I was scared, now. They'd been gone for at least five minutes. Jason and Piper had slowly managed to excuse themselves from the table to be with the more social crowd. And I was alone. Alone, like I always ended up.
Damn, that was emo.
I couldn't take just sitting idly anymore. My curiosity was creeping up on me and tugging at my nerves. I picked up my tray, minding to scrape some off as offering before placing it with all the other trays to be washed. I left out the back door of the mess hall, and I had to sneak through the kitchen, I'm surprised the lunch ladies didn't literally eat my head. I could've just shadow traveled out but...dear gods, the effort that'd take.
The first thing I heard when I made it out was yelling. And not the normal, happy yelling of campers dicking around. This was angry, and high pitched, and bitchy. This...was Annabeth.
"YOU ARE NOT LEAVING ME, PERCY! YOU'D BE NOTHING WITHOUT ME!"
I followed the sound of yelling, around the left side of the building. I peeked around the corner, just in time to see Annabeth lift up a hand, and slap Percy across the face. Hard. I heard the meat of her hand connect with his jaw, I saw his head turn on impact, and my heart lurched before I just got angry. I got so, so angry, I was shaking.
I knew I shouldn't interfere, but I couldn't just let Percy be abused like that. Fuck, I loved him, why couldn't he just see that? Get out of this mess and be with me? Whatever, fuck it. I hauled ass over there and grabbed the back of Annabeth's shirt, yanking her backwards with enough force to knock her to the ground. I didn't know I had that kind of strength in me. Before she could retaliate, I flung my arms around Percy's waist. Shielded by the trees around us, I concentrated on my cabin and felt myself and Percy slowly dissipate into nothingness, mingling and entwining and so close, yet so painfully far from touching.
It worked, I guessed. I remembered a dark room, and Percy's arms cradling me, before everything got incredibly heavy, and my eyes rolled back in my head.
* * *
I woke up a few hours later to a pounding in my head. The room was dark, darker than it was during the day, so I assumed I slept well past the afternoon activities. Which was fine, I would've skipped them anyways. But now I was alone, with my thoughts, and the fun disorder named insomnia. Anxiety came to play, too, and suddenly everything that happened seemed like it was my fault. I should've seen the signs, I should've stepped in sooner. Gods, why--
A knock at my door startled me, and I realized I'd pulled my knees to my chest and began to rock back and forth. Hesitantly, I stretched my legs out to the floor, feet touching the cold wood surface as I stared at the door. Should I answer it? It was pronably just one of the Hermes kids about the slam a pie in my face or something. But, another knock compelled me to answer the door. I crept across the room and turned the frigid door handle, only to be greeted by a boxer clad Percy. His hair was in a thousand different directions, and he had a pillow tucked under his arm. Why..was he even here? What did he want? Reading my mind, he answered my question.
"I...I can't sleep. Can I stay with you?"
My heart did a somersault, then a backflip, a bridge, a sashay, and finally a cartwheel before calming down. Percy chose me of all people to stay with? I didn't say anything, I couldn't. I just nodded, and stepped out of the way of the door.
Of course, I expected him to stay in one of the other bunks. But I was once again sent through a gymnastics routine in my chest as he placed his pillow down alongside mine, and sloppily crawled under the covers. But I couldn't just make it seem like I was okay with this, could I?
"Uh, Percy?" I started, regretting my words. A sleepily muttered "what" was sent in my direction, and I just sighed.
"Nevermind." I mumbled, as I walked back over. I had to awkwardly crawl over the top of Percy just to get to my spot, and as soon as I laid down, I felt one of his arms drape over my waist. There was electricity shooting through every one of my nerves, making me shudder. My teeth snagged my lip, hard enough to pierce the skin, as I tried so hard to calm down.
"G'night, Neeks."
Stupid fucking perfect Percy Jackson, giving me butterflies.
In a matter of minutes, he was out, and I instantly knew why he couldn't sleep. The boy was a cuddler, and with Annabeth gone, he had no one to cuddle. So I happened to be the next best this. Gods, I'd never been so..close to him before. My eyes surveyed his peaceful form, his long eyelashes and ski slope nose. And his lips...his lips, which looked so kissible in the pale moonlight that streamed through one of the windows.
I was gonna kill myself with these thoughts. I reminded myself that this meant nothing, he just wanted to sleep. That's...all he wanted, all he needed. And so I closed my eyes, wishing sleep would come and take me away. But it wouldn't, because I was so on edge with this. What if I said something in my sleep? What if I had a random leg spasm and kicked him? What if, what if, what if?
So instead I just laid there in the arms of the boy I loved, who didn't love me. And I was left to feel the pain of a dreamless dreamer.
