𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗘! 𝙥. 𝙟𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙤𝙣 ¹

ꕤ Summer Shenanigans

BONUS CHAPTER SIXTEEN: shorts!

LYDIA

With Riptide in her hands, Lydia mauled a dummy she'd "borrowed" from the sword arena. Percy sat at least fifty feet away; he preferred he keep his head...attached to his body.

"Hey, Percy!" Lydia shouted. "I think I'm pretty good at this!"

Percy ducked, narrowly avoiding the dummy's head as it flew in his direction.

"You're a natural." He lied.

She jogged over to where he was sitting against the root of the tree. They were in a clearing in the woods that Cressida had shown her a while back. She was positive not many campers knew about it.

It was a sunny day—like all days at camp. The birds were chirping, and the air was cool enough that it wasn't uncomfortable even though it was the height of the summer.

"It's heavy, though." She noted, handing him back his weapon. "I think if I train properly, you might have some competition." She gave him a teasing smile. "But I'll let you have this one little thing."

Lydia sat down beside him and Percy bumped her shoulder with a snort. He said, "Can I try your rings?"

She nodded, taking them off and slipping them onto his hands. They molded themselves perfectly onto his fingers.

"Woah."

"Only because I want them to." She informed him, tightening her ponytail. "They won't do that if you take them from me."

Percy nodded, running his thumb over one of the rings. The bronze sickle gleamed in his palm. Lydia watched him stand up and toss Agathos into the air, effortlessly catching it when it fell back down.

Rather than going over and trying to beat up whatever was left of the dummy, Percy stood over Lydia. He began carving something into the bark of the tree she was sat against.

"Stop!" Lydia cried. "What if someone lives there?" She stood up and pressed her ear against the tree.

"Anybody home?" She knocked against the bark.

A few agonizing minutes passed.

"Okay, you're good."

Percy got over the shock of almost homeless-izing a tree nymph and went back to his carving. Seconds later, Lydia could form the shape of Percy's initials...and hers? Her face turned into a burning furnace.

She couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Carving initials into a tree was a big deal for a child of Demeter. She assumed he probably didn't know anything about that, but her heartbeat quickened in her chest anyway. Carving initials into the bark of a tree held the same weight as, like, asking her to marry him!

It was probably the cutest thing that had ever happened to her. He was so clueless...and so adorable.

"Ta da," he said, backing away from the tree. "Our names spell PJLA."

Lydia couldn't help but grin.

"You're corny." She said, shoving his shoulder. "And sappy."

"Is that a pu—"

"Pun unintended."

Percy laughed but was interrupted when someone walked into the clearing. The girl said, "Hello."

His eyes widened when he noticed the tree nymph. "You don't live here, do you?"

"No, silly!" She waved her hands. "I live next door. That tree's been vacant forever!"