LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE . . . hoo

XIX.

Mia shrugged. "It was nothing, really," she said. "Hylla was nice. Just because you wronged her in your past life, doesn't mean that she was really hostile."

"Hey! I barely remember that!" Percy protested.

"That doesn't matter. Not when someone's been hurt like that," Mia said, then she grimaced as she realized that that was a little more somber than what she'd wanted to say. "But, you know, I've always wanted to do a prison break."

"You mean you haven't done a prison break yet?" he teased her.

She rolled her eyes. "I find myself on the right side of the law, thank you very much. And then you lot came, and now I'm dancing between the line between both sides of the law."

He smiled at her, but then it faltered. "Dancing . . ."

Shit. Oh. Shit. Percy stared at her, as if trying to find answers from her. Mia stared at him right back, her eyes dropping to his parted lips for a second before she cursed herself again, turning to finish the dishes, because she was so close to being done. "Are you telling me that you're a dancer, Percy Jackson?"

"I — I don't think so," he looked troubled. "There was this girl . . . who taught me how to dance, I think."

Mia hummed, offering him a plate to dry. After a couple of seconds, he took it, absentmindedly drying it as he thought. "That's cute. I'd love to learn how to dance. It seems very freeing."

"Yeah . . ." she felt a gaze on hers, and she looked over to see him staring at her. "It was."

"Your turn!" Hazel called, coming down the stairs and making them both jump. "Sorry!"

"It's okay," Percy told her, putting the dried plate in the cupboard. "Thanks, Hazel."

"Don't forget to do the laundry when you're done," Mia told him. "Our clothes — yours, especially — smell awful."

He wrinkled up his nose at her as he left. "Alright, Miss Gucci."

He went out of earshot, and Mia finally finished the dishes. She put them all away as Hazel watched her. "Do you want to ask me something, Hazel?"

"You know him," Hazel said. "You have to had known him."

Mia's eyebrows raised by just a hair. "I thought you knew this by now," she said. "What's up, Hazel?"

"Why aren't you telling him who he is?"

"Because I made an oath to mother and to Pluto," Mia snapped. "Just before we got you out of Asphodel — they made us swear. And it's not like I've—" she sighed. "It's not like I've done good things, in this life and in my past life. But all I have to do is endure. You understand. And you can't tell him, or anyone else about this, if you want them knocking at your door." She rubbed her eyes, her feet leading her toward the stairs. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Hazel, I'm going to finally get sleep for the first time in days."

She made it to her room and immediately passed out, her dreams full of memories from her past life that she'd pushed down a long time ago that were finally resurfacing.

* * *

The next morning, Mia got word that they were sent to the attic, where a bunch of weapons were. She ignored them and stood at the roof, peering down below.

Down in the yard, the ogres were milling around, shoving each other, occasionally yelling at the house, and throwing bronze cannonballs that exploded in midair. Mia scrunched up her nose as she watched them, eating a bag of chocolate covered cookie dough bites that would probably be the only thing keeping her awake today.