invisible string | f. zhang

viii. trust

Percy looked slightly ill, like he was remembering something he didn't want to.

"You can trust me," Maribelle sniffles, "Honest."

Percy seemed skeptical but he didn't say anything.

"Sorry," Maribelle then says, "I didn't mean to dump all that on you. I barely know you!"

"It's okay," Percy smiles then, "We're friends, okay? We all have our stuff."

Maribelle nods, "Okay."

They sail the rest of the way in silence. Maribelle touches up her makeup and blots her face, trying to rid of the red and puffiness from crying.

"Have you told Frank or Hazel any of this?" Percy asks after a long silence.

Maribelle shakes her head, "I'm sure they know the stories. Rumors."

"A great way to start a friendship or relationship is honesty," Percy tells her.

Maribelle giggles, "You realize you're giving the daughter of Venus relationship advice, right?"

Percy grins too, "Sorry."

"No, it's nice to be on the other side for once," Maribelle says, then she takes a deep breath, "I don't want either of them to look at me differently."

"You heard Phineas. They have their things too," Percy tells her.

Maribelle glances at them, their intertwined hands . . .

"I don't think they like each other like that," Percy then speaks up.

Maribelle gives him a look, "You're joking."

"I may not be the son of Aph—Venus, and I may be oblivious when it comes to people's crushes—or I think that's what I've been told—but I do notice the way he looks at you when he thinks you aren't paying attention," Percy smirks, "He doesn't do that with Hazel."

That makes Maribelle perk up some. She twists a strand of hair around her finger, "He does?"

Percy nods, "Duh. You're very pretty, I think you make him nervous."

She squints her eyes, "I think you're just trying to play to my ego."

Percy smirks again, and says nothing.

Maribelle leans her head against the edge of the boat, watching the dark waves. She couldn't sleep, so she listened as Percy hummed to himself and kept the ship going.

"Maribelle," Percy was shaking her shoulder, "We're here."

Maribelle stretches, she hadn't slept at all. Every time her eyes drooped closed, she'd see his face and wake up. Even in death he was relentless.

"Hazel, wake up. We've reached Seattle," Maribelle leans over to shake Hazel.

She sits up groggily, squinting in the morning sunlight.

"Frank?" Maribelle says this time, shaking him as well.

Frank groans, and rubs his eyes, "Did we just . . . was I just — ?"

"You both passed out," Percy says, "I don't know why, but Ella told me not to worry about it. She said you were . . . sharing?"

"Sharing," Ella agrees. She was crouched in the stern, preening her wing feathers with her teeth, "Sharing is good. No more blackouts. Biggest American blackout, August 14, 2003. Hazel shared. No more blackouts."

"Yeah, we've been having conversations like that all night. We still don't know what she's talking about," Percy shrugs.

"You were there," Hazel looks at Frank.