A.N. - Hey people, back with another chapter.

Semester is done and hospital is less frequent now.

Chapters will start getting longer and I aim to update once a week again hopefully.

Hope you enjoy.

T.I.

Chapter XIII

In many ways, Percy missed the school's swimming pool. He missed the smell of chlorine that hit him in the face whenever he'd entered the building. He missed the tension of his body, muscles taut and ready to explode, diving headfirst into the clear water as soon as the coach blew the whistle. He missed the feeling of the water surrounding him, making him feel calm, blocking the outside world and leaving him completely alone for the brief time it took him to swim a lap forwards, then backwards. But as much as he missed the pool, Percy never thought it'd be the place where he died.

He was in the deepest part of the pool, and as Reyna ordered, he dove down until he was touching the slick ceramic floor, looking up at the lethargic ripples of water that hid and distorted the world above him, seeing a broken figure looking down upon him. It was going on for about three minutes already, and Percy was at his breaking point.

Sure, he saw himself as a better swimmer than most, and could hold his breath for quite a long while underwater, but what Reyna was asking him to do was scientifically impossible to humans. So of course she asked him to do it anyway. Feeling the burning in his lungs, he shot upwards, breaking the glassy ripples above him as he drank the oxygen in big gulps. How many more times must he do this until she was satisfied? He hoped that she would break on this one, his tenth attempt.

"Oh come on, Percy, you can do better than that." Reyna's voice still sounded a bit drowned as he floated in the pool, his head above the water.

"Why don't you come down here and give it a try? I could give you a pep talk after too." He challenged.

"Maybe I will," She started. "Right after you can push me into the pool with your powers. Try again." She couldn't be serious.

Percy swam to the edge of the pool and with a smooth pull of his arms hoisted himself upwards, then turned and sat on the edge near Reyna, his legs still in the calm water.

"This isn't working, Reyna. We tried multiple things already. And not only that, now my clothes are drenched as well." Percy let out a sigh as he looked at her.

"Your fault for not bringing swimming trunks, Neptunulus." Reyna came closer and crouched near him, bringing her knees to her chest as she leveled with Percy.

"Yeah, because I was sure I was going to get a refreshing swimming session out of the closed-for-a-while pool that you somehow managed to get the keys to. Maybe I should keep a gladius on me at all times in case you decided to use the opportunity of math class for a training session." Percy said only half joking as he looked at her.

"You really should, Percy, you never know when the enemy will attack, and for now it's my job to act as your enemy. For your benefit." Reyna looked at him, then towards the ceiling. Soft evening light entered through large glass windows around the building, and though she wasn't looking towards him, Percy knew Reyna meant what she said. Percy looked outside a large window, seeing the light outside slowly start to dim. He didn't manage to use whatever powers Reyna though he could, but he'll try again. For her sake and effort. It felt good seeing her hopeful, and smiling. He never realized how much time they spent in the pool already, and it was getting dark. Percy got up, his soaked clothes dripping on the building's floor. Reyna got up, her back to him.

"Come on, Reyna, it's getting dark. We should really—"

"You're really useless, you know that?" They words left her mouth, crisp and clear, and echoed within the building's walls, carried by the water.

What? Percy felt like she punched him in the gut with the back of a spear. No. It was more potent, like a stab wound. Like the time that monster got him in the leg. She turned towards him and the shock he was feeling doubled. Her usually neutral, sometimes kind and excited eyes held a hardness in them that he never saw in her before.

"What? Reyna what's going on?" His voice was quiet, almost he whisper. He could hear the drops falling from his soaked clothing hitting the floor at a steady rhythm, but the longer she stared at him, glared at him like that, the sound was muffled by the ever increasing pace of his heartbeat. Loud as a drum.

"I really thought, Percy, that you were better than this." Her voice raised slightly, and her glare made a shiver run down his spine. How does someone their age manage to acquire such a cold façade? And how come he was on the receiving end of one all of a sudden? He almost started to panic.

"Reyna are you okay? What happened?" Maybe he said something, did something, to make her so cold to him. But he couldn't come up with anything of the sort, and the ever increasing pace of his heart started to make his palms sweaty. He was nervous, and alert.

"No, Percy, I'm not okay." She said, coming closer to him, her hard eyes, dark as a raging tempest, never leaving his.

"Do you think this is some kind of joke? That I actually want to be here, telling you what to do and where to go?" Now her voice adjusted as well, voice rising at every word she said.

Percy couldn't utter a word. How come she was so aggressive? So suddenly? He tried to think about anything he might've done to cause this, but nothing came up. And the more he looked, the more desperate he became, new emotions were starting to surface in him. Why should he take this? This wasn't his decision to try and drown himself in the pool so he could maybe find out he could become a human fountain at will. Reyna had no right to come up to him with that. He didn't deserve it. It hurt, he thought, what she said hurt, but I still find her utterly fascinating, like a storm raging at a distance. And as the though passed, Percy got angry.

"Shut up!" He screamed. Both he and Reyna looked shocked at the volume in which the words came out of his mouth. He thought he saw Reyna's eyes retreat back to the mysterious black pools he knew from before, but it was gone in an instant. The tempest flourished, and now he meant to face it head on.

"Do you think I want you to order me around, carry me from place to place, force me to train, and beat me with weapons?" He started, his voice powerful and raw with emotion. His volume maintained, and he felt his throat strain as he yelled.

"Well I wouldn't have to do that if you were actually capable of doing anything by yourself would I?" The stoic and hard look on Reyna's face remained, but her voice now matched his as she yelled back, echoing in the room. He was surprised the shouts didn't bring and teacher or student or teacher to check what was happening. It really was late if everyone left school already.

Another stab. It hurt. He thought to himself again. Alone, in a situation out of a comic book or a fantasy television show, he really wasn't capable of doing anything alone. He didn't deny it, but hearing her say that hurt nonetheless.

"You think this is a game right? Some weird girl comes over to sweep you away into a magical kingdom or something. Wake up Percy. This is real. Do you get it?"

"Shut up." He wanted to shout. To scream at her with everything he had. But he couldn't. Not while she was telling him off like that. He was thinking about it. And somehow she knew it.

"Do you think you can keep being weak like you are right now? Do you think monstra won't come for you and kill you like they do all demi-gods? Do you think you're any different?" She kept on yelling, and Percy could tell she was sincere.

"Please…" His voice returned to a whisper.

"Do you honestly think I can smile more because you told me to? Do you even think I take anything you say seriously? How could anyone take you seriously when you're so pathetic?" She spat the last word.

Something in Percy broke as she finished her rant. Yes maybe he was weak, and maybe he couldn't stand a chance against a monster, and maybe he was pathetic. But how was she better than him? Who was she to say these things to him? Screw that. Percy thought. He looked up, and stared her dead in the eye. He felt his anger, his sadness, his disappointment, all well up inside him, and he finally let it all out.

"I'm done." He said, voice dripping with anger.

"What? Speak up I can't hear you?" She mocked.

"Goodbye." He retorted, his voice raised.

"What?" In the final moment, she finally looked puzzled, and her hard glare shifted to a pondered look.

A serpent-like mass of water his her square in the side before she could react. And for a split second Percy saw shock envelope her being and reflect in her eyes before she was tossed halfway across the building, tumbling and rolling with the impact over and over until she hit the far wall, her body lay still, and unmoving.

Percy stepped forward. The watery mass, originating from the pool, swirled and followed him, growing in size and speed as he walked towards Reyna's unmoving body.

Not so useless now, am I? He thought, the serpent coiling and looping around him, almost dancing as if alive. He took another step towards her. Not so pathetic now, am I? Steam started releasing from his body as his clothes, hair, and body started drying off. Another five steps and he was completely bone dry. Not so weak now, am I? The serpent was coiling ever higher, almost to the ceiling as he reached her.

"Can you hear me now, Reyna?" Percy now stood next to her. She looked beaten. She wasn't bleeding from anywhere as far as he could see, and she was still breathing. Now, laying there unconscious, she looked weak. And Pathetic. And peaceful. The thought came suddenly. Laying there, as if asleep, Percy saw he features relaxed. She was soaked with water, and her wet hair fell down her face, but he could still see how calm she seemed. And how beautiful.

What am I doing? All anger and frustration dissipated, along with the water serpent that blew away to all directions, causing a small rain shower to cover the interior. As water drops landed on Percy, they turned to steam on contact. Percy rushed to her, his hands holding her shoulders and his mind raced in a frantic manner, trying to remember the limited first-aid lessons the school made all students learn.

"Reyna, Reyna can you hear me?" His voice panicked, he tried to shake her shoulders once, twice, thrice, to no reaction. He brought his head closer to her nose and made sure she was breathing. It was steady, and he felt the pulse on her neck. She was just passed out.

"By the gods what have I done?" Percy asked himself. The sun was almost down, and the rest rays of sunlight gave way to darkness. In the harsh fluorescent light, Percy sat and thought how much he didn't want this. Any of it. He felt afraid, and tired. He didn't know how he did that, but it took a lot out of him, he felt drowsy and sick at the same time, and he thought he might pass out, he slumped to the floor beside Reyna feeling powerless.

The large window directly opposite of where he and Reyna sat blew into a fine dust as a large creature leapt from outside the building, hidden by the cover of dark right into the swimming pool. Percy, startled, looked up too quickly to find the source, and black dots started to dance around his vision.

On the other side of the pool he could see… Something. It wasn't like anything he'd seen before in his life. Like a large – very large – hound with scarlet fur and glowing green eyes. A dark black smoke rose from it, and Percy thought he saw the creature in a double vision, like in an old busted TV that showed to image twice. The hound locked eyes with him and growled. Percy felt another chill run down his spine, but this one wasn't one of shame, or shock.

This was the primal chill you got when you knew that your life was in very serious danger.