Daughter of the Sea God

Chapter 14

"Percy's back!" Annabeth slammed the door of my cabin open, throwing the comforter off of my curled up body and pulling me off my bed.

"W-what?" I asked sleepily, unable to comprehend anything going on.

"Percy. Is. Back! You know? Your brother? Who left like a week and a half ago?" She spelled it out for me. My eyes widened in excitement and the both of us bolted out of the cabin towards Thalia's tree.

"Percy!" I screamed, tackling him in a hug. He managed to stay standing, only stumbling back slightly as I wrapped my arms and legs around him like a koala, causing him to laugh.

"Hey little sis. Miss me?" He grinned.

"Hell yeah!" I shouted as I pulled back and put both feet on the ground. He put a hand over my mouth, giving me a stern look.

"Language," he frowned.

"You're no better!" I protested.

"Point taken," he laughed. He saw Annabeth over my shoulder and it was her turn to tackle him. This time he didn't manage to stay standing and both of them fell to the ground, laughing and kissing. I rolled my eyes, laughing at them softly as I turned to Terran, engulfing him in a hug as well.

"Ow, ow, watch the ribs!" He exclaimed, shifting slightly to be more comfortable. I gave him a concerned look and he shook it off. "Broke a couple with Lamia, but I'll be fine," he smiled reassuringly and I nodded. Something about him was off though. Physically, yes, I believed he was fine, but there was something else...

"Where's Jake?" I asked, looking around, my heart rate picking up. Something is wrong.

"Mira..." I heard Terran say hesitantly.

"Where is he?!" I asked, starting to panic. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and looked over to see Percy. He pulled me to his chest.

"He's gone, Mira," he said quietly. I froze, all the muscles in my body stiffening as the hair on the back of my neck stood up. This is what Nico meant. He had felt it.

"No... No!" I yelled, pulling away from him as tears started running down my cheeks.

"Mira, I'm sorry," Percy said, reaching for me again. I backed away, shaking my head.

"No! Stay away from me!" I shouted. I sidestepped Terran, who had reached out to grab my arm. I turned, running as fast as I could away from them, away from the words they spoke. I knew they were true, yet I refused to believe them.

Everything after that was a blur. Tears ran down my face, preventing me from really seeing where I was going, and my sobs kept me from hearing my brother and my friends calling after me. Eventually I found myself in a dark, cold place. Not really caring and too exhausted from running, I closed my eyes and fell into a fitful sleep.

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Something cold and wet touched my arm. I groaned softly in my sleep, pushing away the sniffing thing. I was nudged in my stomach in response and finally opened my eyes. A huge, dark, shaggy shape loomed over me. I squeaked in fear and scrambled back. The shape barked loudly, tongue lolling out excitedly.

"Mrs. O'Leary?" I questioned, squinting at the dark thing. Sure enough, it was the camp-friendly hellhound. I reached up and scratched her behind her ears, in the spot she liked. She made a soft rumbling sound, similar to a cat purring except deeper, and flopped over onto her side, allowing me to scratch her stomach and sides.

"Good girl, Mrs. O'Leary," I heard a voice behind me. I spun around, heart racing. The familiar figure of the son of Hades stood a few feet away, almost blending in with the dark. If not for his pale face he would've been completely invisible. "Everyone is out looking for you," he nodded to me, walking closer and leaning against his dog.

"I don't want to be found," I grumbled. I heard a soft chuckle from him and my eyebrows shot up. I'd never heard him make any sound remotely close to a laugh.

"Sorry, you just sound like me," he grinned.

"Not sure if that's a good or bad thing," I jabbed.

"Neither am I," he shrugged. Sighing, he said, "we need to get back. You can't stay out here."

"No," I glared at the small boy.

"Come on, Mira. You can't stay out here and drown in your misery forever. It's not healthy, believe me. Let's go back to camp. Everyone is worried sick," he persuaded. I sighed in defeat and nodded. He took me by the hand and darkness consumed both of us.

I saw flickering lights as I fell to my knees coughing. "You seriously need to warn me before you do that," I choked out. He gave me a guilty smile.

"Sorry."

Standing up, I looked around. Camp was basically deserted. We were next to the usually crowded amphitheater. The campfire was giving off the flickering light, and normally would've been busy during this time, but it seemed like everyone else was gone.

"Where is everyone?" I questioned.

"I told you, out looking for you," he answered coolly. My eyebrows shot up for the second time that night. I didn't know that many people actually cared. Percy had probably been the one to tell them to look for me.

"Though I stayed behind in case you came back," I heard Percy's voice behind me. I turned and saw him, looking stressed and exhausted. Suddenly I felt extremely guilty. I ran to him and hugged him tightly. "I'm so, so sorry Mira. There was nothing I could do. I tried. I tried so hard to save him," he whispered, holding me close.

"I know. It's okay. You can't save everyone," I choked out, trying not to cry.

"C'mon, let's get you taken care of," he said after pulling back and examining me. I had a bunch of cuts on my face, neck, arms and legs from tree branches whipping my skin and a large bruise under my eye from who knows what. I nodded to him, not realizing the physical pain until he mentioned it. Percy looked to Nico, who was standing awkwardly a few feet away. "Can you find Chiron and tell him she's back so the search parties can stop looking?" He asked. Nico gave Percy a curt nod and disappeared into the shadows. I really needed to ask how he did that.

Percy led me to the infirmary, and since everyone was still out, he treated my cuts himself. Sure, he wasn't the best at it, but they certainly wouldn't get infected with the amount of rubbing alcohol he used.

I hissed in pain as he dabbed my last cut. "Okay, okay, I'm done," he said, dropping the cotton ball in the biohazard bin and raising his hands in surrender.

"Finally," I muttered. He rolled his eyes and picked me up. "Hey! Put me down! I can walk by myself!" I protested.

"Oh really?" He challenged. "Okay, walk," he said, putting my feet back on the ground. I took a step and wobbled, now realizing how dizzy I was from hunger and dehydration. Downside of being a Poseidon kid: you get dehydrated very easily. "That's what I thought," he smirked, scooping me up. I sighed, but didn't protest as he carried me back to our cabin and settled me in my bed, tucking me in like a child. I stuck my tongue out at him, causing him to laugh. "Get some rest. And drink this," he said, producing a water bottle that I hadn't noticed a second ago. I nodded, taking the bottle and gulping down water. When it was empty I handed it back to him with a small but grateful smile and snuggled into my pillow, trying to push away all thoughts of Jake. I didn't entirely succeed, but I managed to fall asleep without crying. My dreams were filled with his face and voice though, causing me to wake up several times crying. Percy was there every time to comfort me. He would rub my back and whisper comforting words until I fell back asleep.

A/N: WOOHOO THREE UPDATES IN 4 DAYS YAY! PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! I KNOW I JUST SANK THE SHIP BUT I'M AN EVIL PERSON SO I HAD TO BREAK YOUR FANGIRL HEARTS! AND NO, NICOxMIRA IS NOT GONNA HAPPEN BECAUSE HE'S A GAY MOFO SO I KNOW IT KINDA SEEMS LIKE IT, BUT IT'S ALL COUSINLY LOVE! DON'T KILL ME OKAY BYE!