Anthízo, Percy Jackson

VII. a tea party with the love goddess

KARINA WOKE UP EARLY the next morning with the feeling of warm arms wrapped around her, and the slow, rhythmic sound of percy's breathing flowing into her ears. her body was tucked under his, her head pressed up against his chest as his arms trapped her body against him, and she didn't think she'd ever felt more at peace in her life. she wished that they could stay like this all day together, just cuddling and being wrapped in each other's embrace, but she knew that they had a big day ahead of them, and that her fantasy would have to wait.

reluctantly, karina slipped her body out of percy's arms, making sure that she didn't wake him quite yet, because she knew that he needed sleep. karina could tell that percy tries to hide his problems from everyone else— and how he feels in a situation. like at the aquarium, karina knew that as percy was explaining how the sea animals were treated, he was way more upset than what he let on. but, he doesn't want to place his problems on everyone else, so he just keeps it to himself. so, karina knew that percy deserved this time to be at peace, so she reframed from waking him.

she lightly pushed the hair out of percy's face, and placed a small kiss on his forehead, before slowly leaving his room, being as quiet as possible. she made her way back to her room peacefully, knowing that it was too early for anyone else to be awake except her.

she took a long shower before she got ready for the day, as if she were trying to wash away all of the nightmares and thoughts that swarmed her head. she basked in the steaming hot water for as long as she could, before she changed and got ready for the day.

she put on a spaghetti-strap brown tank top, pairing it with some dark denim mom jeans that were slightly too big for her, but they managed to fit her well enough. she put on her usual necklace that concealed her gladius, and also put on a necklace with a small piece of amethyst entwined into it, making sure she kept herself leveled during this quest. since her hair was still damp, she decided to leave it as it was, instead of putting it up, and she put on the normal rings she wore, and applied her earrings to her ears, before putting on her converse and walking up to the main deck.

she made herself a chai latte this morning, instead of green tea, and watched as the final moments of the sunrise faded into blue. she was up a little later than usual, so she didn't get to enjoy the full sunrise as she usually did. she sipped on her chai slowly, letting the hot, cinnamon-flavored drink travel down her throat soothingly, and breathed in the sweet quiet that was usually accompanied by the early morning.

this was karina's favorite part of the day— it's where she felt most at peace with herself. she knew that the day ahead was a mystery of danger and unknown, but for right now, she got to enjoy the moments of peace and tranquillity.

jason was the next one to arrive, walking out to the deck with a steaming cup of black coffee, and sidled up beside her, sipping his drink. she was sitting on the floor of the deck, her legs propped in front of her, and he mimicked her position, setting his arms on top of his knees.

"you ready for today?" he asked her, and karina sighed.

"no," she admitted quietly. "i don't want to go back to venus."

jason was silent for a moment as he stared into the horizon. "what . . . what did she tell you? when you and reyna went there."

karina bit the inside her her cheek. "i would rather not talk about it, if that's okay." 

jason immediately shook his head. "no, no! of course! i— i just didn't know if you— you know, wanted to talk about it . . . or something." his words were trampled on top of each other as he tried to recover himself, and karina sent a small, amused smile in his direction.