𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘.
the boat the trio had taken from the pirates was responding to each of percy's commands.
thankfully, it was basically driving itself.
with the amount of times percy had realized he was staring at cherry, he would've crashed.
cherry could feel his eyes on her.
the second she looked over at him, he looked away.
he seemed different.
at least, his energy did. it was weaker.
the boat sailed through the night.
annabeth had ended up sea sick, and cherry told her it was best to go lie down, so that's what she did.
percy and cherry stayed on deck, by themselves.
they watched the horizon.
monsters were easily visible to them, then.
they didn't speak to eachother.
cherry wasn't in the mood to argue or insult, so they sat in silence.
percy wondered how many more times he'd have to apologize.
he'd never said i'm sorry that many times.
all he could do was feel guilty. she'd done nothing to him, and he'd ruined her life.
he couldn't live with himself.
there was no way to undo his mistakes.
cherry had every reason to hate him, but percy wished desperately that he didn't.
"i'm sorry." percy spoke, as he watched the waves rise and fall.
"i know." cherry nodded.
they were silent again.
after midnight, annabeth came up on deck.
the boat was just passing a smoking volcano island. the sea bubbled and steamed around the shore.
annabeth told them it was one of the forges of hephaestus.
they steered clear of any danger.
percy glanced at annabeth.
"the reason you hate cyclopes so much.. the story about how thalia really died. what happened?" percy questioned.
cherry's eyes widened.
it was hard to see annabeth's expression in the dark.
"i guess you deserve to know." annabeth said, finally. "the night grover was escorting us to camp, he got confused, took some wrong turns. you remember he told you that once? well, the worst wrong turn was into a cyclops's lair in brooklyn."
"they've got cyclopes in brooklyn?" percy asked.
"you wouldn't believe how many, but that's not the point. this cyclops, he tricked us. he managed to split us up inside this maze of corridors in an old house in flatbush. and he could sound like anyone, percy. just the way tyson did aboard the princess andromeda. he lured us, one at a time. thalia thought she was running to save luke. luke thought he heard me scream for help. and me, i was
alone in the dark. i was seven years old. i couldn't even find the exit." annabeth brushed the hair out of her face.
"that sounds horrifying." cherry whispered.
"it was. i remember finding the main room. there were bones all over the floor. and there were thalia and luke and grover, tied up and gagged, hanging from the ceiling like smoked hams. the cyclops was starting a fire in the middle of the floor. i drew my knife, but he heard me. he turned and smiled. he spoke, and somehow he knew my dad's voice. i guess he just plucked it out of my mind. he said, 'now, annabeth, don't you worry. i love you. you can stay here with me. you can stay forever." annabeth continued the story.
percy shivered.
just hearing it was terrifying him and cherry.
"what happened after that?" cherry waited for her to continue.
"i stabbed him in the foot." annabeth told them.
"cool." cherry grinned.
"are you kidding? you were seven years old and you stabbed a grown cyclops in the foot?" percy was shocked.
"oh, he would've killed me. but i surprised him. it gave me just enough time to run to thalia and cut the ropes on her hands. she took it from there." annabeth discredited herself.
"yeah, but still.. that was pretty brave, annabeth." percy told her.
she shook her head. "we barely got out alive. i still have nightmares, percy. the way that cyclops talked in my father's voice. it was his fault we took so long getting to camp. all the monsters who'd been chasing us had time to catch up. that's really why thalia died. if it hadn't been for that cyclops, she'd still be alive today."
the hercules constellation rose in the night sky.
only the sound of the waves was heard for a good minute.
"go below." annabeth advised the pair. "you need some rest."
percy nodded.
cherry watched him go. she wasn't tired yet.
thankfully, annabeth didn't question the red-head.
eventually, cherry fell asleep on annabeths shoulder, and was carried down below.
unfortunately, she was awoken a couple hours later.
percy was screaming.
cherry shot up out of the hammock.
she rushed over to the room next door that percy was staying in. she shook the blonde awake, a look of fear coating her eyes.
"percy, you're fine." cherry spoke, as he woke up.
"what's happening?" percy questioned, as he sat up.
"we're approaching the island of the sirens." annabeth explained, in the doorway.
cherry and percy turned to look at her.
annabeth observed the scene.
her heart seemed to twitch, just a little.
"oh. uh, sorry. i didn't-" annabeth began.
"oh god, annabeth." cherry grimaced. "it's not like that."
"no, i know. sorry." annabeth repeated.
she eyed percy before walking out.
« ───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ───── »
the trio was more awkward than usual.
the comment annabeth had made, disrupted the atmosphere.
cherry had grown too defensive.
percy was upset.
annabeth was strangely uncomfortable.
the island was spotted in the distance.
"i want you guys to do me a favor." annabeth cut into the silence. "the sirens.. we'll be in range of their singing soon."
"we can just stop up our ears. there's a big tub of candle wax below deck." percy began."
"no, the sirens are actually really nice, and they won't do anything to you if you don't plug your ears." cherry lied to the boy beside her.
"i want to hear them." annabeth revealed.
cherry looked at her like she was crazy.
"why would you wanna do that?" cherry questioned her.
"they say the sirens sing the truth about what you desire. they tell you things about yourself you didn't even realize. that's what's so enchanting. if you survive, you become wiser. i want to hear them. how often will i get that chance?" annabeth explained to them.
it made sense she would want to get wiser.
still, cherry was concerned.
annabeth revealed her plan.
cherry tied a rope around annabeths waist, and percy tied the rope down.
"don't untie me." annabeth instructed. "no matter what happens or how much i plead. i'll want to go straight over
the edge and drown myself."
"are you trying to tempt me?" percy joked.
"ha-ha." annabeth spoke, sarcastically.
"if you go over the edge, i'll jump in after you." cherry grinned.
percy kneaded candle wax into earplugs.
he made cherry a pair, first. then himself.
"wow, you look terrible." cherry insulted, knowing he couldn't hear her.
percy knew she was being mean, anyways.
him and cherry turned away, so they wouldn't have to watch her plead with them.
misty fog loomed over the rocks in the distance.
the first time cherry looked back, annabeth was fine.
then, she her expression was a little confused.
suddenly, she was tugging at the ropes. clearly, she was begging to get free.
cherry and percy shared a look.
it seemed like they were trying to remind eachother they couldn't let her out, no matter what.
the island that annabeth seemed desperate to enter, was surrounded by ruins.
old ships, airplane cushions, wood.
tears dragged down annabeths cheeks, as they pleaded with her friends to let go of her.
percy and cherry looked away from her. that was the only way they'd keep this promise.
when they looked back, all that was left in her place was a a heap of cut ropes. her bronze knife was on the deck. she hadn't been disarmed.
percy and cherry rushed to the side.
annabeth was swimming as fast as she could.
percy screamed her name, but she probably couldn't even hear.
the blonde glanced at the wheel, and yelled, 'stay!' then he turned to look back over the edge of the ship.
cherry seemed to recognize the misty look in his eyes.
"don't be stupid." cherry stopped him, almost instantly. "you'll get killed."
if either one of them was going to jump off, it'd be cherry. she had a greater chance of survival.
the redhead glanced at the sea, and immediately her stomach churned.
but she'd jumped into water before, and if it meant saving annabeth, she'd do it in a heart beat.
before the girl could make it fully over the side of the ship, percy yanked her back.
"sorry, cherry. i can't let anything happen to you again." percy apologized for the girls rough landing back into the boat.
he jumped into the water, and followed in the direction annabeth was going.
cherry cursed herself for not being able to save her friends.
percy had no problem with letting her sacrifice her life before, why now, did he refuse?
he was being stupid.
even he knew that.
cherry began to wonder about percy's feeling for annabeth. she was quick to brush the thought off, choosing to instead worry about her best-friend.
a small part of her wanted to pray.
praying was to a greater source of divinity.
cherry wasn't strong enough to save annabeth herself.
pray to what?
percy?
finally, when the pair popped up from under the water, tossed a rope ladder down inert the side of the ship. they climbed aboard.
cherry was quick to huddle annabeth in a blanket.
when the sirens were far enough away, percy removed the wax from his ears. cherry did the same.
the blonde took a seat beside annabeth, on the floor.
"you okay?" percy questioned, his voice quiet. he wasn't ever harsh with annabeth.
"i didn't realize." annabeth murmured.
"what?"
"how powerful the temptation would be."
"i saw the way you rebuilt manhattan,. and luke and your parents. what luke told you back on the princess andromeda, about starting the world from scratch.. that really got to you, huh?"
"my fatal flaw. that's what the sirens showed me. my fatal flaw is hubris."
"that brown stuff they spread on veggie sandwiches?"
"no, seaweed brain. that's hummus. hubris is worse."
"what could be worse than hummus?"
"hubris means deadly pride, percy. thinking you can do things better than anyone else. even the gods."
"you feel that way?"
"don't you ever feel like, what if the world really is messed up? what if we could do it
all over again from scratch? no more war. nobody homeless. no more summer reading homework."
"i'm listening."
"i mean, the west represents a lot of the best things mankind ever did. that's why the fire is still burning. that's why olympus is still around. but sometimes you just see the bad stuff, you know? and you start thinking the way luke does: 'if i could tear this all down, i would do it better.' don't you ever feel that way? like you could do a better job if you ran the world?"
"uh, no. me running the world would kind of be a nightmare."
"then you're lucky. hubris isn't your fatal flaw."
"what is?"
"i don't know, percy, but every hero has one. if you don't find it and learn to control it, well, they don't call it fatal for nothing."
percy's eyes seemed to wander over to the redhead across the boat.