ᴀɪᴜᴛᴀɴᴛᴇ ¥ ᴘᴇʀᴄʏ ᴊᴀᴄᴋsᴏɴ ¥ ᴀɴɴᴀʙᴇᴛʜ ᴄʜᴀsᴇ

ᴀɴɴᴀʙᴇᴛʜ ᴛʀɪᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴡɪᴍ ʜᴏᴍᴇ

I'd finally found something I was really good at.

The Dysis responded to my every command. I knew which ropes to hoist, which sails to raise, which direction to steer. We ploughed through the waves at what I figured was about ten knots. I even understood how fast that was. For a sailing ship, pretty darn fast.

It all felt perfect—the wind in my face, the waves breaking over the prow.

But now that we were out of danger, all I could think about was how much I missed Tyson, and how worried I was about Grover.

I couldn't get over how badly I'd messed up on Circe's Island. If it hadn't been for Annabeth, I'd still be a rodent, hiding in a hutch with a bunch of cute furry pirates. I thought about what Circe had said: See, Percy? You've unlocked your true self!

I still felt changed. Not just because I had a sudden desire to eat lettuce. I felt jumpy, like the instinct to be a scared little animal was now a part of me. Or maybe it had always been there. That's what really worried me.

We sailed through the night.

Annabeth tried to help me keep a lookout, but sailing didn't agree with her.

After a few hours rocking back and forth, her face turned the colour of guacamole and she went below to lie in a hammock. Yojeong took over beside me in the bird's nest, still in the same gender. I didn't want to be rude to her and ask why she didn't shift back into Aster's body once we escaped Circe's island.

I had hesitantly wrapped my hands around her waist, and when she didn't protest, I figured it was okay with her. I pulled her a little closer to me and she turned, her face towards mine, my eyes locked onto the starry gaze. She had a soft smile, slight upturn of her pink lips as her eyes roamed around my face.

I was a total goner. I just hoped she didn't hear my heart galloping as fast as a horse.

This was the first time I had held her this close to me and I wondered if we could ever do this again. Me and her, just in this kind of moment, with no monsters attacking us left, right and centre.

"You know, I never really did get to say this."

"What?"

"You are beautiful." The words escaped before I could take it back.

She was clearly caught off guard with the slight widening of her eyes, before they turned back into her usual warm eyes. It was adorable.

"Thank you."

"Circe, was she your niece?" I asked, something that had been weighing in my mind.

"Yes. My sweet sorceress. When she was a little baby, butterflies came and sat with her. On her hair, her arms, it was everywhere. She was an adorable little laughing baby. I doubt she remembers, it was so long ago."

"Were you there when she was born?"

She laid her head on my shoulders, her both hands wrapped around my torso before she continued, "No, I was there shortly after. Days if I recall correctly, just in time to see the small bout of magic. Such a tiny thing with something so beautiful."

"Must have been an amazing memory." I said, looking at her wistful eyes that were watching the view.

"It was. I raised her. My sweet baby and I had to ponder what had happened to the woman I had left in this cruel world. What would she have become had I not left her alone? Would she still be a kind woman who loved and loved or would she still change even if I was by her side? It makes the moments I live be even more dear to me." Her eyes turned sad, her smile turned blue.