More than surviving (P.Jackson)

chapter 9

No.

They couldn't actually be serious.

She thought they were just joking around.

But it was clear that wasn't the plan as the boy held his sword up, right at Nicholas' neck.

Until it wasn't.

Until he wasn't even running anymore.

The boy fell flat on his face, eating the mud.

She then saw the untied shoelace. 

And then the surprised face of all three males around her.

Nicholas gulped, thinking back to when that boy had spilled water on Paige and then tripped over. 

This was just a coincidence...

Right?

Red faced and embarrassed, the boy scrambled to get back up and grab his friend before legging it. Leaving her alone with the boy who had just escaped an unjust death.

Her eyes widened as he looked up at her, blushing a deep pink. 

Nicholas pushed himself up with the help of the tree behind him, huffing when he felt a cut open up on his leg, and blood trickle down from his nose that they'd hit at the beginning of this entire thing.

He realised their friend was still standing there, simply keeping her gaze on the floor, as if hoping it would eat her up and swallow her whole.

Reluctantly, she lifted her face to look at him. 

"Sorry... I didn't think they'd actually try to hurt you."

The brunet nodded slowly, he had noticed her seeming regretful the entire time.

"Who are they then? Who are you?"

She smiled softly.

"I'm Kayla. Daughter of Hecate. Those were Milo and Jacque. Sons of Hephaestus. They don't really like Luke too much, in case you couldn't tell and because of the-"

"The prophecy, right? They were gonna kill me over that thing?"

Kayla furrowed her brows.

"Well, it does say you're going to bring misfortune and suffering. I doubt those two are gonna be the last people who try to kill you over it."

He thought for a moment and realised she was right.

But still.

"Hey, do you know where the dinner place is. I need to talk to my sister."

"Sure, I'll take you."

He wasn't sure if he should trust her. Would she try to take him to a place he'd nearly get killed again?

Either way, he didn't really have much of a choice.

He was completely and utterly lost.

***

As Luke spoke softly to the pair, Percy looked around them, his gaze jolting from every face to every blade of grass on the floor. 

He didn't really know what the older boy was saying, but it didn't really matter when he saw a familiar figure making his way over to them, a shorter girl next to him. 

"Paige, is that Nicholas?"

The brunette hummed in question, still in a trance at what the Hermes' child had been talking about before going over the words in her head.