return again ✧ percy jackson

chapter four

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IT WAS THE NEXT DAY. THE fifteen of them got to Percy's dad's beach house--yep that's where they were staying for the next month and Percy has no idea why Poseidon let him--safe and sound and they all slept for over ten hours. Well, everyone except Percy Jackson.

Because he slept the entire trip there, he was well-rested enough to walk along the beach at midnight all by himself.

He knew the area quite well. Aside from where he and his mother went camping, Percy and his family went to this beach for vacation a lot before his parents got divorced. The beach was like his second home.

So at midnight, when he walked down to the beach, flip-flops in hand, Percy felt the cold sand under his feet and he realized he was home. He loved New York a lot but nothing will ever compare to the salt water scent in your hair after a day's visit to the beach. NYC beaches could never.

There were very small groups of people there still. Percy guessed they were locals. Unless you were familiar with the area, nobody really went in the sand after dark. The people were far away from where Percy was though so he could walk in the water without the stares of the others.

The water was freezing when Percy dipped his toes in, a complete contrast from the rest of the world around him that was still hot even in the late hours of the night. 

He walked further into the ocean, to where the water was reaching his thighs. He realized, just as he saw a wave, that if he stayed in that position he would get soaked. So he moved backwards without taking his eyes off the water.

That's when he bumped into someone. He only noticed the other person saying "oof" and not feeling them.

"Holy shit!" Percy said, turning around immediately. "I'm so sorry!"

There was an incoming wave that hit him in the back.

The other person was on the sand when Percy saw him. The water from the wave got him soaked. "Damn," he whispered. "It's fine, stranger."

Percy helped him up. "Are you sure? You're soaked!"

He laughed. "I live near the ocean. This is an everyday-experience. Except this time a pretty boy was technically the culprit."

If Percy blushed scarlet, neither of them would have noticed. Percy couldn't even see what the boy looked like so should the boy see Percy's blush seemed impossible in the moment.

"I truly am sorry," Percy replied, finally helping the boy to his feet.

"I can tell you are."

"We should probably move inward then."

The boy laughed again. "I'd assume so."

They walked together back to the sand and Percy realized that his hand was still latched on the stranger's arm. He moved it immediately.

"Do I get a name for you, stranger?" asked the boy.  He heard the scratch of fabric that made Percy think that the boy was wiping sand off his pants. He didn't want to picture it.

"Percy," said Percy then mentally slapped himself in the face. What if he's a serial killer? he thought. "You."

"Well thank you, Percy, my knight in shining armor." He put his arm on Percy's shoulder and patted it twice. "See you later!" 

"Wait!" Percy called when he realized the boy was walking away. "Do I get yours?!"

It was a couple seconds later when he replied, "Ryan!" Then he was gone.