Percy Jackson: Genderbent

Chapter 15

Perci's POV:

I had no idea what time it was. It was still night, I knew that much, but for all I know I could only have been asleep one hour. I'd fallen asleep in my tent (it was quite comfortable, actually), but woken up from a nightmare. It wasn't anything important, just the usual. Me and Annabeth traveling through Tartarus, things I saw there, etc. That didn't make it any less scary, though. I hoped I didn't wake up screaming. 

Anyway, being a girl was cool for like a day or something, but now things are just getting weird. Like with Leo at the beach I was all "oh, Leo, I really want you to come along!" and then when I saw him at the bus station I hugged him. I hugged him. I'd never hugged anyone in my life. Well, I had, but... I never would have hugged him if I were a guy. It was so embarrassing! 

I stared at the top of the tent and my mind wandered. I recalled the conversation with Hermes.

*Flashback*

"Nice going back there, Hermes. You nearly told them." I said, rolling my eyes as he escorted me to the back of the van. He turned and looked at me seriously. "You do know there is a reason Aphrodite chose Jason and Nico to come with you. There is a reason the Leo boy came with you." He said. I nodded. "Yeah, she wants us to find her stupid girdle." I said. Hermes looked around cautiously. "You have already angered Aphrodite enough, Perci Jackson. It would not be wise to continue." He warned. I nodded impatiently. 

"Yeah, yeah, I know. What other reason could Aphrodite have, though?" I asked Hermes. "Aphrodite is the goddess of love. She finds you demigods... entertaining with all of your complicated love stories. This is only one of many." Hermes said. I blinked while I took this in. "So let me get this strait. Aphrodite sent me, Jason and Nico on a quest, not because she needed us but because she wanted to toy with my love life?" I said, fuming. Hermes nodded gravely. 

"If it were up to me, I'd leave you alone. You've done enough. But you offended Aphrodite deeply, hero. You must be careful in the future." He said. "But what about when I turn back? What then?" I said. Hermes shook his head. "That, I do not know. But, Aphrodite has put a curse on your quest members to blind them from the truth about you. And you cannot tell them." Hermes said, and my anger exploded. 

"WHAT DOES SHE WANT WITH ME?! I'VE DONE SO MUCH, AND ALL I GET IS THIS? ANOTHER MESS FOR ME TO SORT OUT? ALL I WANT..." my voice cracked. "All I want is to have a peaceful rest of my life. Is that too much to ask?" I said, tears filling my eyes. Hermes looked at me sadly. "The packages are gifts from Aphrodite. They will spring into tents for when you go into the forest." He said, and handed me a compass as well. "This will point the direction you need to go. Good luck, Perci." He said, before turning and walking towards the front of the truck. I walked out, still mad, and the truck drove away.

*Flashback*

I sighed. I remembered my emotions churning inside me the whole hike. I'd needed to get out on my own, so I went under the cover of finding water. I had found the water really quickly, being the child of Poseidon helped with that, but I'd spent a lot of time kicking trees and cursing about how miserable my life was. I'd eventually gone back to the campsite, and the marshmallows helped. 

I looked at the stars from the top of the tent. They sparkled beautifully, as if nothing was wrong with the world. My emotions churned as I thought about my predicament. Suddenly, the tent pressed against me, and I couldn't breathe. I fumbled with the strap and stepped out into the night. I closed the tent, and breathed the cool night air. The embers in the fire cracked and sparkled, but they'd died a while ago. I stared at them, and felt goosebumps rise on my arms. It was cold out. 

I looked up at the stars again, and I looked at the constellation of Zoë the Hunter. Tears pricked the edges of my eyes as I looked up at my friend. I went down on my knees, the world and my emotions spinning. Why did the gods have to be so cruel? Why did the Fates have to be so cruel? Why did I have to see so many deaths, and constantly fight for my life? Why did I have to be a demigod?