I'll be here forever

chapter 3

"Okay, first things first. We need to figure out where we are. We can't just wander around aimlessly forever," I said, looking up and shielding my eyes with my hand. The sun, which had been directly overhead when we had first woken up, had been slowly moving across the sky, our only hint to the ever-increasing passage of time.

"But how are we supposed to do that? It's not like either of us have a map or something," Percy replied, standing next to me.

"You're right. And we could use the north star, but I'm not particularly eager to see what these woods have in store for us at night," I shivered, thinking of the empousa.

"At least it shouldn't get too cold at night, but you're right. I'm a little worried there might be other monsters hanging around, hopefully ones that you also know the names of, because I'm a little useless in that category."

I snorted, then surveyed out little clearing. There were the indents in the grass where we'd first woken up, the trampled grass where we'd fought the empousa, and that was it.

"Well then, make yourself a little less useless and help me search this clearing, just in case."

"You think there might be something here?"

"I'm hoping."

Percy and I searched the clearing from top to bottom, with nothing. One time, I spotted a spider on my worn tennis shoe, and I freaked out, screaming. I hadn't known how scared I was of spiders until that moment. The mindless terror that overtook me was unlike anything I'd ever known; I'd have rather fought a thousand empousas than deal with a spider.

Percy had run over, worried, but he raised an eyebrow when he realized it was just a spider. I had just screeched for him to get rid of it.

And instead of making fun of me, Percy just silently kicked the spider off my shoe and squashed it underfoot, which I was extremely grateful for. I think he understood that my fear of spiders wasn't something I took lightly, and I appreciated him for it.

We continued searching.

"Wait, I think I found something. Daisy, come here-" he called, from the other side of the clearing. I smiled at the use of his name for me. He was slightly in the woods, and so I jogged over there to meet him.

Set against an old gnarled ash tree was a dark olive green backpack. It was old and worn, but it still looked sturdy and durable. The brand had been rubbed off long ago, as well as any hope for identification.

I picked it up and turned it over in my hands, looking for a name, an address, anything. The only thing I found was a small orange pin on the strap, which said Camp Half Blood, with a Pegasus and laurel wreath logo.

I turned to Percy, searching his person for anything that might place him and the backpack together. He was wearing jeans and black Nike running shoes, a dark grey sweatshirt and a maroon-ish red flannel. I noticed something I hadn't before; he had his ears pierced. Silver studs. I kept looking and noticed a silver band on his left ring finger, and a bronze watch hiding under his sweatshirt sleeve on his right hand. It might've been the same bronze my dagger and his sword were made of. I figured you'd find a guy dressed like him at a skatepark or a thrift store.

I looked down at my own outfit; I could've been out on a run, or at the gym, something. I was wearing black Nike running shoes as well, black leggings, with pockets on the side (thank gods) and the same dark grey sweatshirt as Percy, but it seemed almost like a size too big for me. And obviously, my sheath and dagger at my side. I felt my own ears; pierced as well. It seemed recent, and they felt like studs, same as Percy's. Probably silver too. I looked down and saw a silver ring on my left ring finger, a small stone on top. Perfect for fighting and movement; it wouldn't get in the way.

"What are you looking for?" Percy asked me.

"I don't know. Something, anything to tie us to this backpack. There's nothing to tie us to it. But for you and I- we're wearing the same sweatshirt, same shoes, same earrings, similar rings. I-"

"Hold on. My ears are pierced?" he reached up to touch his ears, "They are!"

"That's what I said."

"That is so cool," he grinned. Then his smile faded. "Did you say similar rings?"

I nodded and held out my hand, and he held out his. The rings matched.

"I wonder if we knew each other, or it's a coincidence. Or whoever brought us here put them on," I inspected both of ours. They looked too uncannily similar to be coincidence.

Percy slid his off and examined it. He checked the insides.

"Huh. It says something- Seaweed Brain, I think," he shrugged, slipping the ring back on.

"Seems accurate," I snorted, slipping off my own ring to investigate as well. Sure enough, inscribed in the inside of the ring were the words Wise Girl.

"Mine says Wise Girl," I shook my head and slid my own ring back on.

"I think that's pretty valid too," Percy fidgeted with his own ring, "now can we open the backpack? The suspense is killing me here."

"Yeah. Yeah," I said, embarrassed to say I had forgotten about it. My brain just kept wondering why Percy and I were dressed so similar. It ran through all the different scenarios as I unzipped the backpack. My brain ran a thousand miles per hour.

Maybe you two were married or engaged? No, too young.

Maybe you two were best friends?

Maybe you two just got custom made rings done at the same jeweler?

Maybe whoever brought you here put them on you just to make you think that?

The last one seemed like the most likely scenario, but before I could properly analyze it, I finished unzipping the backpack and my brain completely forgot. It does that.

Percy and I sat against the old ash tree, pulling out the items in the backpack. He was taller than me, so he looked over my shoulder. My heart was pounding with him being so close to me, but I tried to ignore it.

The first thing I pulled out was an old, ratty, navy blue, New York yankees cap. I inspected it for a moment before setting it on the ground next to me.

The next thing I pulled out was a bag of what looked to be clear golden squares of honey. Somehow, I knew what they were.

"Ambrosia. Food of the gods, speeds up healing," I said, thinking out loud.

"Uh... gods?"

"Yeah. The greek gods and goddesses."

"That's... okay. Okay. Continue."

I rolled my eyes and pulled out the next item; a tightly folded silver blanket. I ran my fingers over it, and it felt almost like a space blanket.

"What's that?" Percy asked.

"I think it's a space blanket. We could-" I set the blanket down, and I yelped in surprise as it expanded into a silver tent.

"Woah, cool," Percy laughed.

"Yeah, cool is right," I muttered in awe. The physics of that was mathematically impossible, and yet the blanket I had just been holding in my hand still turned into a full sized tent. It really was amazing.

"Come on," Percy gestured, gathering up the ambrosia and the yankees hat and crawling into the tent. I stood there for a second longer before grabbing the backpack and following him.