𝒊𝒊. 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆

𝒗.

Over the course of the following week Tyson's claiming left Percy thoroughly embarrassed. No campers wanted to be seen with him except Noelle and Annabeth, but whenever one of the girls was around him, the other wasn't.

Annabeth had been pretty persistent on ignoring Noelle. Noelle tried to apologize several times, but Annabeth would just walk away. Noelle then became mad at Annabeth for teaming up with Percy for the chariot races. Noelle couldn't be mad at Percy for it because he asked her if she was okay with it and she said yes.

While Annabeth and Percy were sketching chariot designs, Noelle was in the Big House. She read almost all the books' covers until she found one that might be even remotely useful. It was the story of the Golden Fleece. After reading it over, realizing this could be the thing that saves camp, Noelle raced to where she knew Percy and Annabeth were.

When she neared the two of them she stopped in her tracks when Percy snapped, "He's not my brother! And he's not a monster, either!"

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "Hey, don't get mad at me! Noelle let him into camp! If she hadn't this wouldn't be an issue!"

"Because it was the only way to save my life!"

"Percy, Cyclopes are the most deceitful, treacherous—"

"He is not! What have you got against Cyclopes, anyway?"

Annabeth's ears turned pink. That's when Noelle knew that she wouldn't tell Percy about her experience with Cyclopes.

"Just forget it," she said. "Now, the axle for this chariot—"

"You're treating him like he's this horrible thing," Percy said. "He saved my life."

Annabeth threw down her pencil and stood. "Then maybe you should design a chariot with him."

"Maybe I should."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Annabeth stormed off the opposite way Noelle was facing, Annabeth not even knowing she'd heard their conversation. After the daughter of Athena was gone Percy looked up and saw Noelle. Noelle rushed over to him and sat down next to him.

"Percy, are you okay?" she asked.

"No," Percy answered. "I feel like garbage."

That was all he needed to say for Noelle to wrap her arms around him. Percy welcomed her embrace, but he didn't hug her back. He just let his forehead rest on her shoulder and enjoyed her presence.

Noelle seeing Percy like this made everything she came here to tell him fly out the window. She didn't even care that her new found information could bring his mood up, she'd completely forgotten about it. All she knew was that she had to be there for Percy in, what he considered to be, these terrible times.

~

The next couple of days were rough.

Annabeth was avoiding Noelle and Percy like the plague. Tyson found a way to pass time with Beckendorf in the armory after crying over "chicken ponies."

After lunch, Percy worked out in the arena with Artemis and Apollo's cabin. Noelle being the only camper in the Artemis cabin always worked out with her cousins in Apollo cabin. They had the most skills in common. Archery was Noelle's strength, but she was still fairly good with a sword.

Percy thrashed the Apollo guys easily before he went up against Noelle. Percy knew he should've been testing himself against the Ares and Athena cabins, since they had the best swordfighters, but he didn't get along with Clarisse and her siblings, and after his argument with Annabeth, he just didn't want to see her.