anti hero - percy jackson ²

x. bloody love

"love and war always go together."

Leo docked the ship at a pier in Charleston Harbor, right next to the seawall. Along the shore was a historical district with tall mansions, palm trees, and wrought-iron fences. Antique cannons pointed at the water.

Seeing as she hadn't slept at all the previous night—the goddess Styx had chosen to bless her with constant vomiting and a terrible burning sensation—she was up on the deck before anyone else, drinking a cup of coffee.

She didn't say anything to Jason or Leo, but wished Frank good luck as they left for the museum. Hazel might've been okay with their half-assed apology, but Cassandra's fatal flaw was holding grudges.

It was going to take a lot more than that.

"Morning" Percy said, sidling up beside her. His voice was still slightly raspy from sleep.

She turned to face him, leaning against the rail. "Sleep good?"

He nodded. "I Iris-messaged my mom last night."

"And what'd she say?"

"Well after she was done ranting about safety and yelling at me for going missing, she said that she was happy I was safe and that she loved me" Percy said with a shrug.

"So, the normal stuff" Cassandra summed up.

"Pretty much" Percy said. "But... it was nice. I miss her."

"You'll see her again" Cassandra assured, but deep down, she knew that he might not.

If they didn't stop Gaea from rising...

No, she couldn't think about that.

"Yeah" He muttered, rubbing his eyes. "How are Courtney and Josh?"

"They're good" Cassandra lied. "Well, as good as they can be, I guess."

He shot her a reassuring smile. "They'll be okay, Cass."

"I'm just worried" She finally admitted. "They've been fighting a lot recently. Maybe I'm reading too far into it, but...gods, they're literally soulmates. If they were to break up..." She trailed off.

The truth was, Courtney and Josh's relationship wasn't doing well. At all.

They tried to keep it civil—especially when Drew and Cassandra were in earshot—but the signs were obvious.

Meals were tense, and they mostly relied on Drew to fill the silence. Tiny little digs were made every once in a while (which then resulted in more and more digs). Sometimes you could hear a hushed argument coming from their room, or one of them leaving in the middle of the night after a fight. Courtney was more emotional, and Josh seemed much more on edge.

And she was the person to blame.

Her deteriorating mental and physical health wasn't good for anyone. And that ticking clock in the back of everyone's minds was even worse.

"Everything will work out" Percy promised, interrupting her thoughts. "You worry too much. It'll be okay."

She nodded unconvincingly. "Yeah."

Annabeth climbed onto the deck, waving at Percy and Cassandra. Piper and Hazel must've came up earlier, as they were having a conversation a few yards away.

"What are your plans, while we're gone?" Cassandra asked.

"Jump into the harbor" Percy said casually. "I want to try communicating with the local Nereids. Maybe they can give me some advice about how to free those captives in Atlanta. Besides, I think the sea might be good for me. Being in that aquarium made me feel...unclean."