𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖 ༄ ᴘercy ᴊᴀᴄᴋꜱᴏɴ

no, I don't recall turning into a ice pop...

The tarandos trudged over the cracked ground, head lowered as its bronze hooves caused little whirlpools of dust with every step.

We'd been travelling for hours, in an awkward, stilted silence after we left the small town. In the distance, there was what seemed to be a rainforest, trees as large as giants sprouting from the earth, a sky of green. If we kept this pace, we'd likely reach before nightfall.

I sat at the front of the tarandos, my hands stroking it's soft fur as I whispered softly to it. The others hadn't tried speaking to me yet, but I didn't want them too. I didn't want them to ask, and I didn't want to have to explain.

The tarandos made a small groaning sound, finally breaking the silence. I rubbed his side soothingly and exhaled. "I think he's getting tired. We can walk from here."

I slide off the tarandos, not waiting for the others to reply. Percy jumps off, and I can hear the thud of his shoes as they hit the ground.

"We aren't going to acknowledge that?" he hisses, voice tight with anger.

I don't respond, continuing to walk. What could I say?

"Nailea." He snaps, voice so full of frustration that I turn.

Annabeth stands slightly behind him whilst Kai remains with the tarandos, stroking his fur. The way Percy squared his shoulders, Annabeth at his side, made this feel like an ambush. And I wasn’t ready.

"You turned to ice," Percy hisses, stepping towards me, a mixture of anger and fear in his voice. "And then when you finally melted you were screaming, Nailea, like you were being tortured!"

I open and close my mouth, feeling trapped.

"Whats going on, Nailea?" Annabeth asks, her voice calmer but still laced with tension.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?!" Percy snaps again, heated. "We aren't stupid."

"Could've fooled me." I scoff, the anger clawing it's way up inside of me. "I'm fine, Percy, let it go."

"Nailea..." Kai speaks up, eyes uncharacteristically and obviously worried. It makes me shift on the balls of my feet, and I glance away.

"Great, now you too?" I scowl. "I don't know what that was, alright? Probably just Lamia - it doesn't matter."

"Except it does matter, and she said it wasn't her."

"She's a monster. You believe her?" I scoffed, raising an eyebrow. Do you really believe her over me?

An flicker of doubt flickers over Annabeth's face and I momentarily feel guilty, but ignore it. I can't tell them. I can't tell them, this would only make it worse, it'd only make things so much more painful.

How would I look them in the eye, after telling them they are going to die? How could I admit to leading them on a quest I knew wouldn't end well?

"Yeah, I do." Percy says after beat. "Lamia wasn't lying."

Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. The weight of his words hung in the air - Lamia wasn’t lying. I was.

"Nailea, we’re a team," Annabeth said, voice low, hands raised like she was trying to calm a wild animal. "And we’re your friends. If something’s wrong, tell us so we can help you."

"I don't need help."

"You obviously do!" Percy snaps, voice raising.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I snap back.