daylight | percy jackson

distance distance distance

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

BOOK THREE

CHAPTER EIGHT.

❝ don't be a stranger, silvers. ❞

THE VAN was crossing the Potomac when Aria spotted the helicopter. It was a sleek, black military model just like the one she had destroyed at Westover Hall. And it was coming straight towards them.

"They know the van," she said. "We have to ditch it."

Zoë swerved into the fast lane. The helicopter was gaining.

"Maybe the military will shoot it down," Grover said hopefully.

"The military probably thinks it's one of theirs," Percy said. "How can the General use mortals, anyway?"

"Mercenaries," Zoë said bitterly. "It is distasteful, but many mortals will fight for any cause as long as they are paid."

"But don't these mortals see who they're working for?" Percy asked. "Don't they notice all the monsters around them?"

Zoë shook her head. "I do not know how much they see through the Mist. I doubt it would matter to them if they knew the truth. Sometimes mortals can be more horrible than monsters."

The helicopter kept coming, making a lot better time than their van was, driving through D.C traffic.

Thalia closed her eyes and prayed extra hard. "Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice about now. Please?"

"Are you praying to the same dude who turned you into a fucking pinecone right now?" Aria questioned with a condescending tone. Zeus was not known for his charity work.

Thalia ignored her and kept her eyes closed but the sky stayed grey and snowy. No sign of any helpful thunderstorms.

Aria watched Percy as he mindlessly fiddled with Riptide, flicking the pen in hopes of distracting his worrisome mind. The dance of his fingers, a silent symphony of apprehension and determination, drew her gaze like a moth to a flame, each movement etching itself into the canvas of her memory with delicate precision.

But amidst the comfort and familiarity of his presence, Aria felt the weight of her own aspirations pressing upon her. Joining the Hunters was her dream, a chance to prove herself, to carve out a seperate path that seemed to be forged for her, a life filled with panic, a life tampered with fear. The Hunters would give her stability, strength, immortality, things that she could only imagine.

As she observed the oblivious boy in front of her, whose very gaze could make the world around her feel safe, she knew she had to distance herself; to untangle the invisible string that had somehow wrapped around her heart, tugging her towards him. She thought of Zoë, whose watchful eyes lingered in the forefront of her mind, a glance of silent expectations.

She had distanced herself from people before. She was sure she could do it again. It was a skill she had honed over the years, a shield she wielded against the pain of attachment.

She was better off being alone.

However, her heart felt a pang of reluctance. For all her resolve, she couldn't deny the very whispers of truth that rang out from the inner workings of her body, the same way that the blood rushed to her heart. Despite her best efforts to convince herself otherwise, she couldn't shake the warmth that bloomed within her whenever Percy was near. There was something about him, something intangible yet undeniable. He was like food from a feast that she couldn't eat from.