Wild Heart ⋆ Riordanverse¹

xvii. scylla

xvii. scylla

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THERE WAS A TOUR OF THE BOAT—MORE OF A HOSTAGE SITUATION IN THEA'S OPINION—AND THEN CHARLIE DRAGS HER OFF BY HER ELBOW. The ship is . . . nice, but the company isn't. The soldiers on board are Confederate soldiers—already something that makes her uneasy—but the fact she's from Georgia seems to lessen their glares. Still, she doesn't want to be anywhere near them.

"Huh," Thea says once they get to his room. "It's nice. But the company? Yikes."

"Yep, I've noticed." He crosses his arms, his muscles pulling against his t-shirt. "What did you think you were doing? Running off like that, it's crazy, and you got attacked by a hydra! Dammit, Thea, what were you thinking?"

"It—this isn't your problem, okay?" she huffs defensively. "I didn't ask for you to come here! I could've handled the hydra."

"Gods, you're so stubborn. You could've been killed! Again!"

"I know that!" she yells. "I know that, okay? But this—it's more important than that. If we don't get the Fleece, everything's ruined. We'll all die."

"Who cares about the Fleece!" Charlie paces around the room, his fists clenched. "I don't care about any of that, not if you're dead!"

"It doesn't matter if I'm dead! But I can't let you die, or them, or—I have to do this, I can't just sit by!"

"Like hell you can't! Do you have a death wish? You always jump into danger without thinking, you never once think about how everyone else will feel—"

"Oh gods, this again? Charlie, it doesn't matter! Who cares!"

"I care!" he yells. "Nyssa cares, Jake cares, Percy and Annabeth care! What do you think they'll feel like if you're gone, huh? Thea, you're—you're my sister. I don't want to lose you again."

She sucks in a breath. "Charlie . . ."

"I thought you were dead for three years. I had no idea if you were alive, if you were in the Underworld, how you'd died—it was awful. And then you show up like none of that happened. You were different alright, but that was okay. But you don't—you refuse to admit that you're not untouchable. You can die. Whatever stopped you the first time, who knows if it'll happen again."

"It doesn't matter! If I go—if I go it won't matter. But you have your family, and Annabeth has so much left, and Percy has his mom—"

"And you have us!" He grabs her hand, the one that's missing the tips of two of the fingers. "Remember this? You were terrified, even if you wouldn't admit it. You didn't want to go under anesthesia, you didn't trust anyone. But I told you I'd always be there, that I wouldn't let you do it alone. Don't make me lie, Thea."

Tears burn at her eyes. "Why are you doing this?" she whispers. "You don't have to, I wouldn't hold it against you . . ."

"I don't give a shit if we're going to the sea of monsters," Charlie states, wrapping her in his arms. "I came for you. I needed to know you were okay."

She buries her face into his collarbone. "I—thank you."

"'Course."

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THEA DREAMS OF her mother. She knows it's a dream, it's when her mother was young, before she had her. She isn't sure why she is having the dream—or what string of fate is allowing her to have it—but she's thankful.