𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐚; percy jackson

𝟐𝟑 | the thrill ride o' love

"Hey, hey! Breezie, slow down!" Percy called after Meara, half-jogging to keep up as she stormed ahead.

The warm night air wrapped around them like a heavy blanket, their footsteps slapping against the pavement.

"Didn't know you were this mad about him keeping Annabeth and Grover in there. We're coming right back, aren't we?"

Meara barely glanced at him. "It's not that, Bimbo," she shook her head like speaking to him physically pained her. "I just realized why Ares feels so familiar."

Percy frowned, curiosity momentarily overriding his irritation. "Oh? And why's that?"

She exhaled sharply. "When I was a kid, I remember him being at this... council. All the gods were there."

Percy let out a low whistle. "A whole council just for you? Dang, didn't know you were that special."

Meara shot him a glare so scathing he almost expected it to burn straight through him. "I swear to the gods, I'm really fighting the urge to throw you into traffic."

"Okay, okay, I'm joking." He raised his hands in surrender, grinning. "Now tell me."

"Oh, what a comedian." She rolled her eyes. "What do you think? I'm apparently the child of a dangerous prophecy. You really think they'd just let me exist?"

Percy hesitated. "Well... they kind of did."

Meara stopped so suddenly he almost plowed into her.

The glow of the streetlights cast long shadows across her face, accentuating the sharp edge of her anger.

"Yeah? After holding a whole council about it? After deciding whether I deserved to live? After taking my memories—after killing my mother? Truly letting me live on."

Silence stretched between them.

For the first time, Percy had nothing biting to say.

So, he just nodded. "That's messed up."

Meara scoffed, but the usual tone wasn't present. "Yeah. It is."

A beat passed before she turned and kept walking, her steps slower this time. Percy followed, her words settling over him.

After a while of walking in silence, looming in the dim glow of streetlights, appeared a rusted sign:

WELCOME TO WATERLAND.

Percy eyed the decayed entrance with deep suspicion. "Okay, I'm gonna go ahead and say this is a bad idea."

"Scaredy cat." Meara taunted, though there was still a tightness in her voice that she refused to acknowledge.

Percy folded his arms. "Don't even try to tell me this place doesn't give you the creeps."

She just scoffed and pushed forward, even though, deep inside, she was afraid as well.

"So brave and mighty," Percy muttered.

"You're so immature," Meara shot back.

Percy clutched his chest in mock offense. "Wow. That really hurts my image."

As Percy passed through the rusted metal archway, the gate slammed shut behind him with a metallic clunk, which made Meara cautiously stop before entering.

A low grinding sound rumbled to life.

Percy spun around. "Uh? What is happening?"

"Huh? How would I know?" She abruptly stepped closer, studying the mechanism, pretending to have a clue about what's happening. "You better hope it doesn't chop you up or something."