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07 - I Question My Sanity

Grover smiled at Corey, seeing the frown on her face. "So... you're not as dead as we thought you'd be" Grover spoke up, causing Annabeth to break the hug. "Surprise" Percy shrugged off like nothing happened. "What happened?" Grover asked him before looking at Corey, "And what happened to your hair?". Corey looked at him weirdly, "What are you talking about?" She asked them, her hands raking through her scalp. "You're ginger now" Annabeth answered. "Short version, we need to go to Santa Monica" Percy told them, the information new to Corey as she silently freaked out about her hair.. "What, like now?" Grover asked him with a little shock. "My father's gonna meet me there. He's gonna help us" Percy told them.

Corey looked at him, her eyes widening "I'm sorry, Dad wants us to go to Santa Monica?" She questioned, earning some looks from Annabeth and Grover. Percy smacked his lips, "Yeah, you were unconscious" He told her bluntly. Ouch. " Okay. Uh, just one problem with this plan. The police think that we crashed an Amtrak train and then did that '' Grover pointed to the smoking St Louis Arch and the gigantic group of law enforcement behind them.

"Th-- The cops are after us?" It was Percy's turn to be shocked. "Yeah" Grover confirmed. "Isn't that gonna make it hard for us to get on a train? Or a bus? Or really anything you need tickets for?" Percy questioned, how could this get any worse? "Looks like we're walking" Corey shrugged.

~Ψ~

The group managed to get on the highway without bumping into any law enforcement, the bright sun drying Corey and Percy's clothes. Corey had taken off her jacket and tied it around her waist due to the heat. Percy was still ignoring her, staying next to Grover and making conversation with them.

Corey stopped in her tracks, folding her arms. "Are you just gonna ignore me for the rest of this quest?" She asked, causing the kids to stop and look back at her. Grover and Annabeth shared a look as Percy glared at Corey. "Why? Are there more secrets you've been keeping from me?" He fired back at her, balling his fists. Corey shook her head, "You think I wanted to lie to you?" Corey shouted at him, flailing her hands in the air. "From the moment I figured out you were my brother, I wanted to tell you so badly...Hell I broke the most basic rules of questing to I could protect you!" She explained to him, walking closer to Percy. "I wanted to tell you so many times, you've got to believe me" Tears streamed down her face. "Then why!" Percy shouted back, his body shaking slightly "Why didn't you tell me!".

Corey felt like she was being hit by a train. How could she hide this from him, her brother? She had felt so lost for so long and when she finally found someone who could vaguely understand her, she couldn't tell him who she truly was.

Percy wanted to hate Corey. For lying to him, for not telling the truth but he couldn't. Yeah he was mad, but not at her. He was mad that Echidna didn't let her tell him on her own terms, that Corey had to be put in a position where death was the only outcome and she couldn't die without him knowing. He thought back to when he saw her crying in front of Mr D and Chiron. Was that about him? Was she upset that their father didn't claim her too?

"Because..." Corey's voice faltered slightly as she wiped her tears. "The curse... it didn't just bring me an unwanted lover. Aphrodite's curse leads anyone I love to a doomed fate. Min Jung, Elise... they died because of me. I couldn't do that to you...not you" Corey choked on her cries, looking down at her feet. It was silent, the small breeze echoing in her ears.

Grover and Annabeth stood behind Percy, shocked by Corey's past. They watched as Percy walked closer to Corey, his shoulders slumped. "Seashell" Percy called out to her, his voice hoarse from his previous shouting. Corey looked up at him, expecting him to tell her that it was just an excuse.

Percy wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her gently as his head rested on her chest. Corey let out a breath, hugging him back just as tightly. "I'm sorry for shouting at you" Percy mumbled into Corey's charred shirt. Corey kissed the top of his head, "Never apologise for your emotions Sea Pup, ever" Corey told him with a smile.