thickskinned,˚⟡˖ perseus jackson.

nine, faith in the gods.

THICKSKINNED.
' faith in the gods.'
CHAPTER NINE.

I REMAINED ALONE at breakfast, once again. Enjoying the company of my own, engaging in continued solidarity. Annabeth could only speak to me so many times a day, and to nobody's surprise, a pair chose not to speak to me at all.

Indeed, they refused. I longed for Percy's company, but he was nowhere to be seen. Ever since he left our cabin, I hadn't spotted him anywhere. How would he eat?

I found myself looking for those blonde curls everywhere I went, but they were never in the midst of my search.

I walked slowly through the fields of camp, my white sneakers getting inevitably ruined by the dehydrated sand. The itch that came along felt worse.

"Ilaria." A voice called out, my eyes shot up immediately, looking away from the trail of footsteps I had left in the sand.

I turn around, jumping when those curls I had been searching so long for; finally appeared. "Percy." I let out a breath of hope, it was no surprise that he meant something to me.

A dear friendship, I suppose. It wasn't clear to me if I knew what a friendship was anymore. I thought what me and Luke had was a friendship, but I didn't know if I could name it a friendship anymore, but I would have never named it a friendship in the first place — because he was my family.

He was our family, our third sibling. Maybe he felt that way with Chris, and he always would. I just hoped he'd treat me the same way too. Like his sister. When you become aware, nobody tolerates it.

But I tolerated it. Always.

"I miss you." I bite the inside of my cheek, as I look up at him. He lets out a sweet chuckle, and shakes his head.

"It's different." He whispered, his hand meeting the back of his neck. "I went from somewhere so jam-packed, into a room where there's only me. But space for so many more." He sighed.

"Perks of being forbidden?" I chuckle, and he shakes his head once again.

"Perks." He says, his voice drowned in a deep well of sarcasm. A scoff escapes his lips as he continues.

"Poseidon can't just suddenly decide that he wants me. I thought he claimed me because I showed him that I was his son." He swallows the lump in his throat.

"I fought, and I fought well. With no practice, Ilaria. I stood my ground." He told me, and I nodded. I knew what Percy did, it's so much easier to just run, but he didn't. He was strong.

"That is why he chose you, Percy. Because you proved yourself." I reach for his hands, but he just hides them away like the rest of him.

"He claimed me, because he wanted me to do one of his stupid quests." I noticed anger was buried deep inside of him, and it inched closer to the surface every minute.

"You're going on a quest?" I asked, my voice breaking slightly. Annabeth longed for it, and she was finally going to get it.

"I'm not doing it for anyone else, but my mom." Percy stated, shaking his head. "She is the most important person in my life, and if there's a chance of her coming back then there's no doubt I'll take it." My breakfast threatened to come out when I saw Percy's eyes fill with water.