{2} 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 | 𝙻𝚞𝚔𝚎 𝙲𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚗

15.

Ψ 𝐀 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 Ψ

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐧, I needed to think clearer.

Maybe I should've just stayed in.

I saw Percy sitting on the beach, drinking a can of coke. I walked over to him and sat by his side.

"Hey." I spoke trying to lighten up on him after being an ass.

"Hey." He said back.

"Why are you up?" I asked him as he told me "I'm worried about Grover...I know you and Clarisse are friends for some reason, but he's my best friend. I deserve this quest."

Chewing on my bottom lip and rubbing my hands together I spoke, "I agree with that, but be a little easy on Clarisse, look at who's her father."

He shrugged telling me "And? Doesn't give her the right to be a bully." He was right, Clarisse was a bully, and I don't condone it, I did have a few talks with her about dialing it back.

But she does follow her peers, her siblings.

Looking at Percy all I could see was Poseidon, which I didn't enjoy but I had to get used to it.

"I'm sorry for not wanting to talk throughout the year, but you have to understand that none of this is easy for me as it is with you." I admitted to him.

"You don't have to be picked on about Tyson being your brother." He tried to use an excuse.

I scoffed at those words and told him "Percy... even if I did, I wouldn't have cared at all. What I would do, is tell Tyson that I love him no matter what."

He complained that it was, "easy for you to say."

Confused, I asked "what does that mean?"

Percy paused for a second and looked at me "you would rather have him for a brother than me."

With those words it struck me, I frowned and looked away saying "it's because I can understand what Tyson went through...maybe not equally but I understand."

He laughed out "we all went through our issues. And the Gods may not be the best they're trying to make up for it."

My hand began shaking, I wanted to chew on my fingernails but instead I played with my bracelet telling him "Percy you don't have any idea of what you're talking about."

He complained to me "maybe not, but you won't tell me."

"Because if I do you will hate Poseidon, me. I don't know! But Percy I keep things from you because a kid at your age doesn't deserve that!"

Percy told me "None of us are normal kids."

Couldn't argue with that one if I was being honest. But still, how could I tell him? How can I explain to him that my mom was homeless for the first 2 years of my life?

How could I tell him we lived in the smallest apartments ever, in the worst of neighborhoods, eating food scraps that people left. Well, I mainly did because my mom thought it was best for me to eat and for herself to starve.

Is it that simple for me to tell him the reality of the last 18 years of my life? Of my mom's life? Of what Poseidon kept from us?

It's not.

I kept my mouth shut and stood up telling him "You'll find out when I know you're ready. And you certainly aren't right now."

Walking away from Percy, my gut knew that I was in the right. I shouldn't tell him yet, because when I do, he might react...well. I'm not sure. I hope he will react in the way he should. If not...I don't know what, I'll think of anymore.