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there was a joke somewhere between being a child of apollo and hating hot weather. the sweat, the feeling that every piece of clothing was glued to your skin, training for a war that would lead to the destruction of your absent parent’s super ancient god temple and would also probably kill you and everybody you loved by the hand of an evil mad grandpa that was also an ancient titan and creator of time, the bugs, worst part of hot days.
of course there were good things, too. when the wind is cold and the morning light brushes against your skin, percy’s messy hair at breakfast, singing at random times and listening any of your half-siblings singing with you, percy’s smile when he catches you looking, sneaking out to the lake with your friends, singing bonfire songs and going to sleep wishing the days never change.
sometimes being too comfortable with the silence came with a price—to be alone with yourself. what a nightmare. or maybe it was lunch revolving in your stomach.
too buried inside your thoughts, you almost jumped when you heard a loud crack behind you, a quick second before hearing the weight of a body falling hard, too.
“shit”
finding percy laying on the ground next to you, a smile eased its way to your face. he takes a moment to open his eyes, “hey”
“hi” you bit your cheek before he could caught you chuckle.
the sun should’ve been seen from there, but all that was left was a bright light behind the grey clouds. you breathed heavily, looking at the water covering your toes.
“what are we watching?” he asked, concerned by the disheartening weather.
“the end of childhood”
“damn,” he glanced at you then at the lake. “i knew i should’ve dressed accordingly”
he hears you chuckle and there’s a moment, just a little second, where he isn’t sure there’s anything else worth to look than you; before he whispers. “i don’t know what to say”
the urge to place your hand in his warm skin grows inside you, instead you tap your fingers against your thigh.
“you don’t need to,” you reply.
percy raises his eyebrows and tilts his head, you look at him frowning. it’s silly but it’s the kind of reassurance you needed, he was being silly on purpose. when a smile eased its way to your face he changes his grinning sight back to the water.
“i just- we’re kids” you say, voice shaking, “but we’re not, we won’t be anymore, but we never where. confusing, i know” you chuckle, “i can’t let go of the idea that maybe i won’t handle it, the war, the future. maybe it’s a fight bigger than myself” there’s a moment of silence after you swallow hard. he doesn’t dare to say a thing.
“probably worse for you, with your stupid deadly prophesy” you chuckled bitterly. “i’m sorry i just… i’m scared i won’t we able to handle it”
“that doesn’t mean you can’t try”
you glance at him briefly and it’s hard to retain your lips from smiling. after a while you say, “wow, so dramatic”
a warm breeze caressed your skin and some tree leaves falling around you, you held your arms across your own body. percy was quiet, which was concerning.
but eventually he smiles in the way he did after he dived underwater, freely and childish, gentle even. he wasn’t smiling for what you’ve said though, he hopes you can’t tell, but because the idea of you getting flustered once you’ve realised how close your faces were together being cute.
“i just wanna scream” he looks at you concerned. “but i don’t want anyone to think i’m getting murdered”
“fair enough”
when he speaks you become aware of the small gap between your faces and a heat heavier than the weather reaches your face. he was hot—his corporal heat was hot, you mean. you giggle at your thoughts.
“you’re not alone, you know? i worry a lot, too”
“i know you do” you whisper.
normally, percy would be the one mindlessly showing physical affection to make you flustered, but the wind rising was a good excuse to brush a string of his hair back to its place, slowly stroking his warm cheek.
you stare at his green eyes, playing with innocence as you tilt your head sideways, before shifting your focus to the water. you smiled the way people did when they shared a secret—he didn’t want to look at anything else.
finding himself fascinated and also confused by his loud heartbeat and heavy breathing and warm cheeks. he likes to think it must be the weather or a really bad fever.
the clouds ceased, like curtains getting open for a show being the afternoon sun the principal act, painting the sky and remaining clouds a bright collision of pink and oranges—unnoticed by both of the you.
percy is the first to look at the lake again. you wish he wasn’t, because it meant you’re the one staring. he was pretty, with the hair so messy you wanted to run your fingers through it and his absurdly beautiful green eyes matching any and every body of water, you even dared to notice the little freckles near his nose that would make him defensive if you say they were cute—only then, you changed your sight.
“i think it’s been two hours now so let’s go before i confess my feelings for you”
“what?”
“what?” he tried to hide his smile while standing up, “c’mon!”
you watched him in silence, managing to ignore your heart beats and turn around. “what are you doing?!”
percy shudders. “to scream. come on!”
“i hate you,” you say contradicting your laugh as he rises with wet hair and cheeky grin, “a lot”
“you really don’t”
below the cold waters you and percy grin like idiots after watching each other scream to the void. percy looked as the afternoon sun enlighten your skin underneath the water. and it’s childish enough to postpone growing old, to live in the memory.