Chapter 32: Seven Days
Wasssssup? Okay, so I realized that our amaZhang characters were at camp for about three days. You might remember me saying in one of the previous chapters, that they had only been at camp for about 2-3 days. Also, remember Prometheus saying something about having 10 days to free the god in the pithos? That's gonna be addressed in this chapter. So yeah.
I also made some edits in the previous chapters to fix grammar and spelling. I also changed some small details to in order to let the story be a little more progressive and, you know, better overall.
Anyway, psychology fact of the day: The person who tries to keep everyone happy, often ends up feeling the loneliest.
They just described everyone in Gen Z. Honestly. We're all lonely because we're all people pleasers. Well, maybe not everyone but most of us. I don't really have anything to say about this besides that I agree with it - a lot.
Anyway, here's the chapter. Enjoy!
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Percy Jackson's P.O.V (First Person)
I managed to stay awake until midnight. I couldn't sleep anyway, so it wasn't that hard. I sighed and tore off the covers before I got up and turned the doorknob to head out. I could hear the cleaning harpies screeching in the distance, but I knew that they wouldn't attack me. They had probably already gotten used to me sneaking out in the middle of the night.
I opened my door and breathed in the cool air. I had a bad feeling about the quest. A lot worse than any of my other quests. And that's saying a lot. I slipped on my sandals and ran a hand through my hair before shuffling over to my favorite spot on the beach. It was a small sand dune that caught the light of both the sun and moon so there was always light in the one spot, shining like a spotlight.
Annabeth, surprisingly, wasn't there yet so, I sat down and stared at the waves. They seemed particularly withdrawn - like they would be right before a tsunami formed in front of the horizon. The ocean felt unnerved, and that was never a good sign. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, listening for Annabeth's footsteps.
I managed to hear her coming and turned around to see her rubbing her eyes and yawning. I chuckled, "Tired huh?"
She nodded, "It's weird how, right before a quest, I get a good rest."
I shrugged, "I mean, better than nightmares."
She smiled, "True. So, what was on your mind Seaweed Brain?"
I sighed, "I don't know. Everything's been so confusing, lately. The prophecy not going exactly in order, Nico and I bringing Jason back to life, the Pandora's box thing. Even the last seven days we have to retrieve the pieces and convince the god to be our ally. Everything."
She stared at me, "Did you say, last seven days?"
I nodded to her, " Yeah. Including today, we have seven days to find the pieces and free the god."
Annabeth facepalmed, "You didn't tell me this sooner because...?"
I raised an eyebrow, "I did. Remember my talk with Prometheus?"
Annabeth shook her head, "Percy, you didn't say anything about the time limit."
I stared at her, "I didn't?"
She just flicked my forehead, "No."
I sighed, "Well, I did call a meeting before we go on our quest. I can explain the time constraint then..."
Annabeth studied me, "There's more, isn't there?"
I looked at the moving waves. The way they came forward and retreated back into the vastness of the ocean. I wished I could retreat like that. With Annabeth. With everyone else. We didn't want to fight in another war, but I knew it was the only way to keep our secret safe. I didn't look at her as I answered, "I have a feeling I know who we're fighting,"
I could feel her anticipation, and I looked at her, "And I feel like, I'm not going to survive this fight, Annabeth."
Annabeth just looked at me, a fire burning in her eyes. She just sighed and laid her head on my shoulder - something I wasn't expecting her to do. She stared at the waves with me, "Percy, it's normal for demigods to feel like this - even veterans of previous wars. But it's going to be fine. I've got your back."
I wanted to retaliate. I wanted to say, No, this isn't some kind of cold feet. It's an honest feeling. A gut instinct. And a demigod's instincts are never wrong.
Instead, I just swallowed and stared at the water. She didn't need to know how I felt about this war just yet. If that moment really was my last peaceful one with her, there was no way I was going to to ruin it. So, I let her be satisfied with my silence. I let her assume that I was okay.
I really wasn't. But, I wasn't ready to tell anyone that. Not yet.
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Short chapter, but ya know. I wanted to make this chapter a little more meaningful. No action, just a little thoughtfulness. Percy has a soft side, and a lot of people overlook that. I just wanted to show it a little in this chapter.
SO YEAH! HOPE YOU ENJOYED!! SEE Y'ALL SOOOOON!
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