•as the world caves in•

•we talk•

The rest of summer was so strange because everything was so normal. Percy and I didn't talk much, I needed him to approach me and when he did it was to talk about Kronos, but that meant talking about Luke.

I missed Percy, but I didn't want to cave. Not yet.

The final day of camp I decided to have my dad and Sam pick me up instead of riding with Percy. I went to see him off and he started questioning me.

"What was the final line, Coriane?"

He started reciting it to me, even as I shook my head with tears in my eyes.

"And lose a love to worse than death." I snapped. "That was the last line. Are you happy?"

"So Luke?"

I almost laughed. "No? I don't know, I haven't really thought of it since the quest is over. You know, this is like the first conversation we've had since the volcano-"

A woman appeared next to us. Hera. "You found the answers like I knew you would. Your quest was a success."

"A success?" I asked. "Luke is gone, Daedalus is dead, so is Pan."

"Our family is safe, those others are better gone, my dear. I'm proud of you."

"You didn't help Nico." Percy said. "You paid Geryon!"

Her eyes turned dark. "Watch yourself, son of Poseidon. I guided you more than you know in that maze. I sent you to Calypso's island, I let your arrow fly straight, I opened the way to the Titan's mountain. Coriane, surely you see how I've helped. I would welcome a sacrifice for my efforts."

There was the confirmation I needed. Percy was on her island.

"Percy is right. Next time, thanks, but no thanks." I said.

Hera sneered. "You will regret this, Coriane. You will regret this very much."

She shimmered away.

I looked to Percy. "Percy... we need to talk. Iris-message me sometime." Percy nodded and I saw my dad and Sam pull up. "I'll see you."

And I didn't look back as I ran to them, excited to tell Sam everything, but also dreading telling them the bad parts.

•.•.•.•

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Percy asked over Iris-message. "We haven't really talked since..."

"Percy, we confessed we loved each other and then you don't even talk to me."

"Well, you didn't talk to me."

"Because I was waiting for you!" I said. "Percy, you went to Calypso's island and didn't even tell me. I learned from Hera! You're all over Rachel and barely talked to me the rest of the quest unless you were defending her!"

Percy looked stupid. "I didn't know what to say."

"Oh, I don't know, 'oh, hey Cor, we said we loved each other and kissed, do you want to date?' It was that simple!"

"So, do you want to date?"

I shoved my palms in my eyes. "Right now? No. You made me hate myself over the summer, Percy. You are supposed to be one of my best friends and you were hardly there."

"You were mad at me, you don't even let me call you Cor anymore."

I laughed. "Because I thought maybe you would get a hint! Are boys seriously this dumb? Percy, we seriously have some form of communication issues, and I just can't do that right now. I still love you, but when that's how you treated me, treated us, I can't believe you right now. I can't trust you."

He looked sad. "I'm sorry Coriane. I want to work on us, please."

"We can work on us, but slowly. I can't allow myself to be treated like that again."

"I get it. So, what's the first step?"

I shrugged. "We can try hanging out at some point."

"I'd like that."