𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘, percy jackson

𝐗𝐗. a misty memory

CHAPTER TWENTY ——
A MISTY MEMORY !

┊͙ 🗽 ˖ . *. ⋆

( "yeah... it's me." )

PARKER WAS BACK ON THE STREETS OF NEW YORK.

The moon hung like a silver coin in the night sky, casting a pale glow over the quiet streets of Manhattan. Usually, New York was a bustling place, though the very few cars that passed led her to believe it was very early in the morning.

Parker had no idea how long she had been gone. To her, it felt like years. Though what was left of her sanity told her that might be a bit dramatic.

Time flies by when you're having fun. And Parker had absolutely zero fun in Tartarus.

The slight breeze in the air was humid and warm leading Parker to believe it was nearing the end of her least favourite time of year, summer.

She wondered how time worked in Tartarus in comparison to the regular world— if it was possible that it was the same summer as her quest with Annabeth, Grover, and Percy.

Parker had thought about them every day, hoping that they were all able to get out safely and set things right— Fix everything that she aided in messing up.

Judging by how New York looked the same as how she left it, she figured there had been no Titan takeover.

At least not yet.

It started to rain. Parker had been mindlessly walking down sidewalks, looking for a possible store where she could find some new clothes. Glancing down at her own body, she saw how ripped and dishevelled her makeshift clothes were, and how the rain was rinsing off dried blood and grime.

In short, she looked like an asylum escapee. Though the streets of New York have definitely seen weirder.

She picked up the pace and found a clothing boutique to break into, seeing as nothing was open at this hour of the day. Alarms set off in the store, though Parker didn't care. It was rare mortal police officers were smart enough to catch a demigod.

However, even with a change of clothes and a rain shower, Parker was ready to collapse any minute. She found it hard to believe she was even still alive— even if her version of alive was much more withered away than the usual human. 

Parker knew she didn't have much left in her. She thought if she didn't get ambrosia or nectar soon, her last breath would be within the next 48 hours. She could feel the weakness in her bones, all the cuts and bruises left all over her body.

In a fresh t-shirt and sweatpants, Parker stumbled out of the clothing boutique. Her knees buckled as she stepped back out under the dark night sky, making her collide with the store's large display window.

Without thinking, she let herself sink to the ground, sitting on the wet sidewalk. Feeling the rain droplets on her face, Parker looked to the sky and saw the very few stars that were visible in the New York City lights. She hadn't seen stars in forever.

Parker knew that she should smile knowing she was safe for now— that she should feel beyond ecstatic that she had managed to escape the Underworld.

But she couldn't even conjure up the feeling of happiness. What did being happy even feel like? Parker couldn't even recall the last time she was content. She could barely remember her own name at this point.