𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝘾𝙊𝙇𝘿, 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺 𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯

𝙏𝙒𝙊, 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨

When Annabeth and Percy came back downstairs, Percy holding my mother's now invisible head, Grover stood back up. I didn't; I just sat there for a bit longer, not really bothering to listen to their conversation.

Why would I?

Sure, I would be going with them on whatever quest-thing Grover said they would be doing. But, that didn't mean I cared about the quest-thing, I just cared about not dying. And if helping the miserable gods responsible for what happened to my mother was what I had to do to live — and, let's be real here, avenge my mother after — this quest-thing was what I would go on.

Salem suddenly tensed, and whatever zone I was in I fell out of. I glanced at the trio, where Percy and Annabeth appeared to be fighting with each other, while Grover — presumably the peacekeeper of the bunch by how he's acted so far — does his best to get them to quit.

I sight quietly, trying to calm down Salem. There haven't been many tense moments with me and my mom all alone here, but when there is, Salem doesn't do particularly well. Any argument or sign of trouble gets her nerves going wild, and until things calm down it's hard to get her to calm down.

"Salem." I murmur quietly, Percy and Annabeth's voices drowning out my own. "It's fine. They're fine. We're fine."

Are we fine? I'm not really sure, to be honest, but Salem is a cat. She doesn't need to know anymore than she can figure out with her cat brain.

"No one's gonna hurt you, Salem." I add in a hushed voice, holding her up in my arms. I cradle her, rocking her slightly, like my mom did with Salem when she was just a little kitten and I wasn't old enough for mom to fully trust me with her.

"-all day, I've been trying to keep this quest on track without upsetting either of you!" Grover shouting captures both mine and Salem's attention. "But, maybe things need to get a little upsetting before they move forward." He takes a deep breath before looking between the two of his friends. "She asked you a question back in the woods, and you never really answered. What are you so afraid of?" Grover questions.

"What are you talking about?" Percy demands.

"You heard me." Grover says back.

"I don't know." Percy brushes it off.

"I think you do." Grover pushes. "You've been fighting with her, you've been fighting with me."

"Because the Oracle said one of you would betray me, okay?" Percy caves. "'You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, and you shall fail to save what matters most in the end.'" He quotes. "That's the rest of what she said to me. I chose her," Annabeth, "because I couldn't imagine we'd ever be friends. And I chose you because I thought if I can count on anyone to be on my side, no matter what, it was you. And now, I'm feeling so alone. I don't know what to think or who to trust."

There's a moment of awkward silence, and the three of them look between each other. Salem senses the tenseness about as much as I do, her claws out and gripping my shirt.

"I didn't mean it that way." Percy says after a few beats of silence, looking at Annabeth.

"Alecto offered to help our quest if I gave you up to her." Annabeth says.

"What did you say?" Percy furrows his brows.

"I killed her sister." Annabeth admits. I mean, gods be damned, this feels like the plot of a book or two on my shelf.