OF LIGHTNING AND OF ICHOR | pjo verse

vii. a hope for the future

vii. a hope for the future

THE ROUGH FIBERS OF THE rope brushed harshly against the smooth skin of Morgan's palms, leaving faint lines of pink indentations that were sure to turn a vibrant red the tighter her grip became. However, the young girl paid the sensation no mind as she tugged sharply at the rope from where half of it rested around the thick branch of a tree. As it began to fall in her direction, a force jerked it back into place. From the other side, holding the other end and mirroring Morgan's was Priya, who let out a grunt in affirmation.

"I think we're good, Mo." The hijabi girl wiped the front of her palms along the softer fabric of her jeans before turning to the two girls behind her. "We're all set on our end."

Leia hummed softly, her attention focused solely on Andy's waist as the two pulled and tugged at the knots dotting the line of the rope tied around her waist. Both girls had held some knowledge in the art of rope tying, for Leia with being inducted in Girl Scouts and advancing with ease, while Andy had often been at the side of sailors, shadowing behind them and absorbing every word that fell from their lips.

With one final pull, Leia and Andy shared a brief look before the daughter of Aphrodite turned with a proud gleam in her eyes. "All set here." Pulling away, she moved to stand beside Priya and Morgan, the trio now wrapping their hands around any extension of the rope that they could hold. "Now it's your turn, Andy."

The girl in question released a huff, tilting her head towards the sky. Clouds had scattered across the expansive blue sea, dusting shadows over the land and blocking out the sun's light. Subconsciously, Andy brushed her thumb along the edge of her gold bracelet, skin rising under the presence of the slight cold brought by it. Even if she were to step into the light of the sun, she would remain safe as long as no glow exhibited from the metal.

"I didn't think we were out here to do cloud watching," she heard Priya mumble, only to be followed by a loud crack of a hit landing on its target. "Ow!"

"Be nice," Leia reprimanded, scowling at the shorter girl before turning back to Andy. Meeting her gaze, a smile instantly broke out on the Xiao girl's face, raising her hand to display a "thumbs up" gesture of praise.

Andy could feel the bones of her feet click and shift as they curled within the inside of her shoes, aching to be set free. The soles crunched blades of grass as she bounced on her heels, knees bending and straightening as if her movements were soon to propel her upwards. She often dreamed of being able to touch the clouds, to feel them with the palms of her hands, and she could. The possibility was there, hopefully. But alas, all she was able to reach were the mid-level leaves of trees, ten feet in height, that barely towered over any of the cabins.

Since the day she had been discovered, it was determined that Andy held capabilities that would require her to be under close watch, especially when she was younger. Andy could remember Mr. D telling her that she could have been a terror at times when she had simply been rolls of skin and flailing hands, piercing wails released every time they had to swaddle her in blankets just to keep her in place. At other times, she was merely a delight.

But today things would change, or so Morgan had been so adamant about. Her reasonings behind the belief had been unclear, though Andy had half the mind to conclude that the older girl's impatience was getting the better of her and Silena had reached her wit's end as a result. It was best Morgan found something else to entertain her mind.