Riptide

Chapter 18

(I've just realised that I've made a mistake with some of the ages that I now can't change so just keep that in mind for future chapters because I did my maths wrong and didn't realise that Annabeth's paternal half-brothers would be 14 at the oldest at the time of this fic so we're just gonna have to be cool with some non-timeline-accurate stuff and have Annabeth's brothers be 16. This isn't super important for this chapter but it will be for future ones. Also I know nothing about Minnesota's forests except for that they exist and the pictures I've seen on Google, please excuse any mistakes I may make about them.)

~In Minnesota (someone please tell me to stop coming up with new characters)~

"Harry, wait up!"

"Not a chance, I want to get there before it's dark!"

"We've got an hour, and I want to make Tori something."

"And last week you wanted to make Eli something. And the week before that, Payton. You'll be fine, Daphne." Harry's pace slowed, allowing Daphne to catch up with him.

"I can't help it if everyone at school is hot, what do you expect me to do?" Daphne asked.

"I just don't get how you can fall in love with a new person every week."

"And I don't get how you can't."

"Whatever. Can we hurry up, though? We've only got an hour."

"You're boring, but okay." Leaves crunched beneath their feet as they walked, sunlight dappling their skin. After a little while, they reached a lake and sat down, Daphne resting her head on Harry's shoulder. "This is nice."

~Meanwhile, at the house~

"Careful with those!" Chiara said from across the greenhouse.

"Okay!" Angel and Danny said simultaneously. Angel took a flower into her hand, not picking but just looking at it.

"That's pretty." Danny said.

"Yeah, it's a camellia, they don't usually bloom in January but Chiara said she'd grow some for me and Lily." Angel said told him. Danny picked the flower, tucking behind Angel's ear, and the older girl smiled. The pink flower looked nice next to her blond hair, and the light shining through the walls just added to the effect. Angel hugged him tightly. "I'm gonna get you one too."

"You really don't have to-" Angel pulled him along as she started walking to another section of the greenhouse, before finally stopping at a bunch of pentas. She picked one and tucked it behind his ear. He blushed, smiling shyly. "Thanks."

"You two are adorable, but please move away from the oleander." Chiara said, smiling at the two from the other side of the greenhouse.

"Sorry!" Angel said.

"It's fine, just be careful." Angel's hand moved up to touch the camellia again, a hint of sadness creeping into her smile.

"Are you okay?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, just..."

"Just what?"

"Camellia's are Chora's favorite flower."

"Like, your sister, Chora?" Danny asked. Angel nodded, playing with the hem of her shirt.

"She was thirteen the last time I saw her."

"Was she nice?"

"Yeah. She was really nice."

"I wish I could meet her."

"I wish you could too. I bet Tyler would like you as well."

"Who's Tyler?"

"My brother. Well, sometimes my sister, but mostly my brother."

"He sounds cool."

"He is. He wants to be a teacher when he's old enough. Or at least she did, he could've changed his mind by now."

"I bet he'd be a great teacher."

"He would be."

~Meanwhile, in New Rome (for convenience, it's been about an hour)~

Annabeth was taking a walk between classes when she heard a voice calling her name.

"Annabeth!" Jacob (remember when he was mentioned in an earlier chapter?) whisper-shouted.

"Jake?" She asked, finally spotting him around a corner.

"Hey."

"How did you get here?"

"I have my ways." Jacob said. Annabeth raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "I may have snuck onto the campus."

"I thought you were still in Virginia, how did you get to California?"

"I may or may not have snuck out while everyone was asleep and taken the car."

"Do I need to call dad or do you need a place to stay?" Annabeth asked with a sigh.

"Neither, I've got everything sorted out, I just wanted to come see you."

"Are you planning to go back home?"

"Probably not. There's actually something I want to talk to you about, is there somewhere more private we can go?"

"Percy should be heading to class right now, we can talk in my dorm."

"Thanks. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

~Meanwhile, at Camp Half-Blood (ft. three new characters)~

"No, I'm telling you," Donna leaned back in her chair. "Water is the superior drink and I don't see how anyone can think otherwise."

"It's disgusting and tasteless." Tessa argued.

"How can it be disgusting if it doesn't have a taste?"

"I don't know, it just is."

"How did we even end up arguing about this?"

"I don't know."

"Fuck, what if it was important?"

"We wouldn't forget something important." There was a long pause, and then the two of them broke out laughing.

"We totally would." Donna said though her laughs. The laughter eventually died down, leaving the two girls slightly breathless. "I'm glad Azzy introduced me to you."

"Same, I was worried we wouldn't get along but you're really cool."

"Yeah, I thought you'd be all nerdy and annoying, but I actually kinda like your nerdiness."

"Hey, not all Athena kids are nerds, you know." Tessa smirked.

"Perhaps not all, but mine is." Azalea walked over, putting an arm around Tessa's shoulders.

"Shut up." Tessa said, resting her head on Azzy's shoulder.

"You shut up."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll make you." Her preferred method of carrying out this threat was by angling her head upwards slightly and kissing Tessa, who blushed and kissed her back. They broke the kiss after a minute, just gazing at eachother happily. "Two more years. Just two more years and then I'm gonna be able to do everything I want to you."

"Azzy, there's a child here!" Tessa laughed softly.

"She's twelve, it's only a matter of time before she starts-" Tessa quickly kissed her again to shut her up, shooting Donna a quick 'I'm sorry' glance as she did so.

"I'm a twelve year old girl with access to the internet, you can say whatever you like around me." Donna said, smirking.

"First of all, be careful what you read and don't google anything you find in fanfiction, and second, get out of here before she gets dirtier." Tessa said, toying with Azalea's braid.

"I'm just saying, I know stuff." Donna said.

"Take a hike."

"Fine, fine, I'll go." Donna rolled her eyes but started walking.