Percy Jackson
Consoling Grover had gone about as well as could be hoped, and he had begun to feel quite good about himself until Katie and two of Silena's siblings approached him, looking quite concerned.
"Lord Perseus," one of Silena's sisters greeted him. From the catacombs of his memory, he managed to drag her name to the surface.
"Hey, Olivia. It's been a while and drop the Lord part. What can I do for you?"
"Silena had a falling out with one of our sisters and she took it kind of hard. The last time we saw her, she disappeared into the woods. She looked really upset. Clarisse is taking a few of her cabin mates to check around Zeus's fist but so far no luck."
Percy sighed deeply.
"In her defense, Vanessa was really hurtful," Michael added.
"No defense needed. I'll find her," Percy assured them. One might presume that his confidence was misplaced.
How he was so confident to find her was beyond him, but something told him he would find her.
Percy didn't know why, but his feet guided him into the forest and through the thick trees. That a diverse population of monsters occasionally overran these forests only increased his concern.
Percy continued to make his way through the shadowy forest until he spotted Silena sitting a the shores of a creek, dangling her feet into the water. Even from a distance, Percy could see that Silena was very upset, so upset that she didn't notice him approaching him from behind. That was saying something because the average demigod lived their heads on a swivel.
"Silena?" Percy asked cautiously.
The daughter of Aphrodite turned around and spotted him approaching.
"Oh hey, Percy. Sorry for running off like that, I needed some time on my own," she announced. Percy could see that he had been crying, her eyes were red and tears had thoroughly ruined her light makeup.
"I can see that, " Percy announced and sat down next to her.
"What's the problem?" Percy asked.
"It's nothing, nothing that isn't deserved," Silena sniffed. Percy noted that Silena had a master-crafted xiphos lying across her lap. A necklace with more beads than he had ever seen on someone was wrapped around the hilt. "You know, you're being a lot nicer than you ought to be to me. I should be sitting in the cell next to Khione on my off time."
Percy eyed the weapon with concern. This sort of self-destructive talk worried him more than he cared to admit. "Any plans for that sword?" he asked cautiously.
Silena looked down at the weapon. "Hm, oh no. Charlie made it for me...you don't mind if I keep it?"
"Hey, I'm not going to deprive a demigoddess of her second amendment rights. You are perfectly at liberty to own a sword," Percy replied and Silena sniffed.
After a long moment of silence, Percy added, "Sorry for making you come here... ."
"No, it's fine. It was great to see camp again. Can't blame them for hating me," Silena explained. Though her voice was steady new streams of tears began to run down her cheeks.
"As far as I can tell most people don't hate you," Percy reasoned. "They seemed quite fond of you to be honest."
Percy put an arm around Silena in what he hoped was a comforting manner and pulled her closer. When Silena quickly returned the embrace Percy wrapped both his arms around her and hugged her tightly. Before long Silena was sitting on his lap, quietly sobbing into his shoulder, thoroughly drenching his shoulder with her tears.
"I killed them," Silena sobbed. "Vanessa was right. Charlie, Lee, and all the others. It was my fault."
Percy didn't answer, instead just holding the young woman for a few minutes as he tried to think of anything that could cheer Silena up.
For a long, while he didn't and so he stayed silent and held the young woman, praying to whatever god held jurisdiction over such matters that he didn't get a boner.
"Am I a burden to you?" Silena finally asked quietly.
Silena wasn't, she really wasn't. However, something told him that this line of questioning could only come to a conclusion that he wouldn't like at all.
"Of course, not. Having you around has been nothing but a delight," Percy replied hastily and pulled her even closer. "Don't you even dare think about returning to the underworld? This world would be worse off for losing you again."
After a few moments of silence, Silena broke the silence. "Listen, there is someone you need to meet."
Annabeth Chase
Annabeth was lying on Sally Jackson's sofa, staring at the ceiling. Some part of her was still fuming. She wasn't upset about yesterday's makeout session, though the ending had been somewhat disappointing. Or suddenly having a roommate.
No, that she hadn't been aware of receiving a hickey and running around Olympus all day like an idiot. Not being a regular user of makeup it came as no surprise that she hadn't noticed it. It certainly explained her mother's disproving look. Only Sally had finally asked if she had "bumped" herself somewhere. Sally had started grinning like a Cheshire cat when she finally managed to get Annabeth to admit that she had Percy to thank for this.
"So, are you together again?" Sally asked eagerly, unfortunately continuing on with the persistence of a tax collector.
"No, we kissed and got interrupted," Annabeth explained for what felt like the tenth time.
Sally only shook her head smiling, and returned to the kitchen to check on the chocolate chip cookies she was making.
Just then the doorbell rang and Annabeth rose to her feet. "I'm getting the door," Annabeth announced.
When she pulled it open she found herself face to face with the guy responsible for her hickey and the daughter of Aphrodite that now seemed to be part of the deal.
Their eyes widened in surprise when they saw who had opened the door.
"Annabeth?" Percy asked and Annabeth felt her cheeks warming up.
"I didn't know you two were coming by today," Annabeth said the first thing to come to her mind. It might seem weird but Annabeth had Sally's schedule memorized but she just seemed to remember such things and Sally talked a lot.
"It was a spontaneous decision," Percy admitted. "We visited camp and Silena had a rough day."
Now that Percy mentioned it Silena did look quite miserable.
Just then Sally appeared. "Who's at the door..." she trailed off as she spotted her son.
Then she smiled brightly. "And you must be Silena Beauregard, by the gods you are pretty."
Annabeth had to stop herself from making a face, reasoning that Sally was merrily pointing out the obvious. Still, the charms of the young lady her ex-boyfriend had been railing were not something she wished to have to spend any more time thinking about than absolutely necessary. That and she preferred it when she was the only one whose beauty Sally felt the need to point out. Was she guilty of vanity? Perhaps, but it was what it was. Especially bearing yesterday's incident in mind.
Silena looked up at Sally with wide eyes and then her cheeks flushed bright red.
"Ahm hi. Yes, I'm Silena," Silena confirmed awkwardly and Annabeth held back what would have been a pitying look. Sally Jackson had that effect on people, even on the likes of the goddess Artemis, who after coming by to pick up Thalia from girls' night out with herself and Sally, found herself sitting on the couch eating blue chocolate chip cookies, ranting about her annoying twin brother.
"They'll get over it," Annabeth declared. "We've all screwed up at some point."
A moment later she realized that her words could be applied to herself and chose not to not speak any further.
Perhaps realized that Annabeth accidentally treads into territory she had not intended to go Sally took over. "Just give it time Silena, you'll find your own place."
"Well, it's not camp half-blood, that's for sure," Silena muttered.
"Bullshit, most people were absolutely thrilled to see you," Percy cut in, showing off his usual and quite welcome bluntness.
"Can't actually live at camp anymore anyway. Still, if my visit risks trouble at Camp I can't go there anymore. We all know how important camp is, it was the first place I ever felt safe and had actual friends..."
"Don't try to apply permanent solutions to temporary problems," Percy warned with a surprising amount of eloquence.
"Percy, I nearly broke the camp. I nearly cost us the entire war, this isn't like when you ignored the game plan in Capture the Flag or something, maybe I'm not worthy of forgiveness..."
Sally sighed. "Don't do that. You made mistakes, big ones. In the end, you did everything anyone could ever ask for to make things right."
Silena looked at Sally and it looked like she was close to tears again.
This wasn't something that could be solved in one afternoon, Annabeth knew that. In recent months Annabeth had barely been able to handle her own feelings of guilt and grief. However, where she had broken up with Percy during a panic attack Silena's mistakes had, unfortunately, had a much greater fallout. Perhaps it would take years for her to find her peace with that, perhaps she'd never.
Annabeth knew how it worked. Everything would be fine, Silena would laugh, joke, and try to enjoy this new life she had been given. Then occasionally, and usually without warning that guilt and those memories would find her. For Annabeth it Tartarus, the look on Percy's face when she had declared the break, or that Cyclops trying to kill her Thalia, and Luke during her early childhood. Or any over of the long list of traumatic incidents in her life. For Silena? For Silena it would be the memories of her ex-boyfriend and all the others that might have died due to her betrayal. All the times she had been forced to break the confidence and trust of those that she had proclaimed to be friends with. She did not envy the daughter of Aphrodite.
"If it makes you feel any better, Silena. I forgive you," Annabeth finally mumbled. "For everything."
As the conversation continued on Annabeth became increasingly aware of Percy sitting mere inches next to her. She could feel his warmth, and his very familiar scent lay heavy in the air.
While her body and soul had yearned for this familiar presence for months now, actually sitting next to him had caused her more anxiety than she would have thought possible.
"Can we talk, alone?" Annabeth asked quietly.
Percy looked at her with mild surprise but nodded and the two of them headed to the kitchen, leaving Silena alone with Sally.
"You wanted to talk to me?" Percy asked innocently.
"We should talk about yesterday," Annabeth announced and looked up at Percy.
Percy grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that, couldn't be helped..."
"Sorry about the punch," Annabeth replied. "You kissed me...does that mean you would take me back or were you just trying to get in my pants?"
Percy had the audacity to be completely unfazed and grinned down at her. "How about both?"
Annabeth gave him a tired look. "Percy, I love you to hell and back, and breaking up with you was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. The idea of losing you scares me more than death itself. But while this might sound arrogant, I won't be anyone's booty call."
Percy looked down at her and gave her a small smile. "I am crazy about you too. So how about this Wise Girl, we just take it slow and see where it leads us?"
Annabeth sighed deeply. "Again, really sorry about everything," she muttered.
A moment later Percy leaned forward and kissed her on the head. "So, any guys I should be worried about?"
Annabeth snorted. "No, not really? Anyone other romances you wished to disclose on your side?"
"Apart from that thing with Silena, not really," Percy replied quietly.
Again that ugly jealousy warmed up in her stomach, but she pushed it aside. At the time Percy had been perfectly at liberty to sleep with whomever he liked. Still, she had always had a quite vivid imagination, and picturing Percy pounding Silena into the mattress,...well it hurt.
"I imagine she was a very good substitute," Annabeth instead hissed under her breath, careful to keep her voice low.
"As a gentleman, I will not comment on such things," Percy replied earnestly. "Just like I would not talk to her about what we used to do."
"Fair enough," Annabeth replied.
"Percy, could you come in here?" Silena suddenly called out.
"Now what?" Percy asked. Annabeth only shrugged and they returned to the living room where they looked at Silena expectantly.
It was Sally though who cleared their voice. "Listen, there is something I have been meaning to tell you," she started.
"This sounds ominous," Percy muttered under his breath. Knowing what Sally was going to announce Annabeth fought back a smile.
"What's going on?" Percy asked suspiciously.
"I'm pregnant," Sally declared proudly.
Percy stared at his mother and opened his mouth for a few long moments.
"What?" he finally asked, as if not sure he had heard right.
Sally looked up at him, grinning from ear to ear. "You heard me, Paul and I are going to have a baby. You are going to be a big brother."
Percy sat down heavily and looked off into the distance.
"How long?" Percy finally asked.
"A few months..." Sally admitted.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Percy asked.
Sally looked at him guiltily. "Well, you already had enough problems..." Sally explained.
Percy rubbed his temples, his eyes closed, before getting up. "Well, congratulations?" Percy asked.
Sally grinned. "You will be an amazing big brother."
Annabeth watched him carefully and Percy fortunately smiled. "Well, someone needs to set a terrible example."
Sally laughed and Percy embraced his mother tightly. "You women drive me crazy, you know?"
Here is another short chapter. Made a few changes to the first chapter to rephrase the circumstance of the Percabeth breakup. This is a nice short chapter. Just posted some more Percy/Khione fanart on the discord, and it is pretty damn amazing. Editing as usual is an ongoing progress, feel free to point out any errors you see on discord as well. Do leave Reivews, they are quite helpful. Really looking forward to writing lemons again.
Here is the Discord link. /9kT6Qbn
Now, there has been some displeasure in how I conduct this story. Listen, this isn't PoC, and adding girls in a realistic manner takes time to set up.
HJL over and out.