Chapter 21-

"So." Percy began, tilting her chair back slightly as she studied her two brothers. They watched her carefully, wondering what she was about to say. "What does happiness taste like?" she questioned, much to their surprise.

"Uh." Triton thought it best not to answer and just stared at her while this not so comical answer came from Theseus's mouth. "Happiness is more of a feeling, Persephone."

"No, Theseus." She tilted her chair forward and leaned her elbows on the table, rolling her eyes. "Happiness tastes like warm, blue chocolate chip cookies. They're just out of the oven and fresh and brilliant." Her green eyes where brighter than normal as Theseus raised his eyebrows at her, officially confused.

"Blue cookies?" He questioned. Triton looked mystified, shaking his head slowly as he tried to comprehend his sister.

"What color is pain?" Percy questioned, turning to Triton with a serious expression on her face. Tilting back quickly, she gained a surprised look as the chair tipped past its balancing spot and she hit the ground with a dull thud.

"I don't know, but I feel you do." Triton stood up and walked slowly over to her. Kneeling above her head as she scrunched her eyes, grimacing.

"Yeah." She frowned in concentration "It's red and black swirling in tornado like velocity." She opened her eyes to smile weakly at him. "Can we go do something?" she questioned. Triton smiled, pushing his fingers under the top of the chair and sitting it back upright. Theseus watched her from his spot at the table with an amused look upon his face.

"Let's go find father." Percy stood slowly as Triton said this and Theseus watched her with studious eyes. Triton turned to look at her questioningly and she nodded.

"Sounds good." They walked slowly out of the temple, Percy skipped down the steps, twirling around her brothers as they grinned at her.

"Are you always going to be like this?" Triton questioned, eyes bright with happiness. It was good to see after so many weeks of them being dark with worry.

"Like what?" she questioned, pausing to look at him questioningly while Theseus snorted.

"Guess that's my answer." Triton shrugged and she went back to dancing in circles around them as they made their peaceful journey to the gigantic throne room.

Xxx

"What are you doing?" Triton sat at the base of the large railing. It was more of a tall bench and Percy lay on it, soaking in the sun that shone directly upon it.

"Sunbathing." She opened and eye to squint at him "Why?" He sat beside her feet, leaning against a pillar, watching as Theseus talked with Achilles, who they had met halfway to the palace.

"No reason." He sighed and twiddled with her shoelaces, watching the sky for a moment. "Do you ever get tired?" he questioned, looking back down at her.

"Of what?" she questioned stretching her arms above her head. She was barely paying attention, instead paying attention to her aura, which she was having trouble controlling.

"Nothing." He shrugged as she sat up slightly, resting back on her lower arms and watching him with confused eyes.

"I don't know," she titled her head back up at the sky and smiled slightly "I hate losing friends, never knowing what'll be my last fight." She lay back down, kicking her feet up into his lap. "But I love my life. I love spending time with Blackjack, practicing and perfecting my swordsmanship, being with friends." She sat back up and watched him for a moment. "I love spending time with you guys too." She said quietly, looking over and Theseus before turning back to him.

"Really? You don't miss the people you grew up with?" he questioned. She shrugged and lay back down.

"Sometimes, but up here is different. It's like that moment in a dance where you forget everything and just go with the flow, the energy." She grinned, shaking her head at herself.

"You dance?" Triton questioned, drumming his fingers against her shoe. Percy shrugged, not really knowing how to reply.

"Sometimes. I like the feeling of freedom you get from it." She shrugged again "I love how swordsmanship is exactly the same way. It's a fluid dance of time and energy, grace and beauty and vigor." She sighed and looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Do you think you could dance instead of fight?" he questioned, not knowing the answer she'd give him, but hoping she'd tall him the truth.

"Yeah." She spoke with clarity and pulled the pen out of her pocket. It glowed in the sunlight and she smiled softly at it, almost lovingly. "Sword fighting is, well, it's fighting. Dance, it's almost as if an agreement to be beautiful for once. To be wild and free. I can express myself." She grinned, going back to sunbathing as they fell into a comfortable silence.

"When do you think you'll crash?" Triton questioned. Percy frowned and air hissed through her teeth.

"I don't know." She whispered, before grinning at him "But I love the high!" the pen twirled in her fingers again and he noticed how inclined she was to pull the thing out. It was a part of her. A part of her dance, he realized.

Xxx

"Percy?" It was several hours later and Theseus was sitting below Percy's head in the shade, twiddling his thumbs as Percy napped and Triton stared at the sky thoughtfully. Percy sat up so quickly, she caused Triton to jump up in surprise.

"Hey dad!" she exclaimed quietly. He looked at her with a frown of surprise before turning to Apollo.

"You didn't tell me she was awake!" he exclaimed, Apollo bit his lip nervously and Percy covered for him, feeling bad.

"Dad, I knew you'd be busy today so I just had Triton come pick me up." She blinked several times and Theseus stood up quickly, watching her. "Woah." She stumbled forward and he caught her as she fell forward.

"Persephone!" Poseidon was ignored as Theseus held her for a moment as she breathed slowly.

"I'm good." She stood back up, using Theseus as a brace for a moment. He frowned at her and Triton watched, intrigued.

"You need to crash." Achilles came up behind them and glared at her. She glared back with intensity that surprised him "Or not." He mumbled, turning around and trotting back to down the steps.

"I do not crash." She replied indignantly, watching him go with a sort of controlled rage written across her face. Triton watched her with raised eyebrows while the gods behind her stood with mixed, perplexed reactions.

"What?" Poseidon shook his head, deciding not to ask as Percy began to stomp down the steps after Achilles. Theseus rolled his eyes at her and turned back to his father.

"Percy is running on adrenaline right now. For her to actually be normal again, she'd have to pass out and sleep for about twenty hours straight." He made a face "It's never fun crashing." Theseus rolled his eyes as he turned and followed his sister down the steps, quietly.

"Wait," Poseidon turned to Triton "What?" Triton studied the ground for a moment, but was saved by a voice from somewhere behind him. Luke dropped down from atop the roof of the palace, landing lightly on the balls of his feet.

"Percy is so stubborn." He glanced down the stairs at his girlfriend's quickly disappearing form "Her heart has an argument with her mind every time it wants to beat." He bit his lip and shook his head, clearing thoughts from his mind and turning to his dad, ignoring the weird stares he was getting. "I need to talk to you." Hermes followed him back inside to talk while Triton followed him with his gaze.

"Two questions," he paused "One, where did he come from and two, what did he just say?" Surprisingly, it was Artemis who answered. She grinned slightly at her younger cousin.

"I think that's something you'll have to ask Persephone about." With that, she flashed away.

"Great!" Triton exclaimed, fake happiness coating the worry in his eyes. Poseidon gave him a short glare.

"Be nice." He chided gently, gesturing for them to start walking down the steps. The rest of the gods either trotted down the steps or flashed away.