12. Cathartic Bath

"I hate it when you come to visit," Percy grumbled, rubbing his sore shoulders with a grimace. Thalia snorted, polishing her bow across from him, her feet propped up on the bench beside him, her stupid combat boots basically digging into his thigh.

"You mean you hate that the Hunt can kick your ass at capture the flag."

"No, I mean you're mean and cause me pain," Percy complained, massaging his sore muscles. "Thalia, I hurt all over. Did you have to push me off the volcano?"

"Did you have to be in my way?" his cousin countered with a shrug. "You're just bitter because you lost."

"Wouldn't have lost if Annabeth were here," Percy grumbled, pulling a stem from his hair and tossing it at Thalia's face because she deserved it. She didn't even react, the twig bouncing uselessly off her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Thalia dismissed with a wave of her bow, flicking droplets of water onto his face. "You know, I don't think you'd hate it so much if Jason hadn't been on my team."

"He knows full well it was only because of you girls that he won," Percy muttered mutinously, wiping the water from his face as he scowled at the fire. "Annabeth and I pulverize him every time. He was only on the winning team because he let you girls do all the work."

"I was amazing," Thalia agreed with a snort. "And you squealed like a little girl when you fell."

"Reminded me of Tartarus," Percy said absently, moving on to massage his aching calf muscles which had borne the brute of his fall.

Thalia froze in her cleaning efforts, a brief flash of guilt flaring in her eyes.

"But getting beat by Jason is also extremely traumatic," Percy quickly covered up, wincing.

Thalia raised her eyes from the firelight and oh gods she looked chagrined, she was going to apologize, this was bad—

"Well, I hurt everywhere so I'm going to bed," Percy said a little too loudly, rocketing to his feet before she could do something terrible like say she was sorry or worse, promise to never do it again. "Good game, Thalia, we'll beat you when Annabeth gets back, just wait and see. She's the brains you know. Good-night."

Thalia pursed her lips but didn't insult him with an apology as he beat a hasty retreat. He could feel her eyes follow him as he shoved his hands into his pocket and half jogged to cabin three. He pretended to not notice. His legs angrily protested the abuse, his shoulders screaming at his hunched position but Percy ignored the pangs of his body until he was safely behind the closed doors of cabin three. The son of Poseidon collapsed against the door the second it swung shut, heart pounding in his ears

"Ugh, stupid," he berated himself, rubbing a tired hand over his probably still dirt covered face.

He tried to avoid the pity and worries that dodged him and Annabeth ever since their return. He was normally pretty good at it, full of quips and distractions, but tonight that just slipped out. And in front of Thalia too, who wouldn't forget it but neatly catalog the information away for later. He knew he would never topple off that volcano again, via Thalia or anyone else. Not if the overprotective lieutenant had anything to say about it—and Thalia always got Thalia's way.

Percy didn't want to think about whether Thalia's overzealous protection was a good or bad thing (it was probably the latter), or if people would be tiptoeing around him tomorrow so he pushed the thought from his mind. His shoulders twinged, reminding him that he fell off a volcano a mere hour ago and it would like him to maybe stop pressing it again the hard wooden door, thanks. Percy groaned, peeling himself away from the door. In the privacy of his cabin, Percy allowed himself to limp over to his bed. He made it halfway there, absently rubbing his shoulder, when the room suddenly began to change. Percy froze, a tingling sensation running up his spine as he realized his father was reaching out.

The fountain at the foot of Percy's bed began to shimmer. Before the demigod's disbelieving eyes, the edges slowly expanded out, the center column receding into the basin of the fountain. The water churned, beginning to swirl around the deepening confines of the fountain. Although Percy wasn't sure if he could call it a fountain anymore as the structure grew larger and larger. Finally, the changes came to a halt. Percy blinked at the newly formed structure as he crept forward. The ex-fountain was now larger and deeper, big enough that Percy could comfortably fit inside. The water was swirling and bubbling, steam wafting off the surface in enticing wisps.

It was basically a hot tub. In the middle of his cabin.

Percy laughed in wondrous disbelief, ignoring the pain in his legs as he crouched down to examine it closer. He dipped his finger into the comfortably warm water. Yep, it was basically a hot tub all right. Near giddy in excitement, Percy quickly stripped off his clothes and threw them carelessly across the room. He sank into the newly formed hot tub, sinking down until his abused limbs were totally covered and he was up to his chin in delightfully warm and soothing water.

"Hmmmm," Percy moaned as his sore muscles greedily soaked up the soothing water.

Not hindered by the pesky inability to breathe underwater, Percy fully submerged himself in the bath, settling at the bottom of the tub and stretching his battered limbs out. It was heaven. The tight, aching muscles all over his body rejoiced. It was hard to feel anything other than relaxed as the bubbles caressed his bumps and bruises, the calm flow of the water swirling over his head, the rush of the water music against his ears.

"Hmm," Percy repeated, closing his eyes and laying his head on his arm. He decided he could worry about Thalia and any potential disgusting pity-driven tiptoeing that might happen tomorrow well, tomorrow. For now, though, he was going to enjoy this glorious moment.

"Thanks, Dad."

A/n Thank you all for helping me through finals week haha three more days and I'll be free.

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