Percy took control over the boat because feeling power over it got me way too excited and I didn't want to freeze the ship.
All three of us sat on the ship, making pointless conversation. Annabeth seemed oddly quiet. When I looked over to her, her faced looked green and she looked like she was trying to hold down her dinner.
"Hey," I put my hand on her arm. "You don't look too good, you should go below and get some rest."
She nodded and hobbled her way down.
I walked up to Percy.
"Hey," I said. He jumped up and turned around, causing me to laugh.
"You scared me," He said.
We both looked out on to the ocean, the waves crashing against the boat, the current guiding us along, it brought a sense of peace.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked.
"Nothing," Percy kept his eyes on the waters.
I looked up at the stars. "That's a pretty worried face for someone who's thinking about nothing."
"You and Luke," He caught me off guard. "What happened?"
"It's nothing, he's just somebody I used to know," I shrugged it off.
"Cassidy, I saw his your face when you saw him."
I sighed. "Him and Thalia cared for me, like they did for Annabeth. I ran away though."
"Why?" He asked.
"I don't know," I lied.
I looked down at the water and thought I saw a face. I leaned forward to try and get a better look but they were gone.
"Nereids," Percy said, thankfully changing the subject. "Water spirits. I'm not sure how to get their attention. I've been trying for a while."
"Do they like singing?"
"They won't like mine," Percy reasoned.
I threw my legs over the side of the boat, sitting on the edge. Percy followed my lead.
I sang a line from a song I had heard a while ago. It talked about heartbreak and disappointment, for some reason, it stuck with me.
A Nereid appeared and smiled at me.
"It worked!" I turned to Percy, forgetting I was on the edge of a boat and slipped. Luckily, he reacted quick enough and caught me. We swung our legs back on board.
He looked at me with his eyebrows furrowed, not saying anything for a while.
"How did you do that?" He asked.
"Um, do what?"
"Your voice, it... I think it made me feel better."
"Better?" I questioned.
"Yeah, I feel different..."
His voice trailed off and the confused expression washed away, replaced by a tired one. His hopes seem to have gotten lost again.
"Cassidy, does your mom know about camp. I mean, you disappearing out of nowhere, she's got to have-"
"She's dead," I cut him off.
He looked shocked.
"Cassidy, I'm so sorry," Percy tried reaching for my arm but I pulled back.
"It's fine," I said. "I'm fine."
"Cas-"
"I'm gonna go get some rest," I said, walking away.
I heard Percy take a step towards me but he stopped. I went below deck just as Annabeth was coming up.
I lied in the hammock and tried resting my eyes. I focused on the sea, crashing against our boat. I thought about getting back to camp and checking the Hermes cabin for an unclaimed child of Hecate. I thought about anything but the impossible mission we were on. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't sleep.