkwardly.

The voice came from a boy who looked like one of Percy's favorite movie characters. He was tall and muscular, every dark curl on his head seeming so carefully placed yet so messy. He had tanned skin and wore a leather necklace with five different colored clay beads, an orange t-shirt, cutoffs, dirty gray converses, and a friendly smile.

There was one unsettling thing about him.

A thick white scar that ran from right beneath his right eye down to his jaw, almost like he'd been slashed by a blade.

"This is Luke," Annabeth introduced, "he's your counselor for now."

Luke and Aurora exchanged looks for a moment before Aurora switched her gaze outside, the son of Hermes frowning. The silence between them was nothing new; it was her silence, which seemed everlasting.

Percy noticed the tension between the two half-bloods, looking over at Annabeth, who'd also been watching the both of them.

A breeze blew into the cabin. Aurora looked up and finally noticed the silence between the four of them. "I should go catch up on my studying," she cleared her throat, exiting the cabin without saying goodbye.

"What's with her?" Percy furrowed his eyebrows.

"What's with you?" Annabeth glared, exiting the cabin and following Aurora.

౨ৎ

Aurora and the daughter of Nike, Adira, laid in a field of white dandelions that they discovered during their first year at camp. Towards the afternoon, the sun was positioned perfectly, and there was a perfect amount of sunlight shone over the field.

Nobody in camp knew of the spot; it was rather deeper into the woods. The two half-bloods stumbled across the field during a game of sardines with Luke, Annabeth, and Kian. Adira and Aurora camped in the field until the sun began to set, returning to camp and never telling the others where they'd been hiding.

Aurora plucked a dandelion from the ground, pausing for a moment before taking a breath and blowing on it softly. She didn't believe in wishes; the gods never spared prayers for her soul, so why would a flower?

"If you keep plucking them, then it'll go from a magical dandelion field to just an ugly field," Adira murmured, flipping a page in a boring book Kian—one of Apollo's sons—gifted her.

"Sorry," she bit her lip. "Percy won't leave my head. And as bad as that sounds, it just makes me want to—" Aurora lifted her hands and began choking out the air, not finding any words that could describe how she'd been feeling.

"Percy?" Adira frowned. She wasn't completely up to date with camp news.

"Jackson," Aurora finished. "He drools a lot and made the sleeping beauty joke."

Adira's jaw dropped. "You're kidding."

The unclaimed halfblood shook her head, leaning in closer. "He's blonde."

Adira gasped, her hands flying to a gold chain around her neck. "He sounds horrible. I could kick his ass for you."

Aurora sighed, "I'd tell you to go wild, but I can't have a friend kick someone's ass for me. Everybody else already treats me like I'm some porcelain antique that's going to crumble under the heat of somebody's touch."

Adira chose not to share her opinion about the porcelain antique comment. Even after understanding Aurora's complaints, she was there the night Aurora changed for good. She was there during her bluest days and was often scared of the drastic change in the demigod.

"Who cares what the camp thinks?" Adira said.

"I do."

Adira tossed her braid over her shoulder. "Well, I could kick his ass for you, but you'd have to do my art homework."

"That just makes me seem like I'm desperate," Aurora muttered, tossing herself back onto a pile of flowers she and Adira gathered beforehand.

"Sorry, but I can't relate to desperation."

౨ৎ

⋆౨ৎ₊˚⊹ ᡣ𐭩

𝐕𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐒 - look what you made me do

chapter two !! i'm so eternally grateful that you all are enjoying afterglow and thank you so much for your comments. i had the honor of getting to write adira from saturnsintro 'is book vittoria !! adira is such an amazing complex character and keke's writing is so so pretty so perfect so i encourage you all to read vittoria <3

thank you so much for reading and i love you all so much

- val

published ; 10.27.24