Chapter 12: Just For Tonight
Thalia
Waking up, there was nothing around but the coldness of the mattress. Reaching out, I searched desperately for his warmth, but he was gone already. It was the same routine every morning, and on days when I felt the loneliest, I wished for nothing more than to wake up with him holding my hand and I would meet his eyes looking warmly at me.
Ah! I was dreaming about that again…
My memories of those days, the times when I felt the most vulnerable… No matter how uncomfortable it made me feel, I still felt grateful for everything he did for me.
No fifteen years old wouldn't be if all they'd known was a life of crime to survive the streets and the inevitability of homelessness, facing true despair to fend for themselves knowing full well that they might never live to see the next day.
To this day, I never understood why he did that for me, but at that time, he was my savior, my hero who took me away with a white horse and gave me another chance to hope.
His name was Luke Castellan.
Back then, I met him when I was at my wit's end. I thought that was it. In the middle of nowhere, thirsty and starving from yet another long and painful journey, holding Jason's hand while we trudged across a never-ending road barely lit, it was Luke who pulled up next to us with a pick-up truck and offered me a place to stay.
I thought nothing of his intention back then. All I wanted was to keep Jason safe and alive, hence I never question why he would want to help us.
Bringing us to a quiet town and giving us an inn to keep a roof over our head, he kept us fed and clothed for seemingly nothing in return. It was only a few days after we stayed together that I learned he was also running away from home, but because his parents were rich, they never cut him off from their wealth.
He told me he was struggling with his relationship with them, and how he would always get in trouble for the tiniest thing he did. Even back then, I could tell he was angry about a lot of things.
But I was grateful. After all, he saved me and my brother from living a life I never wanted.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into mouths. In the blink of an eye, I've spent more than half a year living inside that little inn. I've come know peace. I was hopeful. I started to think we were like a small little family, that as long as I was with him, everything would turn out fine.
Of course, that's when the reasonings for his kindness were finally becoming clear, and eventually, I learned what his true intentions were from the beginning.
My heart never hesitated.
After all, I was convinced that I was falling in love with him, and as long as he kept me and my brother safe, I didn't mind giving myself up. He gave me something more precious. He made me feel safe as long as I was by his side.
I should have known better…
In hindsight, nothing was ever as perfect as you wanted them to be, or rather, that luxury wasn't ever afforded to me, I know that now more than ever.
-Line Break-
A drop of rain fell down my forehead. I felt another drop, then another, and more and more tiny droplets splashed down and rolled down my cheeks.
Is it raining?
Whatever it might be, I could tell someone was shielding me from the unrelenting waves crashing around us, the gale-like wind blew from all directions yet the warmth of his body made me feel safe, that maybe if I let him carry me in his arms, I would be forever at peace.
"I am starting to think you like being spoiled, Thals."
His voice was as sweet as angels. I felt myself reaching out and grasping his shirt soaked to its limit, the warmth of him never fading from my touch was a welcoming surprise.
"Man! I am going to expect more than just a favor from you when this is all over."
His movements were slow and careful, each step forward seemed to be as strenuous as running a full marathon and back. Why was he carrying me in the first place? Where were they going?
"Mmm…"
Ignoring all those questions, I smiled and nudged myself into his warm body. He felt firm like I could rely on him when times were toughest, but there was also a soft side to him, it felt like I won't ever get hurt being in his soft embrace.
I smiled more and pulled myself closer.
"Wait a minute…" He stopped for a moment, "Don't tell me… You are already awake?"
I didn't want to be. This was peaceful and calm. I wanted to keep this feeling for as long as possible. I smiled into his chest.
"Oy! Don't play around with me, Thalia! You know I've been working my ass off carrying you in the middle of a thunderstorm, right?"
His voice was urgent and filled with disbelief. I knew what it was now, yet I couldn't help it. My body reacted on its own. Suddenly…
"Owww!"
He pinched my cheeks and pull them as roughly as he could, no mercy was given.
"I knew it!" Percy exclaimed, "You are awake!"
If I wasn't already, that certain snapped me out of my dream-like state. Memories of what happened surged through my head as I finally recalled what happened to us.
"Fine! I know I am awake!" I opened my eyes and met his sea green ones. Every word that I tried to speak sounded distorted as my cheeks ballooned by his pinching fingers, "Oww! C-Can y…you stop-pp pulling-ng m-my-yy c…cheeks n-now, P-Per…P-Percy?"
A seventy percent sadistic and thirty percent hopelessness smirk went across his lips as he stared at me with scrunched eyebrows and a frown worthy of display, "You are unforgivable. I can't believe you were awake this whole time and making me carry you."
"I was not! I just woke up!"
"Uh-huh…"
"What's with that look?" I pouted and felt myself blush, "Anyway, what the hell happened?"
Percy sighed and wobbled as he took another step, "How about I tell you when we are out of the storm first? I… I don't think I can—"
"Percy…?"
At that very moment, he collapsed on his keens while still holding me in his arms. I almost screamed, not from the abrupt drop, but because he was not looking good, "Are you okay?!"
Percy wiggled his brows and chuckled even in this horrible state, "Don't know if this counts as okay or not, but I am exhausted, so… can you walk?"
Letting me down, I sat with my legs bent to the left side, the damp forest floor soaking my already wet skirt beyond saving, but I slowly got up anyway and kneeled on the heels of my feet. The area around us was filled with moss and dead leaves. My bare legs and knees didn't hurt one bit even if I scraped against the rough surface.
"Yeah, I think so…" I admit as I got up pretty easily, though my left arm wasn't in such a good state as I thought. It barely responded when I tried to move it. I didn't know what was wrong with it, but the pain I felt was immense, like shards of fiberglass were cutting every vein open.
"Don't move it." Percy narrowed his gaze, "I couldn't stop the explosive fragments from hitting you, so you shouldn't force it. I'll take care of it when we get somewhere safe-ee…"
He paused, and before I could realize what was happening, he collapsed on his hands and suddenly cough up a fair amount of blood.
"Percy!"
I steadied him with my right hand on his shoulder, but even so, he tried to reassure me with a nod, "We should get out of this storm first. Let's try to find someplace to stay for the night."
I couldn't agree more.
The trek toward a suburban town was directly on our right side, the place where Percy was heading since he start carrying me. Now, we were holding onto each other for support as Percy gave me his vague recollection of where we are heading.
"Percy… you are really hurt." I reminded him, "What did you do?"
He shook his head. I wasn't sure if he was too mentally exhausted to reply or if there was something he didn't want to say. Either way, I managed to bring us to the edge of the forest we were in and stumbled upon a large open area. It was a school's track and outdoor field. We were now on the outskirt of this small suburban town.
I suddenly had an idea.
"Let's go, Percy."
By this point, Percy was barely limping along with me. I knew I need to hurry before he didn't have the strength to stand upright anymore.
As far as I was concerned, a school meant there was a nurse's office, which subsequently meant supplies for treating the wounded. This was perfect.
While I hadn't done any breaking and entering since those days, this wasn't the time to think about it. I needed those supplies if we were going to get out of this alive and without losing a few limps. I'd just have to apologize some other time.
Trekking across the open field, I spotted an entrance leading to the back of the main campus building. I released a dagger and broke the window with ease, then I reached around for the lock and stumbled inside, dragging a half-conscious Percy along. The school now offered us a temporary shelter from the rain that had done its fair share of damage to our clothes and our bodies.
As one would expect, I sneezed immediately and shivered.
"You are going to catch a cold, Thals." Percy jokingly chuckled.
I shook my head and smiled, "And whose fault would that be?"
I kept my right arm around him as we paced to search for the nurse's office. From the looks of it, this was a huge facility for high school students. If my intuition was correct, then it must be like Goode where our destination would be located next to the admission office as well.
I helped Percy along as we made our way toward the front. The result was a straight path toward the nurse's office without getting lost once.
"How did you know?" Percy asked as I broke another window to the office and unlock the door.
"Just a hunch," I helped Percy to the bed and lay him on top of it. Without a curtain of rain blocking my eyes, I could see the wounds Percy suffered much clear. It was just as bad as Jason's bullet wound.
"You are really hurt, you idiot…"
"And whose fault would that be?"
I shook my head and smiled back.
At once, I grabbed all the medical supplies I needed from the drawers and brought them with me to the bed. I needed to get to treating Percy as soon as possible, especially the piece of metal scrape stuck in his lower back. At the very least, I could prevent an infection if I managed to seal the wound up.
A deep sigh left me as I released a vial of healing nectar and unpacked a few pieces of gauze from the box. I looked back at Percy who shared a painful groan with me, "Just do it. I am ready."
This time, an uneasy sigh left my lips. I wasn't looking forward to what comes next, "Sorry, but this is going to hurt…"
Percy nodded regardless.
…
…
The last ten minutes had been a long and difficult process.
Now Percy was out cold, but the wounds over his body were at least much better than in his previous state. I might have patched them up with healing nectar and let him drink the rest, but it wouldn't beat the treatment he would have gotten if we were back at the estate with our many maids who were more suitable for a job like this.
Illya would have jumped at the chance to help Percy too.
And for just a moment, I let myself think about Jason, Piper, and most importantly, how Annabeth must be feeling right now. I wouldn't be surprised if she was pulling her hair out trying hard to find us.
"I am sorry, princess."
A tough wince escaped my lips as I bit them down to suppress my painful whimpers. There was no other way. I could now feel a lot of fragments stuck in my left arm. To leave it alone would do me no good, yet I couldn't exactly pick them out one by one either.
That's why…
"Ughhh!"
I hung my head and chew hard on a piece of clothing to hide the pain searing through my body. One by one, I managed to force out pieces of the fragments as they slowly ballooned out from the inner muscles of my left arm, cutting through my skin, and finally falling to the floor with small vibrant clinks.
After all these years, the countless close calls I had in the past, this was a spell I'd still never gotten used to no matter how many times I've done it already.
And only after I'd gotten rid of all the shards did I sigh a heavy breath of pure relief.
Luckily, I still have an extra vial left. I gulped down half of it and patched myself up with the other half. It worked as well as it should, but not fully heal.
"Sigh…"
It was all I could do as I leaned back on the chair and relaxed. There wasn't any more healing nectar in my inventory, but at the very least, our wounds were better and they wouldn't cause any major damage down the line.
My eyes drew themselves toward Percy on the bed calming breathing in and out and resting.
I found myself smiling unconsciously, "Stay here, Percy. I'll be back."
Working through the slight discomfort and physical exhaustion, I left the medical room and went to the admission office as well. Once inside, I grab as much cash as I could find. This would come in handy.
Despite it passing midnight, I hoped there would be someplace where we could stay the night, though I worried nonetheless. After all, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea for either of us, at least, I was worried some repressed memories would come back and haunt me.
I wouldn't want Percy to see that, to see those vulnerable sides of me.
Regardless, I picked my head up and went back to the medical office with haste, but no sooner did I open the door, a sword almost pierced my throat. I flinched and looked at a pair of sea-green eyes wide in alarm and surprise.
His warning blade against my throat faltered as soon as he saw me coming in.
"Geez!" He relaxed and sighed long and hard, "Don't fucking scare me like that again."
Already awake and moving, his alertness eased, though I unknowingly pout at him as he put his sword back in storage.
"You gave me a fright of a lifetime, Thals. Thank goodness, and please disappear out of nowhere all of a sudden. I was worried."
I grinned back, "I can take care of myself, Percy. You should worry more about yourself." I gestured at his bandage-up mid-section where I tried my best to keep the huge wound in his lower back from opening back up.
He touched the bandages around his waist and blinked in surprise as he looked down at himself.
"Did you take off my shirt?"
I shrugged, but from somewhere inside me, my heart thumped a bit, "Don't flatter yourself. I am not interested. Plus, your girlfriend is going to kill me if she knows what I did, so not a word."
Percy could only hum in response with a bit of awkwardness.
I ignored his nervous chuckles and walked toward the bed, throwing his shirt back at him along with his school jacket, "Here. Hurry up and get dressed. We are leaving."
"Huh? Where are we going? You know there's a storm out there, right?"
I turned away and whispered, "I am wet and sticky. I want a bath."
Then a moment of silence enveloped us, and soon enough, a somewhat embarrassed Percy mumbled something out of my hearing range and looked away too while brushing his wet messy onyx hair over his eyes.
I peeked a glance at him and blushed quite red after that.
…..
"What are you doing?"
It was after I successfully lock pick a mid-size SUV on a suburban street that I took the driver seat and leaned down to unplug the wires I needed underneath the steering wheel.
"Trying to hot-wire the car…" I said nonchalantly.
"Huh," Percy mused, "You can do that?"
Of course he wouldn't know. I've never even told Annabeth about my past. The only person who would know everything was Lady Athena, and as much as I wanted to forget what happened with one more person who knew about my past life, the fact that I shared the better part of my childhood with him wasn't something that could easily be erased.
I ignored his question, "Get in, we are going to find an inn or something to stay for tonight."
Standing like a dumb idiot next to the car, Percy sighed reluctantly and walked around to the shotgun seat. Luckily, we both find a long coat in the school's maintenance closet to shield us from the seemingly never-ending rain storm, and it protected us from soaking even more.
Percy took off his long poncho and set it in the backseat, "You are starting to amaze me a bit, Thals."
I blew out a breath of air, an ephemeral mist escaped between my lips as I tapped the wires together and twisted it around to give the ignition a jump-start.
"It's nothing. Plus, I did have a life before I became a Half-Blood, Percy."
It was only after the words left my mouth did I regret what I'd inadvertently told him. I promised myself before that no one else needed to know about that part of me, the shameful and despicable things I did to survive with my little brother who was too young to fend for himself.
"Oh." Percy stayed quiet.
I found myself stammering, "I mean… D-Don't worry about it! It's nothing that concerns you."
I wasn't sure what the next appropriate response would be, but I doubt he wanted to say anything after my involuntary reaction.
Thud-dd… Thud-ddd… Thuddd!
Trying to forget about it, I sparked the last two wires together and the engines immediately rumbled to life. The car started on its own as the dashboard and entertainment systems lit up accordingly. The headlights shone on the streets before us, though the heavy curtain and darkest of the night blocked out a lot of visibility, not having street lights at every corner made it even more challenging.
"There… we should be good." I nodded and took a look around, "Yeah, the tank is almost full too. We'll have enough to spare and make it back to the estate tomorrow morning."
Percy nodded, "So, how do we find a place to stay?"
I leaned back up and put my poncho away too, "They must have a navigation system built into this car since it's so new, let's see if we can search one up."
Percy did as I was told, "Yeah, we have one not too far away."
I nodded, then switched gears as we pull away from the sidewalk and into the road. It was a blessing that they were wide and plenty open given the hours we were driving.
"Man! I guess he overdid it a bit, didn't he?" Percy sighed as he looked at the windshield wipers making a back and forth motion every other second.
"Not to alarm you, but Lord Poseidon doesn't get to control the skies." I explained, "That's my father's domain, though I suspect this freakish storm was caused at the ocean first, then coming inland to help us with the fight."
"Still…" Percy put his elbow on the window hilt and leaned his chin on his hand, "He could have saved himself a bit of trouble on the rain part, right?"
I opened my mouth, but I found myself stopping halfway as I pursed my lips. It was the first time I've heard Percy openly talk about his Godly father in any way whatsoever.
"Percy… How much did you remember about your father?"
"Huh?" Percy pulled his eyes from the windows being hammered with a waterfall of rain, then he shrugged, "Well, I guess don't really remember much. To be honest, I don't even remember what he looked like. I was like four years old when he left, so I don't have that much recollection. Plus, he was never around, so I didn't get to spend much time with him."
I bit my lips.
"Aren't you sad?" My question came out as a whisper while my eyes were laser-focused on the pitch-black road in front of us. I was only driving under fifteen miles per hour to avoid going too fast and slipping, and after a bit of composure, my mouth opened again, "I mean, not being able to see him anymore after…"
But I couldn't finish…
It was a bit too quiet now.
"..." Holding a breath I couldn't let go, my only consolation was the feelings of my feet on the pedal and my hands on the steering wheel.
I thought maybe somehow I crossed a line, but instead, Percy's reply was so casual it was beyond unexpected…
It threw me off guard.
"I don't know. To be honest… maybe I do wish I could see him again, but then there isn't a point to wishing something like that." He looked out the windshield and blankets worth of waterfall the wipers were having trouble keeping up with.
"After all, I still have a father who loved me in his own way. Even if he's not my real father, I still have his love and support when I grew up. That's why I think it's okay if he has to leave. He must have his reasons, just like I have my reasons why I don't want to hold a grudge at him."
My fingers fidgeted on the wheel and my knees were rocking back and forth. Why was I getting so anxious? What's happening to me?
"Aren't you?"
I almost slammed on the breaks, "Me?"
"Yeah, aren't you sad that you'll never get to see your father again?" Percy asked, "I mean, being the King of Gods, I am assuming he'd..."
"Percy!" The car skidded to an abrupt stop in a very dangerous fashion. I couldn't bear to look at him as I clenched the wheel with both hands on top, "I… I am sorry. I just— I don't want to talk about my father."
Percy was quiet for a long moment.
"..." I bit my lips.
Then suddenly, I felt his hand on top of my right hand and I was forced to look at him, my eyes blinked again and again, I was somewhat between total shock and on the verge of bawling out in a mess, "I don't mind at all, Thalia. I'll be here whenever you want to talk about it, so it's okay…"
I didn't remember what happened afterward as Percy let go of me, "Now how about we get some rest tonight before heading back? I thought you wanted a bath, didn't you?"
His gentle and sideways smirk paused all my thoughts and put me in stasis, yet my feet unwittingly ease off the breaks.
…..
"Are you couple on the lam or something?"
The lady behind the counter gave us long studying looks, the type that's filled with overcritical skepticism but clearly she wasn't about to reject having more money in her pocket.
Not that I cared whatsoever. However…
"We are not a couple!" I almost screamed, "Just a room for tonight, please. Here is the cash, should be more than enough, right?"
Slapping down a stack of money I borrowed from the school, she sighed long and hard before reaching underneath for a key, "The room at the end of the second-floor corridor is empty. Down that way."
"Thank you." I took it without hesitation and walked off.
Percy followed closely behind me as we climbed a flight of stairs to the second-floor balcony. I could tell he was smirking a bit from the small glances I took, "What? You've got something to say?"
Percy threw his hands up, "Hey! No need to get mad at me…"
"Hmm!" I led the way as we were nearing our room.
Apparently, this motel wasn't one of those cheap ones you'd find on the far side of any small town. It was a whole complex across its many acres filled with gardens all around and fancy-looking buildings all for rent. It felt almost like a gated community, except for its luxury five-star hotel vibe.
"Just so you know, I planned to give it all back."
"Hey! I am not judging… It's just— you are strangely adapted to this, that's all." Percy said as a frown found its way to my face despite not wanting to give him a reaction.
"I— I've had practice…" I grumbled.
His smirking and carefree attitude quickly shifted to a more serious one. I paid it no mind as he bit his lips and didn't say anything to my relief.
Finally, we've found our room. I juggled the keys in, then turned it to unlock the door to our shared room for tonight. Even now, I couldn't help but feel off about this arrangement. After all, I wasn't his... and well, Percy was a boy who would ultimately be sleeping in the same room as me, plus the whole complication with Annabeth since she was his girlfriend…
I was sure to get some kind of suspicious gaze from the princess if and when this secret between us broke out. Well, I'd certainly take this to the grave, and hopefully, Percy wouldn't say anything either.
"Well, I guess ladies first?"
"Huh?" My eyes narrowed with contempt on their own.
"Uhh… the bath? You said you want to take one, didn't you?"
He whistled and walked away, disregarding my looks dripping with mocking sarcasm. Still, he was right about that. I was in desperate need of a warm bath to relax. I was sure he'd like a shower or something too. We were both too wet and in such a sticky mess that sleeping like this would automatically turn us into slobs.
"I am going first then…" I walked in after him and lock the doors.
Meanwhile, Percy took off his rain-proof poncho and set it next to the heater. I watched as it dripped endlessly, the way water drops fell one after another constantly.
Then a light bulb abruptly exploded in my head.
"Wait a minute… What are we going to do about our c-clothes?"
Percy turned around and looked at me.
"Ah? Our c…clothes? Oh wait…"
Stumbling upon this unpleasant revelation, we took turns looking at each other as our bodies froze in stasis. Percy blinked wide and stammered like he usually did when he was nervous.
"I- I mean, they must have some kind of bathrobe, right?"
"I am not going to sleep in just a bathrobe, Percy!"
His hands were already up and surrendered, "Right! Of course! It's just a suggestion…"
I huffed in response.
While I was familiar with his personality well enough to know he wouldn't try anything funny; he loved Annabeth, plus I bet his girlfriend would kill him… or rather, both of us, if she so much as found out I spent a night with Percy in the same room...
~~~Ahhh~ I am so not looking forward to having this conversation with Annabeth. There was nothing I could do besides sighing despondently for my imminent future.
And like how Annabeth would act all pouty and angry at Percy when the things he said were sometimes taken out of context, I almost wanted to scream pervert at him too.
However, I couldn't come up with any better plan; that's if they even have two spare bathrobes prepared and ready. I could only feel my face heating up like never before, "I— I… can't…"
Percy brushed his hair over his eyes, "Look, I think I've got an idea, but I don't know if you'll like it."
I waited for his suggestion with high hopes that it wasn't a stupid one.
"…."
I waited seconds, then minutes, what eventually felt like hours, and yet my patience was rewarded with complete silence from the opposite side of the room.
"Gosh! Spit it out already!"
Percy flinched when I snapped, "Okay… Geez, I was waiting for your go-ahead…"
He composed himself, "Ahem… Anyway, go inside the bathroom and… you know, your clothes… leave them on the floor in front of the door while you hide behind the curtains or something."
"Huah?" I didn't get his plan whatsoever. Moreover, he was telling me to leave my clothes on the floor for him to... "Oh my Gosh! Please tell me you are not one of those weird perverts who like to snoop around with another girl's clothes."
His eyes widened with a shocking alarm.
"Hey! I don't have any intentions like that!" Percy defended himself as if he was on the verge of a guilty verdict with the death penalty as his punishment, "I was just going to try and dry them since I can control my element now, that's all!"
Taken back, now I realized his idea was actually a pretty good one.
"Fine, but you better not be messing around with my clothes, Percy." I teased him with a sly smile and went inside, "I'll tell Annabeth if I even think for a second that you did something to them."
Once inside, I was mildly disappointed as there was nothing fancy here, unlike the bathrooms in the mansion. Still, I had plenty more than enough to have a nice relaxing bath to myself.
Then Percy laughed nervously back at me, "Please don't joke around like that… You know Annabeth would kill me if I did so much as touch them with impure intention."
"But you are a guy, aren't you?"
Percy blushed so hard he hid his face from me, "Yeah, a guy who has a short-fused girlfriend. I rather not do anything to provoke her anymore after tonight-tt… Ahem— Anyway! Go and hurry up! I need a shower too, you know?"
"Alright, alright…" Before closing the door, I grinned back at him, "If you are seriously not going to do anything, then why are you blushing so much?"
Mouth went agape, I didn't give him time to reply and shut the door on him. The snickers that left my lips were suppressed, only wheezes like a water pot reaching boiling temperature were heard.
Oh no… what am I doing? I shouldn't be…
"You know I can hear you laughing in there, right Thals?" He sighed long and hard at the subtle reactions leaving me and finally groaned, "Damn it all to hell…"
I heard him walking away, his footsteps pulling away from the bathroom. When he was gone, a heavy sigh left me as well.
Forehead against the door, I knew it wasn't right. Yet, I couldn't help but wanted it nonetheless. The closeness that I was denied my whole life… that sweet and fuzzy warmth of sharing your deepest and darkest vulnerabilities to someone you trust...
"You are quite impossible, Percy," I whispered, a smile automatically crept across my lips
That's why Annabeth had fallen so hard for you. Your presence gives people hope. You just don't realize it, but back there, even now… you've given me a little hope too.
Though I shook my head at those thoughts.
But no... I can't. I can't do this to my best friend no matter how much I wanted to. Don't let yourself fall down this pit, at least not tonight…
Like Percy asked, I stripped out of my Goode uniform and placed all my clothes in front of the door; of course, underwear included but I certainly made a conscious effort to hide it with my white blouse and jacket.
Then I filled the tub and squirted a good amount of soap in there to make a bubble bath. Just how long since I had a proper time to relax like this? My memories couldn't even recall the last time I was alone by myself, safe and protected, and feeling like reality around me was nothing but ease and peacefulness.
~ahh~~
I never thought sinking could feel so good. It was pure bliss.
…..
…..
The door slid open as my eyes peeked out from behind the empty gap.
"Percy?"
I slowly poked my head out. Embarrassingly, I've fallen asleep after a mere ten minutes of soaking up the bath. I didn't even know how long I'd been inside. My clothes at the door were gone when I finally step out so I assumed Percy must have taken them to 'dry' while I was sleeping.
"You better not have done anything while I was asleep…" I mumbled to myself as I poked out further.
It was clear now that no one was in the room. Somehow, Percy was gone.
And yet, I was hesitant to step out with just a bath towel around me. First of all, it was embarrassing for every single girl who has lived in this world. Secondly, I wasn't prepared to face Annabeth if I did something that bold and Percy accidentally saw me.
"Percy?"
No one answered. It was then I realized the sound of heavy rain stopped outside. I looked beyond the window, a dark figure seemed to be leaning behind the sheer curtains.
"Okay," I composed myself and took a half-apprehensive, half-confident step out to the living room.
Of course, the first thing I went to check was my drenched clothes. As expected, I felt grateful more than I was surprised that they were all dry. Sure, they were not cleanly washed, but it would have to do for tonight.
I bit my lips as I quickly put my underwear back on. At last, I sighed a breath of relief.
Guess I'll have to thank him for drying my clothes…
Then I glanced at the clock on the wall. It read two thirty in the morning, a mere four hours or more until the sun would rise again on the horizon. It was barely enough time for a proper rest.
I turned to look through the window again.
His figure was leaning against the railing of the balcony and looking out aimlessly. I wasn't sure what he was doing either, but I knew there were only two choices for me. I could either go to sleep like I should be doing, or I can let him know I was done with the bath and let him get washed up too.
Deciding on the latter, I walked out the door after being fully clothed and was met with Percy holding his right hand up and talking to…
"— be safe, w-wise g-girl…?" His calm voice trailed off as he turned around and met my gaze.
I blinked, "Oh."
The bracelet on his right hand flashed a blue hue. I heard a familiar voice behind the background before she paused too.
"Wait, is that Annabeth?" Shocked, I couldn't believe it, "When did you get them working again?!"
Then a sudden ear-piercing scream would have woken all the neighbors up if Percy didn't wrap his hand around his wrist at the same time.
"Don't scream like that, wise girl!" Percy almost shouted too.
Annabeth squealed a bit quieter, "Ah I am sorry, but let me talk to Thalia, Percy!"
Likewise, I snatched his bracelet with urgency and almost took his wrist with me. Percy didn't hesitate to stare at me like I'd gone insane.
"I am done now. Go and take a shower." I commanded.
He shook his head and raised his hands in defeat, "Okay-okay… I know when I am not wanted, sheesh…"
His disappointment showed greatly as he slumped behind the door and disappeared. It was just me and Annabeth now. I didn't hesitate.
"Thank goodness you are okay."
"That's my line!" Annabeth said immediately, "Everyone here is safe. Travis and Katie brought everyone to Camp Half-Blood. I am watching Jason and Piper now. Illya and our nurses are taking care of them."
"What about Rachel? And Drew?"
"Rachel is with Travis and Katie. She wanted to help out instead of waiting for you to come back, that's why she went with them."
I sighed, "And let me guess, Connor is watching Drew, isn't he?"
"Yeah," Annabeth paused, "I don't think he's happy about it, but they are at the annex. I managed to convince another Half-Blood to keep watch too."
"Wait, who?"
"I think her name was Reyna or something?"
That reveal assuaged all my worries almost instantly.
"Good. She's a good ally, at the very least she is going to keep Connor in line. We don't have to worry about Drew escaping."
Annabeth hummed in acknowledgment, but then the flair in her voice grew louder and more violent as it turned directly at me.
"Ah! That's beside the point! More importantly, are you both okay?! What happened?!"
As soon as I balanced my eardrums from that deafening string of questions, I recounted what happened for me and Percy, giving her a detailed recollection of our insane battle with an attack chopper amidst a rainy thunderstorm. Annabeth certainly gulped when I told her how Percy suffered wounds that would have been fatal if I didn't already have some spare healing nectar that did the bare minimum to get him better.
As expected….
"Don't you fucking dare do that again, Thalia!" Her ultimatum was about eighty percent burning with pure fury laser solely at me, a thick aura of her anger could be felt through the phantom bracelet, and the last twenty percent were filled with worries, "I am serious! I won't hesitate to ground you indefinitely if you do something like this again!"
"Ground me?"
Annabeth explained, "My mom is gone for now, so it makes sense I am the one in charge. You'll be grounded if you try something that crazy again."
I smiled unwittingly.
"Said the girl who denoted a nuclear bomb in the middle of the city…"
"And said the girl who jumped out of a flying helicopter and fought an attack chopper without a plan whatsoever…"
The smile on my face grew twice in size.
"You are crazy, princess."
"You are the crazy one, Thals."
Finally, a chortle of sort croaked out of me, "Alright then, we are both crazy."
"Don't group me with you! You crazy and stupid lightning girl…"
Laughing, I couldn't argue anymore. Like always, she was a handful to deal with, but that was also part of the joy of taking care of her. The needless silly conversation we would have… I treasured all of them.
"Ahem!" Annabeth jumped right back, "Anyway, you said Percy saved you after you went unconscious by the explosion... Do you remember what happened?"
I shook my head.
"I don't remember, princess… When I woke up, he was already carrying me in his arms and on the ground. I had no idea how he managed to get us down safely."
Annabeth went quiet.
"Wait… h-he c-carried you?"
Musing for a different reason, I now realized too late what I've said, "Whoa, hey come on… I didn't mean it like that, okay? I mean, we are staying in a motel tonight, but you know I—"
"You two are staying at a motel?!"
I stopped immediately. It seemed that opening my mouth now would only make it worse, but I need to at least say this out loud, for both of our sake.
"Hey! You know I don't have feelings for Percy, right?"
On the other end of the bracelet, I heard some nervous stammers, "Of c-course I know that! I just… A-Are you two staying together in the same room or something?"
"Uhh…"
"When you said shower earlier, you didn't mean…"
"Uhh…"
"And Percy told me your clothes are soaked, so how did you d-dry them…"
"Uhh…."
The voice on the other side went as silent as a mouse. It was obvious Annabeth couldn't muster up a single word or question for me anymore. I couldn't even tell if she was mad at me, upset at Percy, at both of us for staying the night at some random motel room, or neither of the above.
"A-Annabeth…"
Offering a logical explanation for everything that was happening was all I could do, but Annabeth perked up like a squeaky squirrel and cut me off.
"Just get back safe and sound tomorrow morning, Thalia! Owlfred can't temporal gate you right now because he's in hibernation mode after teleporting us with the entire helicopter itself!"
"Wait! You are not going to talk to Percy?!"
"I know seaweed brain is exhausted as much as he's trying to tough it out. You should get some sleep too, Thals. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Don't worry. I'll keep the estate from burning down while you are gone."
The call hung up in an instant right after that.
Left in a daze, I could only stare wordlessly at the bracelet.
"Is she mad? Or is she just trying to hide it?" I mumbled to myself and sighed unwittingly.
Either way, I would need to have a one-to-one talk with her about my sudden escapade and how I suddenly ended up staying in a hotel room together with her boyfriend.
"Yeah nope, she's definitely mad at you." I couldn't help but concluded without missing a beat and turned around in defeat, "I am dead meat now."
Reluctantly retreating to the room and hoping to get at least a few hours worth of rest, I stumbled upon a scene I wasn't ready to see. It was just when I thought things couldn't get any worse…
Our eyes met, emerald green mixed with crystal blue, followed by peach pinkness that…
"Ahh! W-why are you only wearing your bath towel?!"
A half-naked Percy grew bright red as I threw his phantom bracelet right back at his face, his cheeks were like steel rods after being exposed to intense heat, "You could have knocked!" He dashed back to the bathroom in a heaping mess and almost— the bath towel around his waist almost gave away as he stumbled furiously.
"Ahh! How can I face Annabeth now?!" I shouted and buried my face.
It was unmistakable, I now felt an overwhelming heat enveloping me to the core, though that's probably only the white steam from his shower leaking from underneath the door. Oh, how I pray that's the case…
