Raging Seas [pjo au] || 1

[ interlude i ]

She hesitated. "W-Well... Your face wears purple!"

His face twisted into pure confusion. "What?"

Kali couldn't help but bust out laughing in surprise. The other day during a ride on the subway from school, they got into a fight. Naia had said something about one thing or another being stupid, and Kali unthinkingly replied with, "Your face is stupid," in retaliation. After another argument involving Naia whining about how her face isn't stupid, everything calmed down and Kali had to explain the insult and that she really didn't mean it, and also gave other examples of using 'your face' as a comeback of sorts.

Safe to say, she hadn't been expecting Naia to use it. Or Makoa's utter confusion.

"My face doesn't wear purple," he said. "What does that mean?"

Kali tried to control her laughter. "It means your face, Koa."

"Huh?!"

It was Naia's turn to begin laughing.

"I don't get it," he whined.

"Don't- Don't worry about it," Kali said through some giggles. "It's nothing."

His lip jutted out in a pout. "But your laughing!"

"Because it's funny when you pout," Naia said.

"Hey, that's not nice," Kali told her somewhat jokingly.

Makoa crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue at them both.

Kali was about to return the action like the mature almost twelve year old she was, but stopped when she heard, "Hey, Kali," be shouted from somewhere behind her. She looked over her shoulder, eyes moving from person to person until she spotted a familiar head of dark hair and green eyes.

She grinned, closed the photo album in her lap, and pushed it and the cold water bottle she'd been holding aside as she stood. "Hey, Percy." The distance between them wasn't long, and she jogged the rest of the way to him. They shared a quick hug.

As he pulled away and said, "Happy early birthday."

"Thanks."

Then, he was motioning behind him. Kali recognized the woman from when Hades had shown her frozen in time in shimmering gold to Percy. It was nice to her not like that, and instead very much alive and okay and holding what looked to be a rectangular food container, fingers hooked around the handles of a birthday present. Percy held a bag, too.

"So, this is my mom," he said, then half turned to look at her and motioned to Kali. "Mom, this Kali, Po– uh, your ex-boyfriend's other kid."

The woman made a face like she was half amused by how Percy addressed Poseidon, but also exasperated. "Percy..."

"What? I'm not wrong."

The woman shook her head at her son and fondly smiled. Then, she looked at Kali and stuck out her hand. "Hi, Kali. I'm Sally, it's nice to finally meet you. When Percy said he had a half-sister I almost didn't believe it."

"Hey. Um, you too," Kali said, shaking her hand and then nervously pulling back. "I almost didn't believe I had a brother at first, either." The introductions were continued with Naia and Makoa, who both had sobered up from before.