Chapter 46
Calm. The birds chirping outside, the flutter of the harpies' wings, the distant crash of the waves, and opening her eyes to meet a blue gaze.
He smiled seeing her awake, and she returned the smile, thankful that he was okay, until she remembered the price she paid.
Jay. Killing him in hopes that it would help with everything around her, and her smile faded as he helped her up.
She placed her hand on her stomach, where her stab wound was but there was no blood. No cut. Nothing that suggested she had stabbed herself just a couple hours ago.
Only then she realised she wasn't even in the infirmary. She was on her bunk bed in her cabin, and Edward sat at the edge of her bed, looking at her confusion.
"We took you to the water. It healed you," he whispered, as if anything louder than that would startle her.
She looked over at Percy's bed that was still empty, and clumsily made (which in Percy's language is considered neat) as her vision focused, and her head stopped spinning.
"He had enough power to make it back to shore, but he passed out. Annabeth's looking after him in the infirmary."
"I-" the words got caught in her throat, not wanting to speak in case her voice betrayed her. The tears welled in her eyes, and she gulped, trying to clear her throat and make her voice stronger.
"Does anyone know what I did?" She tried to be vague in case he didn't know.
He shook his head slightly, taking her hands into his. "Thanatos watched you for the entire thing and alerted Chiron. I was making my way back to pick you both up and I saw it. No one else said anything about it, even if they saw it."
A tear slipped from her eye, and she rubbed her nose with her free hand. He gently wiped away her teardrop.
There was a frantic knock on the door, and Edward quickly pulled his hand away before a curly haired blonde Will stuck his head in.
"Oh good. You're awake. Chiron wants to talk to you. Now," he said, without enthusiasm that she was good, but just in his monotonous voice that stated he was sent to deliver a message and not be anyone's friend. Why would anyone be her friend after what she did?
Just from the way he had said it, he knew word had spread and everyone was aware of what she did; and if they weren't, they would find out soon.
*
*almost 7 months ago*
Poseidon had returned almost when the sun was setting, his hands filled with numerous bags, a variety of food and drinks for her.
He also built a makeshift tent, using just one tarpaulin and strung it from tree to tree to make a shelter, and the other one lay on the ground, so she could rest.
He set it down on the floor, as she sat up, staring at him intensely that he didn't even have to look at her to know she was looking at him.
"What do you mean that there's going to be a war?" She finally spoke as he sat against the tree opposite her.
"Who kidnapped you Priya? Do you know?" He ignored her question, asking one of his own.
"No- but he said he wanted revenge for what you did to him," she motioned to her face, remembering how the Titan's face was scarred and burned.
"It's no surprise that the Titans and gods, have been fighting since the earth was created. Oceanus and I fought for the same place; the same power-"
"Then why kidnap me? Why not go after you himself?"
Poseidon gritted his teeth at being interrupted, but instead he just calmly responded.
"Because you have something he wants. Something that could get him more power."
Priya stared at him with a blank expression, waiting for him to continue.
"That's not relevant in this moment."
"What?" She got up on her feet, offended that he was still keeping things from her. "No, dad. It is relevant, because if you think I'm going to fight a war for you, without knowing the reason, then you're wrong."
He bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying things he regretted, and instead tried to keep his cool.
"Priya, it's not just your war. Oceanus doesn't just want me. He wants my children. That's the only way he knows he can get to me."
"Really? You would risk your life for us, dad? Would you?"
"I would," Poseidon replied without hesitation, and Priya continued staring at him.
"Ask percy he's better at these things than I am. And more powerful."
Poseidon shook his head slowly. "You may be more powerful that he is. But you don't realise it because you don't allow yourself to fully master your gifts."
Priya scoffed, wondering how many times he's said that to his children already just to get them to do what he wants.
"When will the war start?" She tried to change the topic, wanting nothing more than to return back to camp.
"The moment Hera chucks that crown off Olympus when she realises it's a fake," he barely whispered, and she stared at him in shock.
A fake? They risked their lives and spent almost the entire winter break for a fake crown?
Multiple questions ran through her head but she could even focus on one long enough to ask it.
"Haphaestus originally made it for Aphrodite, as a gift. After finding her with Ares more than a few times, he switched it for a fake," he paused, sensing Priya's next question. "Apparently that was easier than just stealing back the crown and creating drama. Aphrodite gifted it to Hera after upsetting her in the second Titan war, which brings us to the present. Hers lost it- or rather it was stolen by Oceanus, knowing that it would put us against each other."
"What does this have to do with anything?" She rolled her eyes, walking down the small path and collecting wood for a fire, and he trialed behind her.
"That original crown was melted, and converted into something else. And that something else holds the power that Oceanus believed was in that crown, if it had been real."
"And he thinks I have this- this reinvented crown?" She gasped, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous it sounded, but Poseidon just nodded. She skipped a few steps further, picking up some dried wood, and adding it to the pile in her hand. That should be enough to last for the night.
"You do have it Priya. It's the necklace that I gave you for your 16th birthday," he watched the amazonite crystal necklace resting among her camp necklace and another silver necklace.
She slowly looked down at her own necklace , holding it between her fingers of her free hand, wondering how something as small as that could have so much power.
"Priya, I have trusted you, and your brother in completing tasks, and saving Olympus. Now, the only way you can defeat Oceanus, with the least fatalities, will require you to trust me. And you must trust me completely Priya," he eyes held back that fiery look, but not one resembling Zeus'. While Zeus' eyes shown with a rage and fury, Poseidon's were blue and calm, but constantly changing, as if the next time he blinked, he would unleash a massive current with it.
"Trust you with what?" She slumped onto the door, dropping the handful of sticks next to her, before rubbing her head. "This is too much."
And so he explained everything to her. Everything that if he had known just 15 minutes earlier that it was cause her to run from him, he wouldn't have mentioned it.
But he was hones. Maybe not as much as he should've been, especially as he was asking her to trust him, but he explained his plan.
The plan that would only work, if she agreed. If not, then Poseidon would quite literally die, whilst protecting his will to live.
He asked Priya for the full prophecy, which she still had no clue about, and only told him of the first 4 lines she'd been told. She told him about what happened on the quest, and the monsters they had encountered.
When she had returned and lit the fire (with a little help from him), he tossed the food at her, knowing she probably hadn't had anything besides the small pack of biscuits he had gotten for her.
And he started to explain what was going on.
"No," she gasped, putting down the bag of fries and staring at him in horror.
"No?" He tilted his head to the side, hacking not been used to being told no.
She laughed a little- obviously shocked that he thought she would agree to it. "You're telling me, Oceanus is combining forces with other ancient monsters and titans-"
"Not just ancient- but some of the very first ones created-"
"And that the only way that we could actually defeat them- because they've been healing and reforming for so long- is to sacrifice my boyfriend?" She gulped down some of the water to avoid the lump rising in her throat.
"Yes," he replied calmly, and she scoffed. "The entire camp will be fighting, and sure maybe you'll have a few survivors, and we might win, but is it really worth risking everyone's life?"
"So you'd rather have me kill my best friend?"
"If it means that you and your brother remains safe, then yes."
"You're freaking insane," she almost shouted, before realising who she was talking to. Poseidon however, just inhaled deeply and unclenched his jaw, remembering that this was his daughter in front of him.
"We just need some of his blood to spill into the ocean-"
"And you don't care about what happens to him after that right? As long as things go according to your plan, you don't care about the people I care about."
"Let me train you. I've done it once when you first ran away and you were able to make it to camp on your own. Let me help you get over what he did to you."
"No. Because I'm just here to complete tasks for you because you're too cowardly to do it yourself-"
"Priya-" his chest heaved, trying not to let his anger out.
"Poseidon-" she gritted her teeth. "I'm not doing it. I'll fight with camp, if it means I'll die alongside them, but I'm not sacrificing my best friend."
She pulled her jacket over her shoulder and turned her back to him, hearing the small rattle of his rings against his knees for a couple minutes- until it stopped and there was silence.
She slowly turned around, seeing that he had gone, and now was her chance. She picked up her bags and the food and made her way through the forested area, unsure of where she was going, but just knowing that she had to get as far away from him as possible.
How could he even think she'd agree to kill Jay? To kill another demigod? Sure it might save everyone else but was it really worth it, if he wasn't there?
He'd explain how he just needed the blood to spill and he would save Jay before any actual harm came to him, but she needed to trust him for that.
And after spending 4 months in Tartarus and screaming his name, and Percy's, or just about anyone that would help, she lost hope. She lost faith in him. He wasn't there to help her, even though she was sure he had know she was there and heard her screams each night.
She didn't trust him as much as she had before, and hating that even a slight part of her felt like that towards him, she turned around from the borders of camp, and headed in the opposite direction. Being so close to that place she called home, just outside the reach of Percy, Jay and her other friends, but it was too obvious. It would be the first place he looked for her.
So she ran down the hill, still feeling the powerful border calling to her, and reached out onto the main road. Maybe where she was headed was some place that was so obvious to find her, but a place he never though she would've returned to.
Her mother's.