TERRIFIED . . . annabeth chase

twenty three.

VAL SAT THERE awkwardly as half of the people left.

Leo left with Octavian — that was that, there was no way that they'd be coming back, despite the presence that she felt in Leo. But that would be fine, she guessed. Leo could handle himself just fine. She hadn't been there for the near explosion incident that happened with Dionysus's followers, but she'd heard stories.

Jason and Piper left, which was fine. Val still had a sore spot with her for what had happened a few months ago — and they felt like they were competing sometimes, but for what, Val didn't know. Who could be the better child of love? Who had better charmspeak? She didn't know. But Piper was still just tolerable to her. Drew was more her speed.

And Jason was . . . Jason. He got her and all, but she wouldn't instantly go to him for company if she'd had, say, her crew or Leo or Annabeth.

Speaking of Annabeth, she was gone. No doubt about it. Val didn't feel like crossing Reyna ever. So that was done.

And now she was left with Percy, Hazel, and Frank. She supposed that they were nice, but she didn't even know two of them existed until today. And there had always been a one sided rift between Val and Percy.

So, really, Val deserved the time to be able to just lie down and rest for a few minutes — especially since she'd literally just thrown up, what, thirty minutes prior? — and then Trystan had come back from talking to someone.

"Hey, you," he said. "Want to take a tour of New Rome with me? I think you'll like it here a lot."

Val repressed a sigh. She'd wanted to sleep somewhere until someone found her and woke her up, like, sixty years in the future, but she didn't feel like rejecting him. She'd opened her mouth when someone interrupted.

"Actually, Trystan, I need to talk to her," Hazel said, and when Val glanced over at her, she saw that she was already looking at her. "Sorry! But it's important."

"Oh." Trystan nodded, looking over at Val. "See you, Lady of Roses."

Val smiled at him. "I'll try and find you if I have time, Lord st. James."

"See you later." He sent her a grin, before going off on whatever duties he had.

"You needed something from me?" Val prompted, turning back toward Hazel. Her eyes were like gold, and it reminded Val of the Stolls. Oh, how she missed them. She wished that any one of her crew was on this quest, because she'd spend the next two months with none of them.

Not even Cupid could guarantee that for her, but she has Annabeth, and she wouldn't trade anyone else for her. Not even her crew.

"You're really Thanatos's daughter?" Frank, the big guy, the other new one, asked her curiously.

"Yep," Val nodded, leaning back on her couch and resisting the urge to sigh as her back dug into the cushion. "I was wondering why he hadn't been talking to me, but Cupid hadn't mentioned anything whenever I talked to him."

Hazel frowned. "You talk to Cupid? Why? I thought he's the god of love. Not the god of death."

"They're connected, the two of them," Val shrugged. "That's why there's not many more like me. I've been favored by both of them. And, well, most gods I've met."

Frank frowned. "Are you just that charming? I mean, everyone saw you with Reyna, and no one's charmed her like that since . . . not even before I came here."

Val shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I don't know, it's just being nice. And most of the gods pity me."

Percy snickered, the first time he'd spoken around her today. "Like with Hermes."