Lilia woke up late the next day, it was cabin inspection day and her room was a state. She didn't care too much to clean it up though because it was Annabeth's checking today.
She was curled up in bed when she heard a knock at her door.
"Lilia can we come in?" Annabeth called from behind the door.
We? She thought to herself.
"Sure." She grumbled rolling over to face the door.
Percy and Annabeth walked through the door and the girl failed to restrain from turning up her nose.
"Um, Lilia, you know it's inspection day right?"
"I know." She huffed looking at the piles of clothes on the floor.
"Right." Annabeth said. Writing a number down on the clipboard.
"There's no way you're giving her four out of five," Percy laughed, "no offence Lil, but your room is a mess."
"Thanks for the input Perseus." She said rolling her eyes, he frowned slightly at her attitude.
"Chiron doesn't need to know her room looks this bad." Annabeth shrugged, but Lilia could tell she struggled to put that four down. Annabeth hated breaking rules.
"That's not fair, you made me put three and her rooms much worse than my whole cabin!" Percy argued.
"Percy leave it." Annabeth said holding the clipboard away from him, but he grabbed it and put three.
"Sorry Lil but can't break the rules!" He said with a playful smirk.
"Whatever." She grumbled rolling over.
"I told you to leave it." Annabeth's hissed at the boy. "We'll talk to you later yeah Lili?" Annabeth asked softly.
Lilia didn't say anything, just put a thumbs up to them and waited for them to leave.
As her friends walked out the door she heard Percy whisper, "what's her problem?"
"I don't know, probably You!" Annabeth hissed quietly, she didn't hear the rest of the conversation.
She huffed getting out of bed and walking across the hall. She knocked on Silena's door and heard a muffled. "Come in."
She walked in and smiled at her sister, she wasn't looking too good. Her hair was all tangled and she had dark circles beneath her eyes.
She hadn't left her room since the war meeting the day before, yet her room remained clean. It looked as though she hadn't left the nest she'd made in her bed since then.
"How you feeling?" Lilia said getting under the covers and cuddling up to her sister.
"Sad." Silena whispered hoarsely.
"He really loved you Silena and... and I know it's hard but he saved us all a lot of time." Lilia said quietly, she wasn't sure whether that would be helpful or not but she was trying.
"That's the problem, he loved me. He was the first boy to ever love me for me." She said a tear trickling slowly down her cheek.
"I'm sorry Silena, I know this is awful and I can't imagine how you must be feeling but, it will get better." Lilia said pulling her closer.
"I hope so." Silena sobbed into her shoulder. Lilia stared at the wall infront of her helplessly. The wall was almost entirely filled with pictures and memories of Silena and Charles. She didn't know how to help her sister and it was breaking her heart.
"We need to get ready for the memorial soon, do you want me to help you get ready? We can walk down together." Lilia said softly.
"No it's okay," Silena took a deep breath wiping the tears away as best she could. "I'll meet you down there."
"You sure?"
Silena nodded, Lilia pulled her into a hug.
"I love you Lils." She said shakily.
"I love you to Lena." She said.
Lilia left her sister to get ready and made her way back to her own room to do the same.
She was too tired to put much effort in, pulling her hair into plaits and painting a small layer of mascara over her eyelashes.
She got dressed and wrapped herself in a puffy black coat and a scarf. It was cold that day.
She placed some food in Ozzy's bowl and gave the sleeping boy a kissing on the head.
"Don't let anyone see you Oz." She whispered, shutting the door.
She could hear Silena walking round her room, but decided to leave her sister be, she needed some space.
Lilia made her way through camp trying to calm herself down. In truth, she really wasn't sure why she was mad at Percy.
She'd been so caught up with the fact Percy was back and safe yesterday that she'd temporarily forgotten how upset with him she was.
But that night her mind was plagued with the image of Rachel kissing him, over and over and over in her ADHD brain. She just couldn't get out of her head.
So when Percy came running over to her, you best believe she wasn't too happy.
"Lili!" His voice caught her attention and she stopped walking. "Are you okay, you seemed kind of... off earlier." He frowned.
"I'm fine Perseus." She said continued to walk, this time with him at her side.
"There it is agian, you called me Perseus." He said.
"And?"
"You only say that when you're telling me off, or you're mad." He said.
"What did I do wrong?" She looked at him, his eyes were pleading. Then she thought about his question, really hard, he really hadn't done anything wrong.
She sighed. "Nothing Percy, I'm sorry."
"Look, I need to talk to you." He looked nervous, like whatever he was about to say wouldn't end well. "I don't know who else to trust."
"Okay, go ahead." She frowned.
I had this dream about, um Rachel..."
Her anger was back, but she listened.
He told her about Rachel's drawings even the weird picture of Luke as a child.
For a while she didn't say anything. She tugged on the necklace around her neck, the one he'd given her.
"What do you want me to say?"
"I'm not sure." he sighed. "If you were Kronos planning this war, what woul you do next?"
"I'd use Typhon as a distraction. Then I'd hit Olympus directly, while the gods were in the West."
"Just like in Rachel's picture."
"Percy," she said, her voice tight, "Rachel is just a mortal."
"But what if her dream is true? Those other Titans, they said Olympus would be destroyed in a matter of days. They said they had plenty of other challenges. And what's with that picture of Luke as kid—"
"We'll just have to be ready."
"How?" He said. "Look at our camp. We can't even stop fighting each other. And I'm supposed to get my stupid soul reaped."
She spun around sharply. "I knew we shouldn't have shown you the prophecy." Her voice was angry
and hurt. "All it did was scare you. You run away from things when you're scared."
He stared at her, completely stunned. "Me? Run away?"
She got right in his face. "Yes, you. You're a coward, Perseus Jackson!"
They were nose to nose. Her face was red with anger.
Percy looked at her in realisation, maybe she wasn't just talking about the prophecy.
"If you don't like our chances," she said, "maybe you should go on that vacation with Rachel. Might get another kiss out of her if you're lucky!" Her words seethed with anger and she realised she was close to tears.
"Lili—"
Percy looked at her, there was no anger in his eyes, just shock. Lilia could tell he knew exactly what she meant and it was hurting her so bad. She didn't understand how he could just stand there so unaffected.
"If you don't like our company."
"That's not fair!"
She pushed past him and stormed toward the strawberry fields. She hit the tetherball as she passed and sent it spinning angrily around the pole.
➳
Lilia made her way to the ceremony, at some point during Lilia and Percy's conversation, Silena had come out.
She walked over and sat beside Silena who was next to Clarrise and her boyfriend Chris.
The three of them comforted Silena as they watched the fire let off a golden smoke when it began to slow.
Lilia looked up when she say Percy walking toward them, she glared at him but he ignored it looking directly at her sister.
"Hey, Silena, I'm really sorry."
She sniffled.
He cleared his throat. "Silena, you know Beckendorf carried your picture. He looked at it right before we went into battle. You meant a lot to him. You made the last year the best of his life."
Silena sobbed.
"Great work, Perseus." Lilia muttered, as Clarrise glared the boy down.
"No, it's all right," Silena said. "Thank— thank you, Percy. I should go."
"You want company?" Lilia asked.
Silena shook her head and ran off.
"She's stronger than she looks," Clarisse muttered, almost to herself. "She'll survive."
"You could help with that," Percy suggested. "You could honor Beckendorfs memory by fighting with us."
Clarisse went for her knife, but it wasn't there anymore. She'd thrown it on the Ping-Pong table in the Big House.
"Not my problem," she growled. "My cabin doesn't get honor, I don't fight."
"All right," he told her. "I didn't want to bring this up, but you owe me one. You'd be rotting in a Cyclops's cave in the Sea of Monsters if it wasn't for me."
She clenched her jaw. "Any other favor, Percy. Not this. The Ares cabin has been dissed too many times. And don't think I don't know what people say about me behind my back."
Lilia watched them carefully, she knew Percy was bound to say something stupid back but he held his tongue.
"So, what— you're just going to let Kronos crush us?" He asked.
"If you want my help so bad, tell Apollo to give us the chariot."
"You're such a big baby."
She charged him, but Chris got between them. "Whoa, guys," he said. "Clarisse, you know, maybe he's got a point."
She sneered at him. "Not you too!" She trudged off with Chris at her heels.
"Hey, wait! I just meant—Clarisse, wait!"
Lilia watched the last sparks from Beckendorf's fire curl into the afternoon sky. Percy stood looking utterly hopeless.
"Great, now everyone at camp hates me." He muttered mainly to himself.
"I don't hate you Percy." She huffed. "You just don't get it so you?"
He frowned at her, for the most part he looked confused but there was a small glimmer in his eyes as though he knew exactly what she was talking about. She couldn't help but wander if this was all some kind of game to him.
Surely he wasn't like that. Right?
➳
AN:
Ughhhhhhh, get along guys, come on!!! Who does this author think she is making them argue so much???? HAHAHA.
I don't know if this is getting kinda boring now, all the fighting, but it won't be long. Lilia's a big girl she'll get over it and Percy will come to his senses and kiss the dam girl (haha get it?)
Again sorry, this is sort of a messy filler chapter but it helps add to the plot, I think? Let me know what you guys think and if you have any suggestions, please let me know, I'd love to hear feedback!
Love you all so much, I'm in shock that this book is even getting reads and if you would like it would be very appreciated if you comment and vote on the story. I'd love to hear and random thoughts on the book or anything really, let's chat! (If you want) 🤍