chapter eighteen: a colder emperor
Arriving at the beach house is nothing less than a dream. The seven of them fall through the heavy wooden door with their luggage, laughing and shouting and claiming rooms. All arching windows and stone walls, the house isn't like anywhere Percy's ever stayed before. Him and Annabeth are last to claim somewhere to sleep, and all that's left is a double bed. "I can sleep on the floor, if you want," Percy offers. Though externally this might seem like a generous offer, Percy's just trying to save his damn heart from racing all weekend.
Annabeth rolls her eyes, dumping her stuff on the bed and kicking off her shoes in favour of sandals. "Don't be stupid. This works, right?"
"Right," Percy agrees, hating the blush that rises to the tips of his ears.
The kitchen's huge, and the wine cabinet is fully stocked. Thalia's eyes are wide as she opens it. "Do you think they realise none of us are twenty-one yet?"
Everyone's working to unload the groceries they arrived with. Head in the cupboard, Leo says, "Who cares? Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."
"He's right, you know," Reyna says. She's fiddling with the radio, turning the dial to different degrees of crackling static. At last, she finds the right station and music floods from its speaker.
"We're going to the beach today, right?" Piper asks.
Percy peers through the window. Evening's fallen. "I don't know. We arrived pretty late and it's already getting dark out. We could wait for morning?"
Annabeth perks up. "You're kidding. Night swims are the best!" The others chorus their agreement.
Percy raises his hands in surrender, smiling. "Alright, alright."
They all change into their swimmers, pulling loose clothes on over the top to wear down to the beach. It's only a two-minute walk; their beach house is right on the dunes. Though it's dark, warmth still lingers from the scorching day and a cool, pleasant breeze ripples across Percy's skin when they step outside. Leo and Piper are the first to run down the path, voices loud and excited, and Jason's close behind. Percy and Annabeth have to sprint to catch up, marram grass lashing their ankles.
Annabeth's plaited her hair into Dutch braids to keep it secure while she swims, but small curls keep popping out around her face as she runs. Turning to grin at Percy, she breathlessly shouts, "Race you into the water!" and breaks into a sprint.
Percy curses at being left in the dust, stumbling over himself in an effort to catch up. He pulls off his sandals as he hits the sand, almost neck-and-neck with Annabeth as they strip to their swimmers and crash into the high tide. They shriek as the cold foam washes over them, disarmingly brutal. Percy laughs as the pair of them submerge together, gasping and spluttering when they resurface. The water is dark as pitch yet dappled with slowly brightening starlight, and the rest of the beach is deserted save for Thalia and Reyna standing still clothed at the shoreline, shoulders close while they talk.
Out of nowhere, Annabeth splashes freezing water up into Percy's face. Grinning, he crashes after her, shouting, "You've sealed your fate!" Annabeth screams and laughs, swimming away as fast as she can. Leo and Piper join in the splashing-war, and soon Percy has to blink salt out of his eyes.
They're in the sea for what feels like hours, until Percy's skin turns numb and his hair stiffens with salt. Thalia eventually convinces Reyna to come in and the pair of them swim around each other like planets in orbit, laughing.
When they stumble out of the intrepid sea, Annabeth links her cold arm through Percy's and pulls him forward. "Come on, let's get dry!" she says through chattering teeth. Her cheeks are flushed pink, and she look like a streak of gold in the darkness. They huddle together under a towel, goosebumps scraping at their bare skin. "That was amazing," Annabeth breathes, gaze lingering on the path of silver light painted like ripples from the very edge of the horizon. After a moment, she turns away to look back at Percy. A look of awe is still reflected in her eyes. She nudges him. "Hey, it's gotta be after midnight now."
Catching her drift, Percy lets out a startled laugh. "You're officially fifteen."
She grins. "Think you can catch up?"
He elbows her. "Don't be daft—of course I'll catch up."
Leo and Piper are chasing Jason out of the ocean, and he bites out a curse when they shove him playfully onto the wet sand. He shoots out a leg and manages to trip them both, and soon they're a chaotic tangle of limbs. Annabeth slips out from under the towel and runs towards them, joining the pile-on with a loud thump. An unexpected wave surges over them, reducing the four of them to a spluttering, shrieking mess. Percy jogs over, smiling at the state they're in. "Help me up," Annabeth groans. Percy takes her hand, but only pulls her up halfway before releasing her hand with a smirk. She falls flat on her arse, sending sand flying. "Oh, you little—"
"Sorry, sorry. I'll help you up for real this time," he apologises, lifting her to her feet with a grin. She glares at him, but she's overcome by laughter a moment later.
It's nearly one 'o' clock when they make it back to the beach house, utterly worn-out. Reyna and Thalia disappear upstairs to their room, trading furtive kisses and tender glances. The rest of them change into comfortable clothes and stay up talking for a while on their beds.
Percy and Annabeth are the last ones left awake. Quilt pulled up to their chins, they talk quietly so as not to wake the others. Annabeth sleeps with her hair down, and her pillow's swathed with still-drying, messy curls. "I love it here," she admits to him. "Feels like we're years away from Virginia, but we haven't even left the border."
"I know," Percy says, fighting to stay awake. He smiles. "I love it here, too."
Annabeth adjusts her position, closing her eyes. "Night, Percy."
"Goodnight," he replies softly. He always falls asleep fast, but he knows it'll take Annabeth a long time.
The next morning, Percy wakes up close—too close—to Annabeth. He scrambles away on terrified instinct, managing to wake her up in the process. Woozily, she asks, "What's wrong?"
Percy's mouth is dry. He smiles. "Nothing." He pokes her. "Happy birthday, Annie."
After a lazy morning of sitting around and eating the questionable birthday pancakes Thalia throws together, they all head down to the beach. Bodyboards tucked under their arms, Percy, Leo and Jason are the first to brave the water. The girls stay on the shore for a while; Annabeth and Thalia play ping pong while Piper and Reyna sunbathe, bronzing their backs under the relentless sun.
The good weather holds out for most of the day, but it begins to cloud over while Percy and Annabeth are picking through the shoreline for shells. "I just checked the forecast—it looks like it's gonna rain," Jason yells to them from where he's sitting with Piper on the towels.
"How long have we got?" Percy shouts back.
Jason shrugs. "Half an hour? I doubt it'll be heavy."
The first drops of rain slip from the sky just as Percy finds a small, grey pearl. It's oval rather than round and imperfectly coloured—baroque. "What's that?" Annabeth asks, looking up from the variety of shells she's holding.
After a moment of hesitation, he holds it out to her. "Here."
She takes it, squinting down at it. As Percy watches her, he wonders if Annabeth might be long-sighted. "It's beautiful," she says.
She goes to hand it back, but Percy shakes his head. Carefully, he cups her hand around it. "You keep it," he tells her.
She smiles down at the pearl, running her thumb over its smooth surface. "Thanks." The rain is falling harder and faster now, catching like frozen teardrops on Annabeth's curls.
Percy looks up into the darkening sky, realising a storm is beginning to form above them. At the same moment, a gust of wind sweeps past them. "We should probably get back," Percy says. Annabeth nods as she shivers, cold in only a bikini top and shorts.
Together, they run back to the others who are frantically packing everything away. Jason grabs his body board, picking up his sandals with the other hand. "Let's go," Thalia calls, hoisting their beach bag over one shoulder and grabbing Reyna's hand.
Warm summer rain lashes Percy's shoulders, sticking his hair to his face in wet strands as they all sprint up the path. The storm has reached a dangerous impetus and follows them through the door in icy blasts as they crash through it, soaked to the skin and laughing.
After getting dry, the seven of them sit down on the living room floor to give Annabeth her gifts. Music plays from the radio, punctuated by the incessant patter of rain against the glass windows.
Piper gives Annabeth a worn copy of The Iliad, complete with her own annotations. The two of them have a tradition of giving each other their annotated favourites, and Percy thinks it's sweet. Leo's bought her a new notebook; from Jason, she receives a reel of colour film for her analog camera. Thalia and Reyna give her a Toblerone, which Annabeth starts eating right away. "This is an elite chocolate," she says, handing segments around to the others.
Percy goes last, handing Annabeth the owl charm in its tissue wrap. "For your necklace," he says quietly. She's got several other charms on there, now. One for each summer they've been friends. Annabeth gasps as she tears open the tissue, taking out the charm with a kind of reverence. It glints, its emerald eyes catching the light. She grins at Percy, throwing her arms around him. "I love it," she says fervently. "Thank you."
They play Monopoly all evening. Once Annabeth finally bankrupts Jason—her last competitor—Leo shows up with two bottles of wine from the cabinet and a tray of glasses. "We're dining in style tonight," he tells them, as if they weren't planning to eat their macaroni cheese while sitting on the carpet in front of the TV.
Piper sighs heavily. "Really?"
"What?" he says defensively. "We've gotta toast to Annabeth's birthday."
Of course, all of them end up having a few glasses. Though it's still raining hard outside, Jason and Annabeth head out onto the veranda under an umbrella. It's mostly for Jason's sake, who's been itching for a cigarette all afternoon. Percy notices that there's pain in Thalia's eyes whenever Jason smokes. It can't be easy for her, to see her little brother still so affected by a bad habit passed down from their mother.
It's late when Reyna gets out her tarot cards, spreading them out on the kitchen table. She's less drunk than the rest of them, which admittedly isn't saying much—apart from Percy. He's staying sober. "Dim the lights," she orders as Percy, Leo and Thalia each take a seat around the table. Percy gets up and does as she asks. Reyna carefully lights a candle, which flickers on their faces in the dark as it strengthens.
"Tell my future, babe," Thalia slurs, leaning against her.
Reyna rolls her eyes, but there's affection in her smile. "Tarot isn't always used to tell the future. I use it for decision-making."
"How does it work?" Percy asks.
She winks. "You'll see. Who wants to go first?"
Piper leans in as Reyna shuffles the cards, curious. "I will," she decides.
"Is there anything in particular you wanna find out?"
Piper hesitates for a moment before asking, "How can I build a career around music?"
Reyna holds the tarot deck out to Piper. "Shuffle them," she says.
"Why?"
"Some people say it charges the cards with your intent," Reyna responds.
"Oh." Piper shuffles them.
Reyna takes them back from her and closes her eyes for a moment, the tension surrounding them palpable. As they all watch her, Percy hardly dares to breathe. Reyna lays out three cards: the Ace of Wands, Judgement and Strength. She studies them for a moment, dark brows knotted. "Alright," she says. "The upright Ace of Wands suggests there's a call for your creative side, for your ambition."
"Makes sense," Piper murmurs.
"Judgement reversed tells me you'll need to work against your self-doubt," Reyna continues. "The fact it's paired with Strength reversed shows there's a continued theme of this doubt. Insecurity could be your worst enemy." She smiles at Piper. "You'll be fine. Just remember that you're strong enough, and your weaknesses are nothing compared to your creativity."
Piper nods slowly, eyes locked on the cards. "Okay." She exhales. "Wow. This is kinda cool."
"I don't know how much stock you should seriously put in this, Pipes," Leo snorts.
Reyna shrugs. "The cards can only help so much. You'll get out what you put in."
"Can I go next?" Thalia asks. Reyna hands her the cards. She shuffles them, then passes them back. Reyna watches her, quietly, as she thinks of what to ask. "Okay. How can I help Jason deal with his grief?" she asks. The question comes out matter-of-factly, which seems surprising to Percy. He supposes as she's older, Thalia's been more able to come to terms with losing their mom than Jason has.
Reyna pulls three cards just as she did before, laying them out. "The Five of Cups reversed," she says. "You've found acceptance, but he hasn't. The High Priestess tells me that there might be some repressed emotions between the two of you. And Temperance reversed…" She pauses. "You and Jason have lost your middle ground. It'll take patience to find it again."
"Fuck, you're so smart," Thalia mumbles. Reyna laughs. Thalia sits up, eyes wide. "Did I say that out loud?"
"Leo, you want a turn?" Reyna asks. He rolls his eyes, but Percy can tell he's curious.
With a nod, he asks, "How can I, uh…be stronger?" He shuffles the cards, and Reyna draws three. She stares at them for a few dragging seconds—longer than she took for any of the others. "Death reversed," she murmurs. "You're afraid of change. You need to stop holding on so hard to the past, to whoever you used to be. The Three of Swords suggests there's suffering in your life that's breaking you down, but…" She taps the final card. "This one, the Seven of Swords, tells me that you're searching for new purpose. Whenever you find it, or them, you'll be stronger."
Leo's shoulders shrink, but his jaw sets. "Alright," he responds. No one says anything, their attention focused on Reyna's cards. Her deck isn't the usual Rider-Waite; the illustrations are darker, somehow. More twisted.
"Percy? Would you like me to read your cards?"
He looks up at her, suddenly seized by fear. "Uh—no. No, that's okay," he says. Reyna's expression is scrutinising, but she nods.
Annabeth and Jason come in from the veranda. Their clothes are damp from the rain, but they're cold-faced and smiling. "Ooh, are those tarot cards?" Annabeth asks, hurrying over to the table.
As the evening wears on, the others get drunker and drunker. That familiar anxiety stirs in Percy at being around people who are drinking, even though he knows it's irrational. These people would never hurt him. Still, he seeks refuge outside on the veranda. The rain's lessened to barely a drizzle, and the clouds have parted to reveal the waning moon. Percy sighs, closing his eyes. A second later, though, the weight of a hand folds around his shoulder.
He flinches back, startled. "Hey, it's only me," Reyna says. "I came out to check if you're alright."
"Oh," he says.
Silence stretches out after that. Reyna cocks a brow. "So? Are you?"
Shaken out of his stupor, he replies, "Yeah. I just needed air."
"Mind if I join you?"
"Sure."
She leans on the wooden railing beside him, gazing out into the darkness. Without turning to him, she asks, "Can I ask how you got that bruise on your face?"
At that, Percy has to resist reaching up and touching it. He exhales. "In a fight."
Reyna doesn't respond for a moment. "My dad had PTSD," she tells him, out of nowhere. "He was a veteran who came home a hero. He'd done good things—bad things, too. As I got older, he slowly went mad. He was always losing sight of what was real and what wasn't, and would throw furniture at me and Hylla. Even hit us, sometimes."
"Why are you telling me this?" Percy asks, despite already knowing the answer.
Reyna turns to him, eyes darker than onyx. She jerks her chin at his face, at the purplish smudge on his cheek. "Because you remind me of it." She pauses. "I want you to know that if your situation is anything like what mine used to be like, you can tell me. Because I get it."
Percy's already shaking his head. "Well, it's not. You—you don't need to worry." He pauses, wishing he could just turn and run. "Seriously."
She nods, slow and careful. "Okay, then." Offering him a faint smile, she asks, "Sure you don't want me to read your cards?" Reaching into her pocket, she withdraws her tarot pack and lets the cards slip out easily into her grasp.
On instinct, Percy reaches forward and takes them. Their surfaces are silky-smooth, gliding easily under his fingers as he shuffles them. He passes them back to Reyna, almost afraid. "I don't know what to ask, though."
"That's fine. I'll just do a general read, then." She draws three cards, laying them out on the wooden railing. Percy studies them over her shoulder, trying to glean any kind of meaning from their strange illustrations. "The Seven of Pentacles and the Nine of Wands tell me that you're resilient, someone who works themselves to the bone to stay afloat. There's a last stand ahead of you, though, and these qualities might not be enough to get you through it."
"And what about that one?" he asks. "The Emperor."
"It's reversed," she says. "I think there's a tyrant in your life. Someone cold, someone immovable. You're helpless against them."
Percy feels his fists clench. He hates her words, hates that she's trying to find meaning in something so clearly false. "Seems pretty fake," he finds himself saying.
There's a strange, inscrutable emotion in the downward tilt of Reyna's mouth. "If you like," she says. "C'mon, let's go inside. The rain's starting up again."
this chapter makes me miss summer so much :') thalia and reyna are honestly the sweetest. quick disclaimer: I'm definitely not an expert on tarot, so suspend your disbelief. let me know what you thought—the next chapter will be up on sunday as usual.