The Sun and the Sea || PJ x OC (Disney+)

Eirina's Second Weakness

Eira found it difficult to sleep in a moving train. Everyone else slept just fine. She found herself lying on her back, listening to everyone's breathing. Percy lay curled in a ball next to her, as Annabeth and Grover had taken the bunks. She turned on her side with a sigh, turning to face Percy. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. Not a look of worry on his face, until —

His eyebrows scrunched together and his breathing quickened. At once, she sat up and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, doing her best to wake him up without being too harsh. He finally sat up with a gasp, his eyes wide. But when he saw Eira, he relaxed and unexpectedly pulled her into a hug, burying his face into her neck, trembling quite badly. She hugged him protectively to her body, running her fingers through his messy, curly hair. She found herself humming softly to the frightened, trembling boy. But as soon as she had started humming, he felt less tense and more at ease. His grip on her back began to relax. 

"Bad nightmare?" she asked gently once she'd finished humming.

"Yeah. I get them all the time," Percy answered bitterly. He paused. "I assume you can't sleep?"

"No. Not really," she admitted as she continued to rub his back in an attempt to soothe him. 

They were silent. Finally, Percy had the guts to ask what her friend, Thalia, was like.

"What was your friend Thalia like? The two of you were friends before, right?"

The girl stiffened. She hated talking about Thalia. It always brought a lump to her throat. But she decided to stay strong and not let Percy see her tears. He deserved to know, she assumed. 

"Yeah. I knew her, alright."

"What was she like?"

She breathed harshly through her nose. "Why are you asking me these questions, Percy?"

"Well, she was a Forbidden Child before me, wasn't she? I assume that she knew about this kind of stuff."

Eira sighed, thinking back to the time when Thalia and Luke had found her and Annabeth, lost in the alleyway.

"She was tough," she finally answered. "Really tough. I mean, she knew that she was a Forbidden Child, she just didn't care. Luke cared for me and Annabeth right away. But Thalia? She made me earn her trust. She was always. . . . harsh, I guess. But once she opens up to you, she can actually be quite a softie."

"Is that why you've been giving me a hard time lately?" Percy asked. Zoira sighed, unsure of how to answer. "To force me to gain your trust?"

"Probably," she finally answered, hesitating. She also didn't want to admit that she had a crush on the boy. Ever since yesterday when he had defeated the Fury with Medusa's severed head, she realized that he was different from the other boys she knew.

"I gotta say, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me," Percy admitted.

"What doesn't make a lot of sense to you?"

"The way you guys talk. The way the gods want us to think. Having to get beaten up by Clarisse just to get my father to finally notice me. It isn't supposed to be that way. People who are close to you aren't supposed to treat you that way, are they?"

"No, I suppose not," Sveta answered.

Someone shifted on the bunks. Percy's eyes widened and he immediately settled back down next to Eira. 

"Annabeth? You awake?" she asked cautiously.

A moment of silence passed.

"No."

Eira smirked. More movement sounded. She could hear Grover moving around.

"You awake?" Percy asked.

"Well, I am, now, thanks," Grover answered in a sarcastic, bitter tone.