𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍° ! percy jackson

𝐢𝐢.𝐢𝐢 - 𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 (𝐩)

"So, what the hell happened to you?" Aurora snorted, taking a second to stare at Percy appreciatively. Percy felt warmth fill his heart and pulse through his veins as Aurora's hazel eyes flickered up and down. It didn't help that she looked incredible.

"Um," he murmured, swallowing dryly. Holy Persephone, she was unreal. Like, she actually didn't exist. Why was he even noticing that? But he noticed every little thing about her, every change, everything that stayed consistent. Her strawberry blonde hair was wavier than normal—he wondered if she had finally listened to Silena Beauregard, the Aphrodite head counselor,'s curly hair routine suggestion (don't ask him how he knows that Silena had talked to Aurora about one, he just did)—and pulled back into two intricate braids, champagne colored silk ribbons tied into bows to top off the hairstyle. Her brown eyes glistened with a golden string tying her gaze to his, and her grin took over her entire face. She had looked so happy to see him, and that made him want to scream into his pillow with joy. "I, uh—"

"You are pretty." Tyson's deep voice made Percy jump. He had forgotten his old friend was there, and a hint of annoyance tugged at his stomach as Aurora beamed at the compliment. She didn't seem surprised at all, or even confused as to why Tyson, a cyclops, was at camp. She simply looked at him and smiled acceptingly, brushing past any confusion and ignoring wandering inquiries.

"I was going to say that." He grumbled instinctively, so quietly that no one could hear him. No one batted an eye, which he secretly thanked the gods for.

"Hello, sweetheart! Who might you be?" Aurora asked Tyson with an overabundance of friendliness and a bright smile—which was so unlike her. As he remembered, when Percy had met her, she almost killed him and cursed him out multiple times. (Not to say that he didn't deserve it, but still.) She was definitely not this kind, and it took him a full summer to get her to even consider him a friend. But instead of giving him the cold shoulder like Percy had received, she looked at Tyson warmly, like she was about to give him a hug.

"This is Tyson." Percy answered for him as the said cyclops continued to gape at his friend. He reached forward with a big hand to gently touch her plaited hair, and she smiled as she showed him the ribbon.

"He's a Cyclops." Aurora noted nonchalantly, finally bringing it up. The way she formed her words, she didn't sound threatened or angry or off-put. She was simply stating her observation. "Cute baby Cyclops."

Percy cracked a smirk at her off handed and casual comment. "So I've noticed."

"That's a literal lie. I told him. He didn't even see through the Mist, like an absolute idiot. What a Percy." Annabeth's bossy voice cut through the intimate environment Percy and Aurora had created through their touch, and Aurora let out an excited and delighted shriek of elation, which Percy—again—wanted to make clear that he did not receive that type of welcome.

Percy didn't think being himself should be considered an insult, but it gained a laugh out of Aurora.

"Annie!" Aurora's smile stretched wider than Percy would've thought possible, and her face lit up, like she hadn't truly started living until Annabeth Chase showed up. She hugged the blonde with more vigor than she had hugged Percy—who was standing awkwardly to the side with Tyson, bitter that she seemed to take a liking to the daughter of Athena over him (which was illogical, but Percy didn't care). She jumped into Annabeth's arms, the taller girl lifting the daughter of Persephone off the ground and spinning her around. (On a side note, Percy was slightly shorter than Aurora, and he was terrified of Annabeth's strength.)

"Don't call me that!" Annabeth matched Aurora's enthusiasm, although her words betrayed the sentiment. She set Aurora back on the ground, her gray eyes glassy and threatening tears—though she would never dare with Percy around. (Why did all the girls in his life hate him?) She placed a quick kiss against Aurora's forehead and grinned brighter than he had ever seen the daughter of Athena smile before.