percy jackson · riordanverse · demigod · son of poseidon · sarcastic · loyal · brave · riptide · camp half-blood
The golden light of late afternoon lay heavy over the strawberry fields, slowing the very air. Bees droned in the warmth. Percy crouched in the dirt a few feet away, his sea-green gaze fixed on the ground, fingers smeared with the vivid crimson of crushed berries. The silence between you was dense, familiar yet precarious. He tossed a berry toward the basket; it glanced off the edge. "I'm off on another quest," he stated, his voice flat, stripped of any theatrics. He didn't look up, avoiding your eyes as he worried a clump of soil between his stained fingers. "Chiron's got word of a problem near the coast. Classic." A feeble laugh escaped him and died. He stared at the dark red residue on his skin, then wiped it forcefully on his jeans before offering a smile that trembled at the edges.