The Hard Way (A Female Percy Jackson/ Young Justice Crossover)

14

Percy tried to remember how she had found herself here, but the blank spaces in her memory made that impossible.

This was the best place she could be though, she reasoned, sitting in her room on the Argo II with a blue coke in hand. She knew it had been an odd day, but she couldn't piece together why. And she had definitely been in the middle of something, hadn't she... but what was it? She couldn't remember, so she reasoned that is must not have been that important.

Her muscles ached as she rose to her feet, unusually sore for just getting out of bed.

Stepping into frame of the mirror, she surveyed herself. Yes, she knew what she looked like. She had just gotten back from Tartarus with Annabeth. Bruises and cuts painted her time in Hell on her skin. She hadn't even healed yet, or washed the matted nest of curls she called hair. Smiling at the clean Camp Half Blood logo over her chest, she ran her fingers across it as if the pegasus was about to fly away from her. Then she fingered the beads of her necklace, and with it, pulled out a curious long chain adorned with a crystal pendant. As much as she wanted to look at the beads, she found herself fascinated by the second necklace, ice against her skin, even through the shirt.

Oh yeah. It was a gift from Khione before she left the cabin today. When had she found time to go there? Again, she didn't know, but she was so relieved to be home that she set the thought aside and stalked out toward the lounge area of the ship. That's where she would find the team. The seven, she corrected herself. Her hands felt the wall beside her as she walked through the skinny corridor, desperate to memorize every second she had here.

They were there waiting for her in the lounge, each in the seats she could remember from that day—Piper and Jason, arms slung around each other on the love seat, Hazel and Frank sitting close on the long couch, and Annabeth at the other side. Percy's heart could have stopped at the sight, it was more perfect than she ever thought she could imagine.

"Hey, Percy." Annabeth called from the couch, looking like a princess with her freshly washed and blow-dried hair. "Come sit next to me."

It was surreal for some reason. The air seemed to shimmer as if she was dreaming; the lights were so soft and warm against her skin. Oh gods, Annabeth. Percy was beside her friend so quick, gripping her hand as if she were about to disappear. "I've been so lost without you."

"Don't be silly, Seaweed Brain, you're not without me. I'm right here." She laughed, gesturing to herself, then turned her eyes to Percy's bare arms. "Why haven't you healed yourself yet?"

Annabeth had taken as much ambrosia as she could but many of her wounds had remained so Percy waited got heal herself as well. Strange, her injuries were all gone now, not even a single scratch remained on the daughter of Athena...

What had she responded with? "Solidarity." Yeah, that was it.

They laughed. Annabeth looked just the way she had before Tartarus—strong, healthy, alive. Then she thought of the others, they were here too. As she scanned the loving faces of each of her friends—Frank, Hazel, Piper, Jason, and Annabeth again. She panicked, remembering something. "Where's Leo?"

Piper smiled, "He'll be here soon."

"I've been so worried about him." She had felt such a weight in her chest, though she couldn't pinpoint a source of the anxiety. All she wanted was to see him, now. "Did something happen?"