Saving a Hero

CHAPTER 17

Percy and I were sitting on a bench in a nearby park. Turns out that we were still in New York, yippee. We had no idea where we had to go. It was around 10pm. Percy and I hadn't spoken to each other since we learned that we only had three days till the deadline. I was rapidly losing hope. We had no way of being able to track down Will. And even if we did, was Percy going to kill whoever was holding him? I slouched on the bench and rested my face on my fist. There was no hope for Will, and I felt terrible about it. I would have to tell all of his siblings that he died before we could even figure out where he was. I could imagine all of them sobbing, I could imagine Kayla cursing me to speak in only rhymes, or Austin shooting an arrow between my eyes. I couldn't blame them, I don't know how distraught I would be if Hazel died. It was dark, but there was a faint glow in the distance on top of one of the park's hills. I tugged on Percy's hoodie sleeve. I must have woken him because he let out a grunt of gibberish words. I pointed to the pink glow.

"It's too dark for anything to be going on, let's see what it is." 

I insisted, pulling his sleeve and forcing him to get up. I slung my backpack on my back and walked alongside Percy. We walked the concrete sidewalk and made it to the top of the hill. A golden gazebo stood, with a pink light illuminating it. On one of the bench seats there was a tall slender woman. She had black hair and tan skin. We walked closer and I could see that she had dark greenish blue eyes, just like Percy's. Her eyes held a kind of mischievous glint. Like she would be really fun at parties. She looked so much like Percy that I knew it had to be Aphrodite. 

"Here we meet again! Oh you boys do have to stop following me!" 

She smiled with her perfect white teeth and laughed heartily. Percy and I took a bench seat across from her. She stood in the middle of the gazebo picking off morsels of food from a very nice looking food trolley. She would pick something up and look at us to see if we wanted anything. Neither of us did. She finally sat down and put her plate in her lap formally. She gazed at the both of us and smiled. I put my hand on my neck awkwardly. 

"I have done a wonderful thing!"

She announced. Percy and I glanced at each other. I was worried and curious at the same time. When a God says they've done something it usually means that the demigods will have to pay the consequences for it. Which was never fun. 

"You two will be the best thing since Orpheus and Eurydice! Their story was sad but they loved each other so much!"

Aphrodite sighed contently. Since that story ended with a woman dying and a man trying to kill himself every chance he got, I didn't think that mine and Percy's story would go so well either. 

"Goddess Aphrodite, what have you done, exactly?" 

I asked her. She beamed at me the widest smile. Which worried me more. 

"Nothing, other than sending you to find your good friend William Solace! You two can thank me when this is all over! Toodles!" 

Aphrodite called out to us. My ears popped and she sounded like she had a pillow over her face. I couldn't see Percy but I felt a hand trying to grab mine. I guessed it was Percy and grabbed it. Finally after a few seconds I could feel solid ground at my feet. My knees buckled and I fell to the ground. My vision was still blurry but I could feel the cold damp grass beneath me. My hand was still intertwined with Percy's. I could hear him muttering gibberish. My eyes came in focus and all I could see were woods. I looked up to the sky and it was blue again. Either Aphrodite's methods of transportation wasn't the fastest, or we weren't in New York anymore. I stood up and looked for Percy. He was already up and trying to scope out the area with no such luck. He saw what I saw, woods. 

"There's water nearby, I can feel it."

Percy's water sonar in his brain was going off I guess. If there was water nearby than there should be a town or village close. Fingers crossed. Percy started walking. I somewhat had to jog to keep up with him. He had his eyes closed, just when I thought he would hit his face into a tree or almost fall over a bush, he ducked or went around it, just like the water was guiding him. We walked for about ten minuets, but I could hear the water's current. Percy opened his eyes and started to job with a giant smile on his face. He moved under branches and jumped over holes or bushes. I tried to keep up, but his excitement for water was leaving me in the dust. Finally we busted through the woods and came to a river. Percy jumped right in and slashed around. I laughed and walked over to the edge of the water. I took some sips and sat down. Percy swam up to me. His face was under water, all except for his eyes and the top of his head. He looked like an alligator, or maybe a crocodile, I don't know the difference. A glint of mischief raced across his eyes. I cocked my head and backed away from the water too late. Percy grabbed my and pulled me in, fully clothed. We splashed each other and laughed. 

"How am I suppose to dry off!?" 

I scoffed at him. My hair was sticking to my forehead and my oversized clothed were draping off of my small frame. I could feel my shoes and socks filling with water by the second, which was almost as good at tourture. 

"When we get out I can dry you off Ina second, son of Poseidon, duh!" 

Percy flicked my nose and splashed me some more. He acted just like a child, a super hyper one. We both laughed and swam around and splashed until I got tired. I lounged by the edge of the river and watched Percy do some laps in the water. Percy disappeared and came up beside me. He put his arm around my back and sighed contently. I gazed into his eyes. 

"So you said we weren't dating?"

Percy looked over to me and scrunched his eyebrows trying to remember. I shifted to look at him. He shook his head awkwardly after a kindle and put his hand on his neck. 

"I figured that if I told Hades that he wouldn't kill me." 

Percy looked away from me, then back, and smiled. 

"So are we?"

I questioned him. I honestly didn't know what we were. Two guys being guys? I didn't know. Percy's eyes became darker. He grabbed me by my hips and kissed me pasionately. A soft kind kiss from the heart. It wasn't needy or wanting it was just messy and perfect. We pulled away Percy smiled and looked at me lovingly. That look wasn't something I got often, even from Hazle. It warmed my insides.

"Does that answer your question?" 

I hummed in response and leaned into his chest. The water was warm and the sun was setting. Percy held onto me, I could stay like this forever. 

"Sickening."