I willed my body dry as I left the shower. Brushing my hair out of my eyes, I noticed the marks on my wrist. Two doves and an owl, lined up along my forearm. There wasn't much space between them, but there was enough to know that they weren't linked together. Taking in the rest of my arm, I wondered what would happen when I ran out of space on my limb.
If I ran out of space.
How many girls did I even want in this harem?
I mean, how many girls did I even know well enough to want them in it?
Once I considered all that, I shook my head, content with the amount of space I had on my arm. I brushed my teeth until they all but blinded me in the mirror. I didn't know why, but I seemed to have wanted to look my best. Maybe it was for Thalia, but that wouldn't make any sense. Yeah, she was one of the most attractive girls I'd ever met, filling a very specific fantasy of a lot of guys with her goth look. But she was Artemis' lieutenant, there was no way she would break her oath, and I didn't think I'd wanna be on the wrong side of the goddess' anger. After all that had happened, I'm pretty sure I was one of the few males ever that Artemis didn't see as a baseless animal.
With a shiver, I brushed my hair out of my eyes, and I was shocked by what I was met with in the mirror.
A flash of white that had once streaked through my hair after I held the sky on my own, that had faded in the years afterwards, had now returned as bright as the day it happened. I didn't know why it had come back, but I couldn't help but like this change.
I stepped out into my cabin to an unbelievable sight.
On my bed, three gorgeous babes laughed in a pool of our love. Well, two of them were laughing. Aphrodite seemed to just be sitting there, frustrated as my girlfriend and her best friend pointed at her and giggled to each other.
"It's not funny!" Aphrodite balled her fists at her sides.
Annabeth and Piper shared a glance.
"You're right," my girlfriend said.
Piper smirked. "It's hilarious!"
The two of them burst out into another fit of infectious laughter that bounced around the walls. My own chuckle had Aphrodite turning towards me, pleading for help.
But, let's be honest, that wouldn't be any fun.
I cleared my throat, composing myself. I pointed to the spot between her legs. "I thought I told you to clean that up before I got back."
The pool of juices seemed to grow underneath her in response to my tone.
"I was about to but… they distracted me!" she jabbed her fingers at her daughter and my girlfriend.
I flicked my gaze towards the accused. "Is that true?" I asked, shooting a wink at Annabeth.
She pouted her lips in a very un-Annabeth-like way. "I don't know what she's talking about," she looked at Aphrodite with a coy glint in those stormy eyes of hers. "If I've done something wrong, I am very sorry, master."
The corner of her lips was all that gave away the smirk she was trying to hide as she played up the innocent routine.
Returning to Aphrodite, I shook my head and tutted at her. "I can't believe you'd blame everything on my girlfriend like that."
Aphrodite sat there stunned as I pulled on a fresh camp tee and jeans before heading towards the door.
"Wait!" she reached for my arm. "What about my powers? Aren't you going to turn them back on?" she asked with a wild look in her eyes.
I quirked an eyebrow at her. "Why would I do that?" I nodded between her legs. "You didn't even manage to do such a simple thing like cleaning the mess you made up," I stared her down until she bowed her head. I glanced around my room, noticing that it was still a bit of mess after my night with Annabeth and Piper. "Now, I want this place spotless by the time I get back," Aphrodite looked up at me with a strange cloudiness in her eyes. She nodded; the movement was so subtle I'm surprised I hadn't mistaken it for a twitch. "Maybe you'll get your powers back if you manage that," I said.
"Where are you going?"
I turned back to Annabeth. "Downtown. Thalia sent me an Iris Message," I said.
"In the shower?" Piper asked, sharing a sly smirk with my girlfriend.
I kissed my girlfriend before making my way to the exit.
"Be careful!" she called out after me.
"You know I won't!" I shouted, spinning through the door and into the new day.
Now, I needed a ride. Good thing I knew a guy.
Blackjack?
I wondered in the direction of the stables, waiting for a reply.
You there bud?
Confused, I must have been making odd expressions as I strolled through the camp. The other campers kept their distance and eyed me with the same strange look. I'd never thought about how I looked when I talked to Blackjack. Thought to Blackjack? Nevertheless, I thought I'd practice my face when I did so in the mirror later.
The smell of manure reached my nose strong enough to have me pinching it shut. Gagging, I peeked inside to find Blackjack's stall empty.
Where have you flown off to?
Again, there was no response. Tired of being left on heard, I decided to activate my trap card.
That's a shame, I guess I'll just have to have all these fresh donuts to myself.
As I stepped out of the stables, the sky grew dark. I looked up to find a magnificent pair of wings spanning far and wide.
DONUTS!
My head ached with my buddy's battle cry.
He landed just in front of me, trotting around me like a show horse.
Donuts! Donuts! Donuts!
I had to put an end to my ride's excitement by showing off my empty hands. Sorry bud.
He snorted at me, striking his hooves against the dirt path. Aw! Come on, man! You can't do me like that!
I know, but you weren't in the stables. I had to do something to find you. I stroked his neck.
Can't keep a good horse all locked up like that. He nodded towards the stalls.
I inspected the empty stall he was supposed to be in. How do you even manage to keep getting out of it?
A gentleman never tells.
I shook my head. In that case, will my noble steed give me a ride downtown?
Depends.
I raised my eyebrow. On what?
You know what.
As I reached his flank, I rolled my eyes. Yes, I will get you some donuts.
Satisfied, he bowed his head and allowed me to climb on.
I didn't even have time to hold before Blackjack burst into a gallop. His wings buffeted the ground with enough force to dig a small hole in the dirt, lifting his body up into the air with my arms spread in a full titanic pose on his back. The wind brushed through my hair, blurring the world around me. Rubbing them, my vision cleared enough to see the New York skyline on the horizon. To be honest, the best way to describe what a pegasus ride was like, is by asking you to imagine being stood on the wing of an airplane. But even faster.
Broadway rushed past me in the blink of an eye as Blackjack swerved towards Central Park. I caught a glimpse of The Plaza hotel up ahead and patted Blackjack's flank. He slowed down to swoop into an alleyway, empty of people. He touched down to fall into a proud stride.
I slipped off his back and patted his neck. I'll be back in a bit with some chocolate sprinkles.
Leaving the alley, Blackjack's shadow gave me a brief bit of shade as I joined the mass of traffic of all sorts.
It was good to be home.
A food truck offered me the treasure that was a box of donuts for a pretty cheap fee. Well, cheap for New York at least. I reached The Plaza Hotel and looked around. It wasn't easy to spot but I was pretty sure I could see the café that Thalia was talking about, holed away between bigger businesses. The sun glaring down at me stopped me from being able to see if Thalia was inside, so I hoped this was the right place.
The door opened with a rusty creak and a wave of bitter perfume washed over me. My nostrils flared, my body reacting to the scent of caffeine. It was like I could sense the sleepless nights in the air. I'd never much liked coffee since the promise of my mom's hot cocoa could have made me kill a man growing up.
"There you are, Kelp Head! I thought you'd already forgotten about us," a smug voice boomed around the old walls.
There was no way I was going to stop the smile that curled my lips when I saw one of my oldest friends rushing towards me. Strong arms wrapped me in a warm hug as a mane of ebony hair smothered my vision. My nose recovered from being drowned in the smell of roasted coffee beans and was refreshed by the scent of a forest after it had rained. Annabeth had told me there was word for that. What was it? Petrichor, right?
It took me a second to realize that petrichor wasn't the name and smell of Thalia's perfume and instead it was coming from her. That got me wondering if that was a tree thing or something that came with Artemis' blessing. I didn't know which one would have been better.
She squeezed me tighter, almost forcing me to drop the box of donuts balanced in my palm. Before it could tip over, my reflexes kicked in. I stood up straighter, snaking my arm around Thalia's back, pulling her towards me. My balance adjusted to hers and my hand managed to recover its grip on the underside of the box. Thalia's sharp nails dug into my back as she let out a smothered groan past my ear. If you ever wanted to know what it was like to feel sexy whilst holding a whole box of donuts, well that was it.
After a few moments to recover, I pulled away to meet Thalia's wild grin with a sly one of my own.
"Nice to see you too, Pinecone Face."
Over her shoulder, I was met with a pair of onyx pupils locking my gaze. An awkward wave was all that the girl could meet me with.
"Reyna?" I couldn't believe what I saw. My feet took me towards her, sat at the table with a steaming cup of coffee. "It's great to see you again," I said. Her eyes darted away from me for a moment and her fingers curled around the handle of her cup. I wasn't wrong. Reyna was an amazing person, and the fact that she was an absolute stunner didn't hurt either. I sat down across from her, setting the box of donuts between us. Thalia slid into the chair beside me. "What are you doing here with Thalia?"
Reyna met Thalia's eyes with what seemed like a glint of panic.
Thalia spoke fast, releasing the tension from Reyna's hunched shoulders. "She's been asking me for some advice, about joining the Hunters," she said, brushing a stray lock of pitch-black hair behind her ear.
My eyes widened, looking to Reyna for confirmation. All she offered was a nervy nod. I turned back to Thalia, curious. "So, what are you doing here?" I asked, surprising the daughter of Zeus.
Thalia's pale skin seemed even paler as her answer caught in her throat. It was kind of ironic. Thalia now looked like the deer hunted by the immortal girls she led as Artemis' lieutenant.
As much as it was always nice to have the high ground on an old rival, Thalia was still my friend, and I didn't want to see her look so anxious. I tried to reach out with a reassuring touch on the sleeve of her leather jacket. She twitched, almost pulling away but relaxing into my hand.
"She's leaving the Hunters," Reyna said.
Thalia let out a sigh as she sat up straighter.
"You're leaving the Hunters? Why?"
Her eyes met mine with a fierce gleam that I had seen before. But in an instant, that spark seemed to fade.
"I just realized that I couldn't keep on going like that," she said. Against her thigh, her nails threatened to turn her jeans into a ripped pair no overbearing parent would allow. "I can't not live my life anymore, Percy."
"What about Artemis?" I asked. "How did she take it?"
Thalia's gaze flicked towards Reyna before returning to her lap. Her lips pressed together as she mumbled a reply. I leaned in closer, prompting her to give her answer again.
"I…" her voice came out in a whisper. "I didn't tell her."
I sat back against my chair, shaking my head in disbelief.
"So, that's why you called me," I let out a snort.
Thalia shot me a wide grin. "If I was going to defy a god then I thought I'd need someone with plenty experience."
We burst out into a fit of combined laughter. Thalia's shoulder pressed against my upper arm, but it wasn't a fleeting touch. It lingered there in our uncontrollable howling.
"Are you two insane?"
Reyna's sharp gaze reduced our laughter to muted giggles. The fire in her eyes was enough to dry up any tears we shed in our release from the stress of being a demigod.
I shared a glance with Thalia. "Jury's out," I turned back to Reyna with a shrug. Her glare hardened, unamused by my answer.
"Come on, Ra-Ra!" Thalia waved her hands, exaggerating her frustration. "What's the worst that could happen?"
The former praetor of New Rome turned her icy stare on Thalia. "Didn't I tell you not to call me that? And you should know what could happen; half the monsters we've fought were people who defied the gods!"
Thalia crossed her arms over her chest. "Please, I've already spent a third of my life as a tree!"
"You were a pretty good tree," I said, shooting Thalia a wink.
Thalia returned it with one of her own. "The best."
With a heavy sigh, Reyna's head dropped in defeat. "Do you at least have a plan?" she asked.
Thalia blinked, taken aback by the question.
Reyna facepalmed, muffling a growl with her hand.
"Why don't you come to camp?" I asked. "If Artemis does come to find you, then at least we'll have Chiron, Mr. D and Annabeth there." It took me a moment to notice Thalia's raised eyebrow. "Okay, maybe not Mr. D. But we'll be able to figure it out there," I said, turning to see what Reyna thought. "And you'll be able to talk to her about joining up."
Thalia's chair let out a chorus of creaks and squeaks as she leaned back. "Sounds like a plan," she said, waiting for answer from across the table.
Reyna's hard gaze studied both of us for what felt like an eternity. In her dark irises, flashes of her thoughts sparkled like the stars on clear night. But something was wrong. I watched as the flickers faded and the dusk of her pupils became clouded. Her nostrils flared and her lips pursed as her breathing seemed to change. Her shoulders relaxed and her nails retracted from her biceps.
"It's something at least," she said, standing up from her seat. She marched towards the exit without so much as a glance back over her shoulder.
Thalia wrapped her hand around my arm. "Hurry up, slowpoke!" she said, pulling me up and dragging along with her. I flailed about, swiping the donut box before Thalia took me out of reach.
We found Reyna waiting for us outside, staring up at the sky in the alley.
"It's a shame we don't have Nico here," she said. "His ability to shadow-travel would have been useful."
A gust of wind rushed past over our heads.
Never fear! Blackjack is here!
The alley became shrouded in an abyssal shadow, growing larger as it came closer. A set of hooves clacked against the tarmac and there stood my favorite pegasus.
Hey Blackjack, look what I've got for you.
I waved the box of donuts towards me, but he didn't even bother turning towards me.
No way! Is that Horse Friend?
My pegasus clomped over to Reyna, folding his front legs and bowing his head. I stood there stunned, watching Reyna reach out and stroke Blackjack's neck and scratching behind his ears and under his chin.
I can't believe it! Horse Friend! In person!
My head hurt as Blackjack raved over Reyna, getting a little too close to be honest. Reyna had to pat his snout to regain some of the personal space that he invaded.
She can't hear you bud. I tried to calm my pegasus down, but I had no effect at all.
All the mares back at camp are gonna be so jelly!
"Okay now, calm down," she said with a sweet but stern tone.
Straightaway, Blackjack reacted to the sound of her voice. He backed away, giving Reyna room to breathe.
Sorry! Sorry! I'm so sorry, Horse Friend!
I shook my head. She still can't understand you dude.
Again, I was ignored. Despite giving Reyna space, Blackjack still wasn't calming down. His hooves stomped against the tarmac in an overexcited dance. He kept his tap dance going for so long I was tempted to stick him out on Times Square with an empty guitar case and see how much he made.
I winced as a sharp pain dug into my arm. Over my shoulder, I followed the shivers that ran down Thalia's back into her trembling knees.
Her sapphire eyes flicked from Blackjack to me in an unblinking stare. "We're not…" she gulped. "Going back to camp on him, are we?"
"Of course we are," I patted her shoulder. "It'll be fine, I'm sure Blackjack will fly nice and steady," I said. To this day, I still don't know how it was possible Thalia was afraid of heights. I mean, I'd seen her brother fucking fly enough times.
After taking a few heavy breaths, Thalia nodded.
The adrenaline seemed to fade from Blackjack, giving back his hyperactive personality. At least he was manageable enough to clamber on to. Reyna sat ahead of me, giving herself the best view whilst Thalia opted for the opposite. Behind me, she wrapped her arms around my torso and squeezing herself against me in a death grip. Blackjack nagged me about the extra weight until I reminded him that he was giving Horse Friend a ride which seemed to give him a nice boost of strength.
He shot into the air with ease, almost going straight up towards the stars like he was trying to give Apollo's chariot a race. In my head, I heard Blackjack sing the opening of the Lone Ranger theme.
Oh no.
Blackjack flipped into a divebomb so convincing I thought he was going to go full kamikaze into Broadway. Before he could turn us into roadkill, he pulled up in a slipstream to rocket us towards Long Island. I was thankful for the wind whipping my ears, since it was a much better alternative to my eardrums being ruptured by the screaming banshee that was Thalia. Yet it was a more surprising sound that pierced the air. A hearty laughter warmed me to my bones. I craned my neck to find what I thought was the corner of Reyna's lips curled upwards. My suspicions were confirmed when I had to reel myself back in to avoid the flailing of her elbows as she threw her hands into the air like she was on a rollercoaster.
And that was how we ended up for almost the entirety of the way back. The worst parts were when Blackjack decided that he hadn't impressed Reyna enough already. Even my stomach was starting to turn after Blackjack flipped upside down and glided like that for a few blocks. For like the third time.
When we did reach camp, he still couldn't make it easy. I had asked him to set us down in the middle of the cabins, but of course he had to take a detour all the way past the stables to show off his famous passenger. Well, horse famous, I guess. When we did land, Thalia dragged me off with her, tackling me to the ground.
"Land, sweet land," I heard Thalia sniffle behind me.
Above us, Reyna slid off Blackjack's back and gave him a good rub on his neck. "That was magnificent, Blackjack!" she said, receiving a whinny for her praise. "I can't wait for the next ride."
"Please no," Thalia let out a groan from her spot on the ground.
Wriggling a bit, I writhed out of Thalia's grip and pulled myself up and wiping off the blades of grass on my shirt. I offered Thalia a hand which she accepted, standing up to fire a glare at my pegasus.
The three of us watched as Blackjack trotted away, bouncing around on his way back to the stables. I checked out the box of donuts in my hand and regretted wasting my own money on them.
Thalia must have seen my downtrodden face. "Come on, Kelp Head," she wrapped her arm over my shoulders, leading me towards Cabin Eight. "We can get stuck into them inside."
"Wait, I thought guys weren't allowed in there," I said, offering weak resistance to a determined Thalia.
She snorted. "Don't tell me you're scared of a cabin."
"She's right," Reyna said, appearing at my side. "You've never been one for following rules, Percy."
Fair enough, I guess they had a point.
Once Thalia marched through the door, I stopped to take in the mysterious Artemis cabin. After knowing how the Hunters set up their own camps with strange tents that were like the damn Tardis, I wasn't expecting to be met with what was the most boring and standard cabin in the history of camp cabins.
No wonder the Hunters hated staying at Camp Half-Blood.
Reyna and I joined Thalia, plopping ourselves on the bed where we indulged in the donuts which had been messed up in our rollercoaster of a pegasus ride.
"Still good," Thalia said, taking a bite out of a glazed one.
Reyna decided on a powdered one for herself and proceeded to giggle at my choice of a sprinkled donut. I got her back though, pointing out the spot of sugar on the tip of her nose which had her pouting at me.
We were halfway through the box when I noticed that Thalia had slowed down. Not just slowed down, she'd stopped. Instead, she was spacing out, staring at a sad-looking jelly donut.
I gave her a nudge. "What's wrong?" I asked.
Thalia seemed to shiver. "Just excited, I mean to be free to live my life," she said.
"What are you going to do first?" Reyna asked, like we were in a prison yard.
"Oh, I have a few ideas," Thalia glanced at me from out of the corner of her eyes.
I quirked an eyebrow at her. "What?"
Thalia gave me a mischievous grin. "Nothing, just… you've got a little something," she pointed to her lips. "Right there."
I wiped my mouth. "Got it?"
She shook her head. "I'll get it," she said, leaning in. I sat still as she pressed her lips against my own.
Tasty.
A/N – Hey! I wonder where this'll go in the next chapter. Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed and I'm sure I'll see you soon.
Yours truly,
Signing off