him, in all of his glory.

10. 𝘈𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦?

Waking up without having any nightmares was great. Until I realized Percy wasn't besides me anymore and I felt just as shitty.

The sun was out but I also heard little taps of rain hitting my tent. I peeked outside. It was still nice out. Clouds sometimes shielding the sky while the rain was cooling me off.

"Sunny! Hey! You're awake!" Malcolm yelled. He was smiling and came towards me. "Hey Malcolm, what makes you so happy this morning?" I asked without expecting any answer. Malcolm is mostly always happy and excited about things. I liked that about him. Even without any hope, he was still optimistic. Always keen to learn more. A true child of Athena. "Well, this weather, it's perfect for sending Iris messages! Look, the little droplets hitting the sun's reflection! It's creating mini rainbows!" Malcolm said while using his entire body language to explain that to me. I couldn't help but laugh. He looked funny. "What?" Malcolm laughed. "Nothing, just never change." I said to him. He smiled. "So should we send one of those messages to camp? I know it has only been a week or so since we left. But I'm guessing we're about halfway there. We should at least update them." I said to him. He nodded. "Yeah, let's just wait for Percy. I still have golden drachma!" He said excitedly. "About that, where is he? I haven't seen him since-" I got interrupted by Malcolm. "You haven't seen him since he slept in your tent last night?" Malcolm asked me. It was almost a condescending tone. His face also shifted. I felt embarrassed. "How do you know that?" I asked him back. "I saw you guys yesterday, getting into your tent and setting it up. Together." Malcolm said, now looking away.

Shit.

I feel like such an asshole, he must felt left out. "It's truly nothing, Malcolm. Percy was tired from fighting yesterday and asked to sleep in my tent, since it's easier to set up. We fell asleep and I woke up with him, gone. So nothing special." I mean it was sort of special, but I wouldn't want to say that out loud cause A Malcolm probably doesn't want to hear that and B if I say it out loud it becomes real. And when it becomes real Percy might feel different, or it gets awkward. I wouldn't want that.

"Oh. Well yeah that makes sense I guess. Sorry for being so weird about it." Malcolm said. "Hey that's okay! Let's just move on." I said smiling to him. He smiled back.

After what felt like hours (it was actually only 43 minutes) Percy came back. His hair was wet. He looked better. Cleaner. And nicer. It was probably the healing effect the water has on him. But it's like the water gave him a sort of extra aura. I couldn't stop looking at him. He looked so good. He noticed and smiled. I looked away.

"There you are, Gods that took you long enough!" Malcolm said.
"I was just swimming in a small lake nearby. Needed to clear my head. Anyway, what did I miss?" Percy asked.
Clear his head? Fuck. He probably meant last night. Shit. Yeah fucking shit. I messed this up. He feels different and now he regrets last night. Great thing!
"The weather is good for Iris messages! We wanted to send one to camp but we're waiting for you to come back. It's easier that way!" Malcolm explained.
Percy suddenly looked excited. "Great! We should've updated the camp about our situation a while ago already. It's good to keep them informed. Gods may know what is happening there." Percy said.

And Percy was right. Cause camp was in shambles.
We first updated Chiron and some head counselors about our journey so far. "Well that sounds pretty good so far! The monsters could have been much worse with half bloods like yourselves." Isadora from the Athena cabin said. Most of the campers agreed. Including myself. It could have been way worse.
"But how are your powers doing!" Will finally asked. I was happy to see him again. I missed him. "They're okay. I mean at least I don't faint anymore." I told them. "Don't say that! You healed us, you're practicing more and getting them under control at a fast pace!" Malcolm said. I smiled. "He's right. She's getting more powerful everyday. She truly is getting the hang of it." Percy told the rest. Chiron looked at me. "Well that is great news! Wish we could have told some good news ourselves. But sadly these past days have been bad." Chiron finally said. All the campers looked at each other. And I could feel the tension shift. Apparently lots of monsters have been getting into camp. And the monsters were different, more powerful somehow, harder to kill. Everyone was trying to do something about it. But nothing seems to be working. This made me feel worse because the camp's future is depending on us. On this quest. Even Though we haven't got a clue about what we are facing.