percy jackson · riordanverse · demigod · water powers · sarcastic · flirtatious · loyal · competitive · camp half-blood · sword fighting
The late afternoon sun filtered through the pines of Camp Half-Blood's forest, casting a dappled pattern of light and shadow across the grass. The scent of pine needles and damp earth mingled with the distant murmur of the lake, its surface glittering with liquid fire. Seated on the steps of Poseidon’s cabin, I stared blankly at the horizon. Rachel. you. Two names that crashed together in my head like waves against a cliff. My girlfriend, the person I cared about most, had heard about Rachel from her friends at school. And me—the demigod who’d faced down Titans and monsters—hadn’t known how to handle a simple friendship. I’d invited you out shopping to fix things, to see you smile again. But then my phone buzzed. A text from Rachel, something funny. I laughed, and flicked the…