Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus. I don't own anything written by Rick Riordan.
Author's Note: This is my second story! Fire to the Rain is a companion to my other story, The Sea's Recovery, however it can be read alone. Either way, I would suggest you read at least Chapter 1 of The Sea's Recovery for some background information. Anyways, enjoy and review!
I have a poll on my profile I would like you to vote on - it's about what story I should write after I finish either one of my current stories.
Chapter 6
"Don't thank me," said Percy and made to flash out.
"Percy! Wait!" exclaimed Anthony, grabbing her hand.
Percy flinched and pulled away. "Don't touch me," she hissed angrily.
"I-I need to talk to you," said Anthony nervously, taking a step back from the glaring goddess.
"Then talk!" snarled Percy. "And make it fast. I don't have forever."
Anthony nodded wildly. "I need you to understand why I cheated on you," he started.
Percy growled. "I already know. I was broken after Tartarus and you didn't want to deal with the mess that I was."
"That's not true!" protested Anthony.
The sea goddess raised a dubious eyebrow.
"Well," the son of Athena amended, "it's partially true. But that's not the whole reason."
"Then what was your reason?" asked the girl angrily. "Just get to the point."
"I-" Anthony took a deep breath and started again, "I thought you loved Nico."
"You though what?!" shrieked Percy.
"You were always talking about Nico and thinking about him and I figured that you must love him," elaborated the boy.
"I even told you I didn't harbor any romantic feelings for him, Anthony. How could you think I was in love with my cousin?" asked Percy, shaking her head.
"I was paranoid, I guess, after Tartarus. Plus, you were talking about him a lot."
"Of course I was. He'd been through the pit by himself! What sort of cousin would I be if I wasn't freaked out about his safety?" exclaimed Percy. There was a short silence before she spoke again. "But that doesn't explain why you cheated on me. I can understand you would have wanted to break up with me - but cheating on me?"
"I was jealous, I suppose. I thought that Nico loved you back. I wanted a relationship like that - where the affection was mutual," explained Anthony. "And Lavinia and I had so much in common..."
"Gods, Anthony. I loved you," whispered Percy, eyes widening in realization.
"I know that now," agreed Anthony. He placed a hand on the sea goddess's cheek and she leaned into the touch. "I'm sorry."
"I-I forgive you," said the girl quietly. "I can't forget, but I will forgive."
"Can we still be friends?" Anthony asked hopefully.
"Yes. After everything we've been through together - all those quests, the wars, even Tartarus! I relied on you for so long, that the last few months have seemed empty. I want us to be best friends again - the way we used to be. Always having each other's back." Percy smiled.
"I'm glad - I want the same."
Percy stepped forward to give the boy a hug.
"I've missed you," he whispered.
"I've missed you too," replied Percy.
"Do you want to go get some ice cream to eat while we catch up?" asked Anthony, pulling away.
"Sounds awesome." Percy grinned.
"You've healed a lot since Tartarus," commented Anthony, as he swallowed the last of his cone.
Percy hummed in agreement. "So have you."
Anthony nodded. "But I wasn't as bad off as you. Your fatal flaw was literally destroying you because you had to leave Bob behind."
Percy cocked her head. "Ares has been a good friend," she explained. "He's helped me recover."
"Ah." Anthony's eyes narrowed. He was willing to bet a thousand drachma that there was something going on between those two - or there would be soon. "You two were enemies not so long ago," he reminded her.
"True. But..." Percy hesitated. "I feel... connected to him, you know? I can't really explain it, but you get what I'm saying, right?"
Anthony nodded thoughtfully. "Thalia said she felt the same way about Luke. She didn't have any reason to trust him, but she did."
Percy nodded. "Enough about that, though. Tell me about how stuff is between you and Lavinia."
Anthony smiled. "It's going great! We..."
The son of Athena waved at Percy one last time before turning, only to find his girlfriend standing behind him. "Hey, Lavinia."
"Anthony," greeted the girl, moving forward to hug him. "I see you finally talked to Percy."
"Yeah." Anthony took her hand and led her towards a bench. "Thank you for your advice - about waiting for a while before talking to her, I mean. She took what I said well once I started to explain what had happened."
"Did she forgive you?" asked Lavinia, glancing at her boyfriend with concern.
Anthony nodded, a smile stretching across his face. "She did. We're friends again."
"That's great!" exclaimed the daughter of Hephaestus. The couple sat on a stone bench and Lavinia leaned against Anthony. "I'm so proud of you."
The blond-haired boy glanced at her with confusion.
"For trying to make things right," she elaborated. "Many would have just run from their mistake, but you tried to fix things and I'm proud of you for that."
"Thank you," said Anthony softly, leaning in to press his lips against Lavinia's.
A/N: It's been a while! I'm pretty much off of vacation now - just catching up on everything I missed and stuff. Anyways, this is the last chapter - as of now. But this time, I'm pretty sure I'm done with this story. Sorry this chapter is so short, but I couldn't fit anything else in.
Please review. (And let me know if you want any other chapters from Anthony's POV of The Sea's Recovery!)
I have a poll on my profile I would like you to vote on - it's about what story I should write after I finish either one of my current stories.