wow look at that booty amirite
PERI'S POV

It's embarrassing.

It's embarrassing when Piper is petting me and trying to get me to drink something warm while cooing about how I'm such a poor baby. It's embarrassing when the others ask what happened and Hazel glances at me uneasily before glossing over the part of the story where I almost drowned to death. And it's embarrassing the way everyone is staring and muttering because Leo's still clutching me, like I'm just a fragile doll, like I can break at any time, like he doesn't want to chip my paint.

But I only sniffle and clutch the towel wrapped around my frame and lean even closer into him, because I don't ever want him to stop holding me in this way. I don't ever want him to let me go again.

The way his thumb rubs absentmindedly into my shoulder is enough to make my insides feel warm again. His curly head is resting on mine and, though somewhat masked by salt water, his scent is still there and washing over me and pure and I want this moment to last forever.

But this is reality, so I can't get what I want.

So I really shouldn't be surprised when the Argo II lurches to one side suddenly and half the crew is thrown off their feet and all of a sudden I'm on the floor wedged underneath Jason. Groans and curses fill the air and Coach Hedge is growling and wielding his baseball bat and when I follow his gaze, honestly I really shouldn't be surprised.

But I am, and when I choke and everyone sees, Jason is scrambling to his feet and Percy and Leo as well, but Bonnabelle is the one who beats them to it.

And the elephant sized wasp has no idea what it's in for as she slashes it once, twice, three times before it is crumbling to dust before our very eyes.

And golden dust is raining from the sky as she breathes heavily and sheaths her dagger with a snarl. "Any bug. . . Any bug as long as it's not spiders."

Her victory is short lived, though, because a
beast with the front part of a rooster and the back part of a horse (a hippalectryon, the term came to me surprisingly) swooped down in a brown and red blur, gunning for Frank.

And a sword was in my hands and I was bringing it down on the monster before I even realized my body was doing so because how dare you. I was enraged and stabbing because this boy saved my life so how dare you. I was blind to everything except making this monstrosity pay.

So when I slash again and again, and there is an earsplitting screech, I still don't let up. I wasn't done. As selfish as I longed to be, nothing could get away with even the thought of hurting my friends if I had any say about it. The fatigue within my body was crying out with every swipe and stroke of the blade but I'd be damned if I let up.

But Franks's hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me back from the pile of golden ash with the utmost of baby faces. "It's already dead. It's okay. I'm fine, it's okay, Peri, it's okay."

The weapon slipped from my grasp and disappeared before it could hit the deck and wow I'm exhausted again I've never felt so weak in my life. So I try and make it as casual as possible when I sink to the ground although I'm pretty sure I still looked like a deflated balloon but Frank's words are echoing in my mind. Words that I refused to accept.
.

He didn't seem to get it. The way we lived. What we did on a daily basis. Nothing would ever be okay ever. None of us would ever be fine.

I have to close my eyes and count to ten before I'm able to steady my heartbeat and level out my breathing once more.

When I open my eyes and look up, though, I'm greeted with Coach Hedge thrusting a broom in my hands and grunting at the gold powder scattered across the deck.

"Welcome to the Mare Nostrum."