i know i know its been like forty years im so sorry for the lack of updates! junior yr in high school is har d ok ;A;
PERI'S POV

I dumped the dustpan over the side of the ship and watched as the golden dust sprinkled into the sea. The broom felt heavy in my hands, and my heart felt heavy in my chest. The sun was too bright. The sea was too violent. The air was too quiet.

I heard hooves trotting towards me on the deck and turned to see Coach Hedge coming my way. He grunted out, "You good, kid?"

"Yeah," I said, twirling the dustpan in my hand. "I just finished sweeping, but if another monster comes-"

"No, not that. Forget about the monsters for a sec." His beady black eyes scanned my face. "I meant are you good? Not many can just recover from a near death experience like that." His voice grew quiet. "Especially if it's a fatal weakness. You get what I'm saying here?"

My palms grew sweaty, and I avoided his gaze, swallowing thickly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

His voice was even gruffer in a whisper. "Your father. . . He and Poseidon have bad history, bad blood. Jealousy and resentment over Zeus breaking his own strict no kid policy. . . It's led to bad things."

"Bad things?" I echoed, staring at the ocean. Its dark waves crashed and battered at the ship, rearing up and smashing against the Argo's hull like a raging beast. The water seemed alive with the most evil and hateful of spirits. My stomach clenched at the sight, and I wondered eerily if the sea itself was a monster we had to defeat. I didn't want to be eaten.

Coach Hedge spat over the side of the ship, maybe as a statement, maybe to get my attention, maybe for no reason. "Just stay out of the water, kid." He turned to walk away, pulling a cigarette from his shirt's breast pocket. "Whatever you do, stay out of the water."

My hands gripped the ship's railing until my knuckles paled. I scowled at nothing and everything at the same time before hissing into the misty air, "Damn."

"Yeah, same."

I turned my head and saw Leo walking up beside me to lean on the bronze railing, his hands in his pockets, his curly hair blowing in the wind, his smile crooked and weak. I looked back over the ship, this time passed the water and to the foggy horizon. There was a silence between us.

Leo seemed like he wanted to say something but didn't know how to. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"I-I, uh-"

"Thank you," I blurted. "Thank you, Leo. You and Hazel and Frank saved my life. Without you three, I'd be at the bottom of the ocean by now. I almost. . I could've. . " My voice broke, and my eyes burned as I relived the memory.

Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't you dare-

All of a sudden my body was surrounded by a strong, warm force. Leo's arms were wrapped tightly around my shoulders and I felt safer than I've felt in a long time. I bit back bitter, stinging tears as he held me. His lips were on my temple, and I heard him whisper something in Spanish- any lower, and I wouldn't have caught it. "Eres demasiado bella para estar triste." 1 I felt his heartbeat against mine and, if only for a minute, there was no Gaea, there was no war, there was no apocalypse. There was only me, and there was only him. If only for a minute.

But a minute passes quickly- especially in moments like this- and Leo pulled away from me. His brown eyes were big and moist, like a puppy, and his brows knit together tightly in emotion. He didn't ask me if I was okay, which I was grateful for, because truly I wasn't. Were any of us? Would any of us ever be?

Leo looked at me long and hard for some time. His eyes bored into my own for so long that I began to fidget under his gaze. When he realized he was staring, he looked away quickly. "Hey, m-maybe you should get some rest." He muttered. The tips of his pointed ears were tinted red. "You gotta, uh, get your strength back, ya know?"

I hummed in agreement. "You too, though. I don't remember the last time you slept."

Leo shook his head. "Nah, I'll be fine. I've gotta make sure the ship makes it through these more dangerous waters."

At his words, I glanced over the side of the ship into the crashing waves below. They looked as menacing as ever and I wanted nothing more to be free of their grip. Though when I looked at Leo I saw the dark circles underneath his eyes. His brown discs were bloodshot from lack of sleep. I wanted to insist that he rest too- he was no good to himself or anyone else if he was falling asleep standing.

But all of a sudden I felt the impact of my sleepless nights, and my eyelids grew heavy. Sleep tugged at the strands at my hair and massaged my shoulders, pulling me into its tight embrace. With the exhaustion I suddenly felt, I wondered briefly if Leo had picked up a few charmspeak tricks from Piper. I shook the silly thought from my head.

"You're right," I murmured dreamily, hooking my arm into his. "I should take a break. But promise me you'll rest soon, too."

"Only if you promise me to never go swimming again." Leo smiled, but there was an air of seriousness in his voice as he led me belowdecks. He wasn't joking.

I smiled reassuringly as we descended the staircase. "That's a sailor's promise."

We reached my bedroom door all too soon, and I rested my back against its wooden frame sleepily. I struggled to keep myself awake. When I heard Leo call my name distantly, I blinked my eyes rapidly to wake up.

"Ahh, I'm up, I'm up!" I said quickly, standing up straight.

Leo laughed and shook his head. "You're so cute."

My cheeks burned up, and I scowled in embarrassment. "Oh, shut up." I pursed my lips and twisted the doorknob. "I'm going to sleep already."

"Okay," he said before winking. "Dream about me, alright?"

I rolled my eyes, grinning with a reddened face. "Shut up!"

Leo snickered in response, and I slammed the door shut in mock anger. My blood was still pumping in my ears as I shuffled to my bed, pulling my hair free of its ponytail and sinking underneath the warm blankets. As soon as my head hit the pillows, I fell into a deep sleep.

And I wish that I had dreamed of Leo instead.

1 remember to hit that google translate for me one time ayyy