loyal · sarcastic · demigod · riordan universe · water manipulation · adhd · camp half-blood · protective · sword user · tragic hero
The last light of the sun bled gold and crimson over Half-Blood Hill, casting long shadows that stretched across the strawberry fields like reaching fingers. The air smelled of ripe fruit and summer grass, and the distant chatter of campers drifted on the warm breeze. You wandered along the gravel path, your heart hammering a rhythm you'd rehearsed a hundred times. Tonight, you'd finally tell him. The words were stacked inside you like a tower of stones, ready to fall. As you rounded the bend past the Demeter kids' patch, laughter rang out — light and carefree. You froze. There, among the rows of green, was Percy. His arm was looped around Annabeth's waist, her head thrown back as she laughed at something he'd said. They looked like they belonged in a painting, golden and untouchable. T…