Ivy Pittaluga had always made a solemn vow to keep her distance from Percy Jackson, determined to keep her world separate from the camp hero.
However, she realizes that fate has a mischievous plan in store for her. Suddenly thrown together as unlik...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Percy and I went to bed early with a kiss goodnight. Luckily, that night was free from nightmares and I was actually able to get some rest. In the morning, we arrived at Charleston. 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.
By the time I came up on deck, Jason, Frank and Leo had left. Coach Hedge had said that they'd promised to be back by sunset. The girls were ready to go, but I turned to Percy, who was leaning on the starboard rail, gazing over the bay.
"What are you going to do while we're gone?" I took his hand in mine.
"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."
"Good luck, Shark Boy." I kissed him. "Just come back to me, okay?"
"I will, Vine Girl." Percy reassured me, giving my hand a squeeze. "You come back to me, too."
"Okay, ladies." Annabeth called from beside Piper and Hazel. She gave me a nod, asking if I was done. I sent her a smile and a thumbs up. "Let's find the ghost of Battery."
🍇
As we walked along the Battery, I silently wished I stayed with Percy. I enjoyed being with the girls, by my heart was craving to have Percy by my side. We were walking in the seaside park called White Point Gardens. The ocean breeze swept away the muggy heat in the summer afternoon, and it was cool under the palmetto trees. Lining the road were old Civil War cannons and bronze statues of historical figures that reminded me of the automatons from the Titan War. I shuddered at the memory of the war.
I breathed in the sea air and my brain was overtaken by the thought of Percy. How it started with me helping him and Grover into camp and promising to stay away from him to him now being my boyfriend who was missing for months and I just got him back.
The park wasn't crowded. We strolled along South Battery Street, which was lined with four-story Colonial mansions. The brick walls were blanketed with ivy. The facades had white columns. The front gardens were bursting with rosebush, honeysuckle, and bougainvillea.
"Kind of reminds me of New Rome." Hazel said. "All the big mansions and gardens. The columns and the arches."
My thoughts went back to Percy's idea of living in New Rome after graduating from camp. The idea of living in a safe location on the demigod world was something to look forward to. However, the odds of that happening was slim to none due to the Romans hunting us down.
Annabeth nodded in agreement to Hazel's observation. I could only imagine all the architectural thoughts she was concurring in her mind. Piper looked around like she expected an ambush. She said she'd seen this park in her blade but didn't care to elaborate. I wonder what she saw that got her to watch our backs.
