Percy had lost the last place he could really call home. This time, forever.
Kira, Wanda and Percy sat exhausted at the side of the road. It was getting dark and they had been walking during a long time, Kira was whining about how tired she was.
"Percyyyy" Kira said. "I'm tired!"
"We know, Kira. Just a little longer." Wanda reassured her.
"But I wanna sleep!" She whined. "We've been walking for ever, now. I'm tired!"
"How can you be tired of walking if you are on my back?" Percy asked her.
"Watching you walk tires me!" She whined.
Wanda snickered at her comment. "Why don't we stop to test?" She said. "We're all tired."
Percy didn't want to stop walking. He knew that if he didn't keep his mind distracted, he would break down after losing the right to go to Camp. However, he also knew that they had to rest at some point.
"Alright." He said. "Let's rest."
"Yay! Kira gets to sleep!" For some reason, Kira had acquired the habit of talking about her in third person while at Camp. Percy could only accuse the Stoll brothers.
Percy put Kira down and looked around for some place comfortable enough to pass the night. His gaze drifted towards a nearby forest. HE sighed. Better that than nothing.
"Let's go over there." He pointed at the trees.
"To the forest?" Kira asked. "Won't, you know... Come the Big Bad Wolf?"
Wanda smiled. "Dont' worry. We will protect you if he comes."
Percy smiled too, but he was hoping not to have an encounter with Lycaon and his pack. That would be a great trouble.
-----
Half an hour later, Wanda and Percy had managed to build a little wall using a rock and smaller stones so they could be reassured from the wind. Kira was delighted by they work, but the satisfaction and proudness lasted a really few time.
"I'm hungry!" Kira whined.
"Hi hungry, I'm Percy." Percy said. Of course, Wanda smacked him.
"Not the best time to make dad jokes, Percy. Got something in that backpack?" She said.
Percy unzipped his back. "I got some apples before we fled from the Camp. Think fast, Kira!" He threw her a big, red apple. The fruit hit her square in her forehead and fell to the ground.
"Ouch."
Kira rubbed the spot where the apple hit her and then she grabed and examined it. "I don't like vegetables..." She said.
"That's not a vegetable, Kira." Wanda said. "It's a fruit."
"Oh! Then, it's okay!" Kira bit a chunk of the apple and chewed it noisly.
Percy laughed and leaned over his backpack. "Here, I've got another for you." He handed her another apple to Wanda.
"There aren't more?" She asked. "What will you eat, then?"
Percy waved it off. "Don't worry. I've already been without eating before."
"Oh! Don't worry, we can share." Wanda said. "Let me just..." She used her powers to split the apple in two halves. "Here."
Percy didn't move to take it.
"I'm not eating." He said. "You need it. You are still weak from the poison."
Wanda crossed her arms over her chest.
"I'm fine." She huffed.
Percy did something he didn't do since the Seven died. Since the last time Leo did something extremely stupid.
He made the "Really" expression and just stared at her.
Some seconds later, Wanda sighed. "Okay, looks like I can't be more stubborn than you. I will eat the entire apple. Happy?" She said sarcastically.
"Yes, Kira is happy!" Kira said.
"Alright." Percy started. "You were the one who were tired so go to sleep. I will make guard."
Wanda opened her mouth to argue but Percy cut her.
"No buts. Poison, remember?"
She sighed again.
"Whatever. Just be careful and wake me to do the second turn."
"Okay, sleep well, Wanda. You too Kira." Percy answered.
The little girl mumbled something from were she was already snoring.
-----
Meanwhile, at the stark towers The Avengers weren't sleeping yet. After their encounter with Percy and their message that he would be there soon, they prefered to be awake and alert rather than sleeping in the case he had trouble.
Everyone was tense, even Nico. Calypso, however, was tense for another reason.
She was laying in her bed, alone, thinking about everything that had happened. She had finally left her island, and she was reallly happy about it, but she left into another war in an unkown world for her, with only Peter by her side.
In addition to her problem, Percy was going to arrive sooner or later. They hadn't crossed passes since the time he landed on Ogygya. She didn't knew what had happened to him since the death of the Argo crew. She knew how he had fallen in Tartarus, but, once inside, her powers didn't let see what happened to him.
She really feared that her curse would have been the reason that girl, Annabeth, died.
Her train of thoughts was interrupted by a knock on her door.
"Calypso, you alright?" Peter asked her from the other side of the door, not daring to step into her room.
"Yeah." She curtly said. "You can come in, y'know?"
"Erm... O-Of course." Peter oppened the door, he was clearly embarassed.
Calypso couldn't help but laugh at his lost puppy expression. "Come on, Spiderhead. I'm alright."
Peter walked in and sat on her bed. She rasied and sat next to him.
"Don't try to hide it. You sound exactly like when I landed in that Island. What bothers you?" Peter asked.
Calypso's smile disappeared. "It's just- I'm just overwhelmed. Don't worry about it."
Peter knew it wasn't the real reason, however he didn't push it. Instead, he hugged her.
Calypso was surprised at first. The sudden sign of affection took her by surprise. When she recovered from her surprise, she hugged back tightly. She couldn't help but bury her head on his shoulder, as she did, quiet tears started sliding through her face.
After some minutes of her sobbing quietly on Peter's shoulder, the boy talked.
"Tell me what happens, please." Peter begged. It hurt him seeing her like this.
"Percy landed once in my island." Calypso said. She looked at him, waiting for his reaciton. She was surprised when he smiled.
"I suppoused." He said. Peter wasn't stupid. If she knew Percy, that would have been for a reason like that. "So... You are scared of him?"
Calypso shook her head. "He left me, but promised to gain my freedom. He didn't do it. I don't know what happened, but I was really angry and sad and I just... couldn't handle it and..." She couldn't finish her sentence.
"What happened?" Peter asked her softly. He didn't want to push her but he thought this time it would be good for her.
"I cursed the girl for who Percy left Oggygya." She finaly said.
"It isn't that bad, is it?" Peter asked. "You just cursed her, maybe nothing happened to her."
Calypso shook her head again. "The arai. Pesonifications of the curses over one person."
"She died because of your course?" Peter asked, fearing her answer. If this was the case, there was no way he could make her feel better.
Calypso's eyes stained again with tears. "I-I don't know!" She started crying again. "What if she died because of me? What if she didn't make it out because f my curse?"
Something she said took Peter's curiosity. "Make it out of where?" He asked him. Something Peter was bad about was timing in his incisions.
"Nevermind." Calypso said. "Now I'm alright, you know what bothers mee. Thank you for listening."
Even if Peter wanted to know about that 'where', he decided to let it go. You know I'm here for you, right?"
Calypso smiled and nodded. "My spider-knight in shining web-armor. With his spider helm and his-"
"Okay, okay!" Peter cut her. "Enough laughing at Peter for today."
Calypso laughed again and leaned over him. "Thank you, Peter." She kissed him passionately.
Peter answered immediatelly, his brain melting slowly.
After some seconds they parted ways.
"Now, leave my room." Calypso said. "I need my beauty sleep."
Peter laughed and walked towards the door.
"Good night, Sunshine." He said.
Then he left.
-----
Percy was still awake, looking around for some kind of danger while Kira and Wanda slept. He had already decided to let them both sleep and not let Wanda take the second guard.
Even if the last days had been awful for him, Wanda had been under the effects of that poison for days and only him with his powers had been able to help her. For him, it didn't matter the long hours he had been taking care of her the last days, it didn't matter the insults that his fellow demigods said to him, it didn't matter. He wasn't going to let her take the guard.
It was the second time he almost loses someone to poison. The first time being Annabeth during the Battle of Mahattan. He wasn't going to let Wanda force herself as Annabeth did during their fight with Kronos.
He wasn't going to let Wanda live the same fate as Annabeth.
A sudden thought popped in his mind. 'Why was him comparing Wanda with Annabeth?'
He couldn't be falling for her, right? Not after what happened to Annabeth. Even so, was he able to love after his relationship with Annabeth? He had loved her immensely and he had been looking fowards to the day he and her could be toghether again, in Elysium.
But that wasn't going to happen. Annabeth had choose rebirth and he was going to stop existing. That reallity was always on his mind and it would never leave him.
However, was he allowed to love someone else?
He was going to disappear anyways so, why does it matter? Why not?
Percy looked at Wanda's sleeping expression. Even if it looked peaceful, she was a bit tense. Her sleeping face was something worthit of admiration. Worthy of Aphrodite, he thought.
But he could not do this to her. Love her and then diappearing? Even if she loved him back, he couldnt do this to her.
Love him back...
There wasn't a chance, now was there? He was a broken man, boy, teenager, whatever. He was broken. Why would someone try to mend something as broken as him?
Of course, his state got better after he met The Avengers. That group slowly pulled him out of depression, even after his betrayal to Camp.
Meeting Kira helped too. That bug always could make him smile.
And Wanda...She is wonderful.
With that thoughts, he kept an open eye during the rest of the night, watching for Wanda and Kira in their sleep.
A/N
I updated, readers! So, Christmas is coming and none asked me questions for the special I was planing to do. Oh Joy. Well, if it keeps being like this, I will do a special too. I'm thinking in a different story, ONLY A CONCEPT, it's not a Percy Jackson fanfiction but I would like your oppinion about it so, what about explaining my idea on Christmas?
Another thing I want to say is that, INCREDIBLY, we've reached the 10k reads! (By the time i write this is already 13k) Thank you to everyone, once again, about your support and help on my writing skills and plot planning.
That's it,
C'ya Bohas!