𝗺𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲, 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖼𝗒 𝗃𝖺𝖼𝗄𝗌𝗈𝗇¹

𝟬𝟬𝟮.

𝟬𝟬𝟮

IT WASN'T GETTING ANY EASIER.

The urge to confess that Dodds and every peculiar encounter Percy had experienced, were in fact real, dangled precariously on the tip of Rory's tongue, waiting to unravel and disclose every hidden secret.

Rory wasnt known to be able to control what she said, especially not her thoughts and opinions in a school setting. So keeping quiet about this, was taking lot's more restraint than Chiron originally thought about before asking her to take on the mission.

For the second half of the semester, Rory was assigned the seat next to Percy in almost every class. Although they were friends, she hated having to sit next to him. He'd constantly ask about Dodds, which she'd have to awkwardly deny and claim she didnt know what he was talking about. He knew that she and Grover were lying, but there was nothing he could do.

Sitting next to the boy also meant that she noticed a lot about Percy Jackson. She watched as his grades slipped, and detected his mood swings and cranky behavior. Rory was sure that he thought she was stalking him. And she wasn't exactly stalking... Just monitoring.

Finals at Yancy were approaching, and Rory and Grover were on high alert. The night before their Latin exam, a big scary test that covered the entire years worth of material, Chiron invited the two into his office for a final conversation before the school year ended.

Chiron stood pacing in his faculty office, his hooves trotting back and forth. Light from the lamp soaked the room, filtering out into the hallway as the door stood ajar.

Rory sat in a plush armchair next to Grover, watching as the rain outside poured down the tall windows. The freak storms hadnt stopped all year, and it was leaving her on edge.

"I'm worried about Percy, sir." Grover admitted, hands fidgeting in his lap.

Rorys attention returned to the conversation. She had been disassociating a lot.

"He's gonna be alone this summer. I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too, who knows what this could mean-" Rory said, pleading with Chiron.

Chiron hummed, thinking as he stroked his scruffy beard. "We would only make matters worse by rushing him. We need the boy to mature more."

Rory persisted. "But he may not have more time. Cmon Chiron, you know better than anyone that with the Summer Solstice deadline-"

"Will have to be resolved without him, Rory. My dear, we must let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can."

"Sir, he saw her," Rory muttered.

"His imagination," Chiron insisted. "The mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that."

"And if it's not?" Rory asked, her eyes the heavy and glossy cerulean blue Chiron remembered. As he looked into her eyes, he was transported to that day that Grover brought Rory to camp. She was frustrated and out of sorts as she was brought into her dad's world, someone who she never thought she'd ever have anything to do with.

And even with a completely different situation, he saw it in her eyes the same feeling she carried for all these years. He knew that ignorance wasnt something she appreciated, especially when it came to her own or someone that fell into the same situation that she had.

"Sir, I-I cant fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."

"You haven't failed, Grover," Chiron smiled kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now lets just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall-"