This Dark Night ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase¹

―xx. highs and lows

"I went to the Underworld in a dream a few days ago," Naomi said softly. "He and my mother were arguing... do you know why?" 

Zagreus sighed softly. "I've been forbidden to speak of it," he admitted. "Even to you. But, I assure you, it has nothing to do with you. That fight is mostly over." 

Naomi wasn't sure if that made her feel better or just more confused. She decided on the latter. 

"Don't worry about our parents," Zagreus told her. "Their fights never last. They love each other too much to remain at odds. Sometimes I wished they loved each other a little less—do you know how uncomfortable it is to eat dinner with your family when your parents keep playing footsies under the table and you keep getting caught in it? It's weird." 

Naomi laughed, which seemed to be what Zagreus was aiming for. It was hard to imagine the king and queen of the Underworld playing footsies, but the idea was as hilarious as it was disturbing. 

The song came to an end, and Zagreus stopped. His gaze settled on something behind Naomi, and one corner of his mouth tilted up even more. "I believe someone else wants to dance."

Naomi turned, smiling at the sight of Annabeth walking toward them. She looked a bit warily at Zagreus, but he offered her a friendly smile. 

He looked back at Naomi. "Until next time, Naomi Murphy." 

"Sakura," Naomi corrected softly. "Naomi Sakura." 

"Apologies," Zagreus said. "Until next time, Naomi Sakura." 

He nodded a goodbye before going to join a conversation between a bunch of godlings who looked around his age. 

"Who was that?" Annabeth asked. 

"My brother, apparently," Naomi said. "Zagreus." 

"Oh." Annabeth smiled. "We kind of got interrupted at Westover, didn't we?" 

Naomi's cheeks grew warm, but she blamed the party atmosphere. "We kind of did," she agreed. 

This time, she offered Annabeth her hand without hesitation.

Naomi wasn't sure what Annabeth heard, but as the music changed again, she heard a guitar strumming slowly, and a voice singing of summertime and regrets and love they hadn't gotten the chance to speak of. It was a slow rhythm, like the beating of a heart, picking up every so often. 

They danced, and the gods of Olympus seemed to fade away. The lights reflected off of Annabeth's eyes, turning them into stars. 

"You were so still." Annabeth's voice was quieter than a whisper, but Naomi still heard it. "On Mount Tam, after Atlas..." Her voice caught. She reached for Naomi's face, tracing a line on from her temple to the corner of her mouth—the path of her new scar. 

"Does it look as gruesome as it felt?" Naomi asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer. 

Annabeth's lips turned up just a bit, but her eyes were still sad. "It's silver," she said quietly. "Artemis's magic, I guess." 

Naomi's eyes fell on the streak of silver in Annabeth's hair—a consequence of holding the sky; a reminder of the strength she'd shown. 

Maybe Naomi's scar was the same—a reminder. 

Annabeth's smile faded. "We thought you were gone, Nay," she whispered, her voice catching again. 

Softly, Naomi admitted, "So did I."

Annabeth's hand tightened around Naomi's as the instrumentals in the song faded to just a few strings being plucked, the voice still singing softly. "I'm glad you weren't," she whispered.