𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑 percy jackson

006. sightseeing, but percy has a death wish

"ABSOLUTELY NOT, SEAWEED brain."

percy slammed down a cardboard box—the perfect size for a certain someone's decapitated head—and filled out a delivery slip.

"loosen up, sunshine." the boy rolled his eyes.

"um...i agree with sky, percy. they're not going to like that," grover warned. "they'll think you're impertinent."

he poured some golden drachmas in the pouch. as soon as he closed it, there was a sound like a cash register. the package floated off the table and disappeared with a pop!

"i am impertinent," percy said.

skylar looked at annabeth for some kind of backup, but she seemed resigned to the fact that percy had a major talent for ticking off the gods.

"come on," she muttered. "we need a new plan."

miserable was an understatement when describing how skylar's night went.

they had camped out in the woods, a hundred yards from the main road, in a marshy clearing that local kids had obviously been using for parties. the ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers.

they'd taken some food and blankets from aunty em's, but didn't dare light a fire to dry their damp clothes. the furies and medusa had provided enough excitement for one day and they didn't want to attract anything else.

everyone decided to sleep in shifts. percy volunteered to take first watch so, skylar and annabeth curled up together on the blankets and the daughter of athena was snoring as soon as her head hit the ground. grover fluttered with his flying shoes to the lowest bough of a tree, put his back to the trunk, and was out cold not long after.

skylar laid wide awake. she attempted to count all the stars she could spot in the night sky, but it just made her migraine worse. she soon pushed herself off the uneven ground and aggressively rubbed her eyes.

"go to sleep," percy said flatly. "i'll wake you guys up if there's trouble."

the daughter of apollo readjusted herself to see the boy, but winced as her bruised abdomen stung. she was definitely not falling asleep anytime soon.

"i'm not tired, let's just switch."

percy's silhouette seemed to freeze in the moonlight. "can i ask you a question?"

"no."

"do you have nightmares?"

skylar played with her gold bracelet. "did chiron tell you?"

"tell me...what?"

"nevermind."

crickets chirped through the heavy silence that rested between the two. percy tried to read skylar's expression in the moonlight, but only saw her upturned nose scrunch instinctively.

"another question." he said.

"gods, are we playing twenty questions, or something? how about i ask one—are you always this insufferable?"

"i don't know, are you always this moody?"

"you're calling me the moody one?" skylar breathed.

"yeah, i am," percy remarked. "every two seconds i hear you whining about this quest, calling it stupid, and stuff."

"maybe, cause it is stupid! if i could go back, i would've never agreed to this, being here—with you."

percy shrugged. "how about you do us all a favor and just leave, then!"

the sound of rustling tree branches echoed overhead, grover came fluttering down from the tree branch he had been sleeping on.