The Moon's Shine (PJO)

Chapter 33

A/N-Just realized I forgot to publish this part. My bad!

The demigods stumbled upon the monster within four hours. Or, more like the monster stumbled upon them.

Four hours was a long time, but Percy didn't know how far they had traveled. The thick canopy of trees and the repeating forest made it impossible for them to gauge how far they were from the border of the woods. And the situation would've been fine—except for the fact that group tensions were at an all-out high.

 The four hours crawled by like a turtle. Percy felt uneasy inside, as none of the demigods—save Nico—were in the mood to talk. It was obvious that Serena and Alina were treating Louisiana like an outsider, but the two recruits' relationship wasn't much better.

Percy had first seen the group dynamics in action when he'd led the group into the forest. Alina had stormed away before greeting Louisiana, obviously upset at her defeat. Meanwhile, Serena had the heart to shoot the new recruit an apologetic glance before following the daughter of Ares. Percy found this concerning, but it was the least of his worries.

Percy hadn't expected that Apollo's words of advice—increasing the group of recruits—would change things significantly, but he had hoped it would have some effect on Serena. Instead, it seemed to make the situation worse. As the group of demigods walked deeper into the forest, Percy dropped to the back and quietly observed the daughter of Apollo. Serena took each step as if it pained her, her head down like she was praying to some god. Her eyes, generally filled with defiance and energy, now were a dark void. 

Nico was jogging alongside him. "What do we do about her?" Percy asked him worriedly.

Nico shrugged. He'd seemed to have gotten more blithe since Percy had introduced him to Alina. "I don't know what's up. You'll probably have to go talk to her."

Percy nodded—and then realized what Nico'd said. "Hold up. You want me to talk to her?"

"I thought that was obvious."

"What about you? You're much better at these sorts of things than me."

"I've never been in this sort of situation before," Nico admitted. "And how would it feel if a subordinate came to help you instead of the boss?"

Percy glared at him. "This is the only time you want to be a subordinate, huh?"

"Yep." Nico grinned. "With great responsibility comes a great burden that no one wants to take."

I'm sure that wasn't the quote . . . Percy wanted to say—but there was no point. He was hoping that the situation would solve itself, but it was obvious that he now needed to step in. 

So he sped up his pace until he was even with Serena, who was jogging a few feet behind Louisiana and Alina. There was an awkward silence as Percy tried to collect his words, so Serena started. "There's no point," she said bluntly.

"But you don't even know what I'm going to say," Percy countered weakly—though Serena's condescending look seemed to say You're easier to read than a book.

"I can see it from your face," Serena said. "You're going to tell me that revenge is good and all, but I shouldn't have blood on my hands."

"Wait," Percy cut in, horrified. "Blood? Revenge? Against who?"

"Alina, of course. Did you think I would take all her insults standing down like a mutt?" Serena shook her head as if disappointed with herself. " Of course, you knew that already. My intentions were probably as clear as day since the starting . . ."

How was I supposed to know what you're thinking, you psychopath?! Percy wanted to say, but instead replied, "I would recommend against that form of revenge. We're trying to form relationships here, not break them."