Rain
That's what woke me up. I opened my eyes to darkness. looking over to the veranda door and seeing that it was raining. I hear it hitting the glass of the door, and I hear the wind blowing outside the house. The sound and the darkness of the room bring back memories of the underworld.
I close my eyes and try to drive the images of Asphodel from my mind.
Nope, closing my eyes only makes it worse. I sit up and look around my room. I was searching for anything that might distract my mind from its spiraling thoughts.
Nothing
Giving up, I got up and left my bed. Fixing up the too-big shirt I took from Percy that I use for sleepwear. I smile at the memory of Percy complaining about how he doesn't have enough shirts to wear now. Something all the females in this house see as a benefit. He is a feast for the female eye, after all.
I grab my phone from the bedside table. 2 a.m., it read. Deciding to go to the one place I know can quell the storm going through my mind. I step out of my room and walk down the hall to the door at the end. I open the door slowly so as not to surprise the person sleeping within. Stepping inside and closing the door just as quietly, I walk to the side of the bed and gaze at the man sleeping on it.
laying down, half covered by a blue blanket, is the sleeping form of Percy Jackson.
Shirtless, as he often is when sleeping or training, is something that I and the others that live here enjoy watching or just looking at in general. Seeing the slight trickle of drool from the corner of his lips brought a smile to my face. Making me reach over and brush his hair away from his face.
I wondered how his mere presence calms my mind and how just the sight of him brings peace to my whole being.
'A safe harbor' is what Percy meant to me before, but now he is so much more.
Slowly, I lift the blanket and slip in bed beside him, causing him to stir in his sleep. His eyes open wide with an alertness born out of necessity, and he scans the room as he reaches for his pen under his pillow, always within reach.
"Hazel?" Percy muttered sleepily when his eyes found me lying beside him. His eyes locked with mine, silently questioning if I was okay. I nodded at him. "I'm ok; I just didn't want to be alone," I assured him.
Relieved at my answer, he laid back on the bed, placing his pen back under his pillow. I then found myself wrapped in his arms as he pulled me closer to him. And as I felt his warmth envelop me, I laid my head on his shoulder and surrendered to the comfort his closeness provided me.
Listening to his quiet breathing and feeling his heartbeat calmed by his troubled mind. Inhaling his scent settled my rapidly beating heart. I closed my eyes and marveled at how, just by being next to him, he managed to chase the demons haunting me.
And so, I allowed myself to fall asleep next to the one man who brought peace to my troubled existence.
------------------line break-------------------
Sunlight piercing through my eyelids woke me for the second time today. I moaned as I turned away from the unwanted intrusion. I tried to press my face into my pillow, 'hard' I thought. Why is my pillow hard? I opened my eyes and was rewarded by the glorious sight of a sleeping, half-naked Percy Jackson.
Even after years of living together, I still have not gotten used to the fact that I can behold such a sight. I could feel myself blushing red as my eyes took in his bare torso. The early morning light streaming into the room accentuated his near-perfect form.
Heat spread all over my body as my eyes wandered lower, the sheets now only covering one leg. My eyes were tracing over his defined muscles, and my hands were itching to touch every contour and every scar that marked his skin. A testament to the life he's lived. Every scar is proof of all he's done and conquered.
As my eyes went further down, I beheld a sight that brought a different type of heat to my body. My core tingled with desire and need while my mouth watered in obvious lust.
There, under the covers, is the very obvious bulge of his manhood, standing at attention in the morning sun. Temptation almost overwhelmed me as I found myself wanting a peek under the covers. Somehow, I found the necessary self-control to stop myself from reaching over with my hands and lifting the covers, knowing that if I did, I wouldn't be leaving this bed for a few hours.
'And what's wrong with that? ' a small voice asked from the deepest recess of my mind.
'Stop it' I argued and sighed. Arguing with myself is not a good sign.
With a last lingering look at Percy, I pushed myself out of his embrace and got up. My movement caused him to grunt and turn to his side, giving me a look at his wide, muscled back, which was equally scarred as the rest of his body. Again, I find myself drawn to him, his strength, his resilience, and most of all, his heart.
I grab my phone from the table to check the time. '6:34 am' it shows. 'Too early' I thought. Slowly, I got off the bed, left the room, and headed back to mine for an early shower.
------------------line break-------------------
I arrived at the dining room after a while, where I found Rose and Blueberry, two of the three nymphs that reside here, setting the table for breakfast. Both have been with Percy longer than I have and have been serving him since his "disappearance.".
"Good morning, you two!" I greeted them with a smile.
"Good morning, Mistress Hazel!" the two replied with a smile while lowering their heads, subservient as always. I have long since given up trying to get them to drop the way they address me. Accepting their reasoning that they were sent here to serve, never mind that they have been here longer than I was.
I sit on my chair and watch as the nymphs place bacon, eggs, toast, and orange juice on the table. And blue pancakes, of course, can't forget that. "I'll go and inform Master Percy that breakfast is ready," Rose announced before heading out of the dining room. "What do we have scheduled today, Blueberry?" I asked the blue-haired nymph.
She informs me that today is grocery day. I decide to go with them as I have been cooped up in the house for days now and I also need a few things. Though I could have just told them to buy them for me, I wanted to shop as well.
So, as I waited for Percy and Rose, my thoughts drifted back to the last few days and the strange things that happened and changed what was supposed to be a routine day for us.
------------------flashback-------------------
The day started as always. She got up and went to have breakfast, then went down to the basement, where the training facility is located. There, she trains with her sword for a couple of hours, followed by mist control training. Then she checks with the nymphs about chores and if anything is needed for the house. They then have lunch, followed by admin work for the company she runs with Percy.
In the afternoon, she relaxes by the pool with a drink of her choice until she needs to check on Percy in the workshop, whom she then drags back to the house for dinner. They then spend some time talking about the day before going to sleep.
That was the day to day, but that particular day. Something happened that disrupted their quiet way of life.
That day, at around 3 p.m., while she was answering a few emails, she was alerted to the presence of monsters near their home. This was made possible due to the barrier that surrounded their home, much like the one at CHB. The barrier protects their land from monsters, mortals, and even some immortals.
She rushed to the door and started to put on her armor. Their place, being a home for demigods, had multiple storage places for armor and weapons, making it easy for them to gear up at a moment's notice.
Grabbing a sword and shield, she ran out where the presence of monsters was strongest. She was halfway out of the clearing around their home when she was joined by Percy, wearing the same type of armor she had and a sword that was not Riptide. They glanced at each other, then continued to run into the woods that surround their home.
They ran through the woods quickly and quietly until they came upon a clearing about 15 minutes away from their home. They crouched behind some shrubs to get a better look. They found a group of about 20 monsters, cyclopes, dracaenas, and other kinds surrounding what looked like a couple of demigods. From the looks of things, one was wounded, while the others are non-combatants. Only one was combat-ready, but that one was protecting the downed Demigod.
'That's bad,' I thought as I looked over to Percy. He signaled for me to go left with his hands, and I nodded. Perfectly fine with following his lead. I turned and headed to my left while Percy turned back and circled around the monsters and climbed a tree, placing himself tight above the largest of the cyclops. I got in place and waited for Percy. I saw him point his sword downward, and I willed the mist to surround me, making me imperceptible to the monsters.
The moment Percy dropped on top of the cyclops head, his sword stabbing deep in the monster's eye, was the moment I attacked. Taking advantage of the confusion caused by the cyclops bursting to dust due to Percy's action. I stepped out behind a tree and slashed my sword at a group of dracaenas, killing two. Quickly bringing my sword over my head, I slashed downward, killing another monster. Ducking under the spear thrust of the last monster alive in the group, I rolled to the side and came up stabbing my sword to the dracaena's unprotected side, and she dissolved to dust. I didn't get a chance to rest as another spear came at me from my right. I sidestepped that attack and brought my sword down her neck.
After killing the last monster on my side of the clearing, I looked over to Percy to see that he had just finished the last two of the monsters. Even after all these years, even after years of sparring and fighting with him, I am still left in awe of his skills with the sword. The ease with which he finished off almost twice as many monsters as I did in the same amount of time is a testament to why he is the best swordsman alive. Or ever lived, in my opinion.
Watching Percy fight is like watching the sea: graceful and powerful at the same time.
I turned toward the group of demigods when Percy began to walk back to where they were. As I got near them, I noticed that two of them were children, no older than 7 or 8 years old. They were being shielded by a faun or satyr, judging by the orange shirt the older ones were wearing. As I scanned the group, I also confirmed that one of them was wounded and was being protected by the only one capable of defending, or fighting at all, really. The demigod stood in front of his group, his sword held, and pointed in our direction. cautious and alert.
At this point, Percy has caught up to me, and we both stopped dead in our tracks. Finally recognizing one of the demigods. He was someone I knew. Someone with whom I have been a bit friendly before.
I look at Percy to gauge his reaction, knowing his history with him. I saw him frozen where he stood. Eyes glaring in disbelief at the demigod in front of us. I noticed at the corner of my vision that the demigod stiffened at our reaction. His guard was going up, readying himself to defend if needed. I approached Percy slowly and placed my hands on his arms, giving him comfort and letting him know he was not alone. He turned his head to look at me, and I saw his eyes soften as I conveyed my trust and support for him.
I relaxed when I saw him calm down, and we both turned back to the group.
"Who are you?" The demigod asked.
Once again, I look to Percy to see him also looking at me. I nodded at him, silently telling him that I would stand by whatever he decided to do. He takes a moment to think, lets out a sigh, and turns back to the demigod. Percy began to lift his hand and remove his helm, and I did the same.
As our faces were revealed, I saw the eyes of the demigod widen in recognition and shock. understandable since it has been 7 years since they saw Percy's face.
I looked at the demigod, who was frozen, as he stared at Percy, who smiled at him.
"Hey Malcolm! It's been a while."
Percy greeted the brother of his ex-girlfriend.
------Flashback end-------
I was brought back to the present when I heard Percy's voice from the hallway. I turned my head to look just as Percy and Rose entered the dining room. Percy smiled when he saw me, and I could feel myself blush as I smiled back.
"Good morning, Hazel!" he greeted me as he kissed my cheek and sat down beside me.
Rose then filled my plate with breakfast while I glared at her playfully, noticing the marks she now sports on her neck. Proof of what happened when she 'woke' her master up.
"Yes, it looks like someone had a very good morning," I replied to Percy's greeting, keeping my eyes on Rose as she sat down on her seat, who by now was blushing with the color of her namesake. I smiled at the two, then turned my glare at Percy, whose grin widened in response.
I shake my head at his antics, though I smile, having grown used to him.
We start eating breakfast, but my thoughts still make me glance at Rose, or rather, her neck. Envy fills my chest, thinking, 'I should have woken him up'. Regretting my inaction this morning, I promised to follow through with my thoughts tonight.
"Oh, Percy, we were going to the city to buy groceries later. Do you need anything?" I asked as we ate.
"I'm not sure; I'll check first, then let you know," he replied.
"Want me to tag along?" Percy offered, ever the gentleman.
"We're good, thanks," I assured him, getting a nod back.
We finish breakfast and leave the nymphs to clean up while Percy and I head out to the patio. Percy sits down on one of the lounge chairs and pulls me along with him. I sat on his lap and relaxed as I leaned back on his chest.
After enjoying a few minutes of silence, I asked Percy what had been on my mind.
"Do you think Malcolm arrived at camp safely?"
"They should have arrived around dinner time yesterday," I hummed, and he continued. "Besides, I advised him to call camp so they could be picked up at the airport, so they should be okay," he explained.
I followed up with my first question after nodding, "And are you OK?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you ok with them knowing?" I clarified.
"It should be ok," he answered after a while. "It's been a long time since everything happened. Hazel, I'm not mad or angry anymore."
"And if they come here?" worry and concern evident in my voice. Only to be met by a bark of laughter from the man I was using as a chair for the moment as he stated, "Ha! Oh, I'm sure they will!"
Slightly irritated by his nonchalance, I persisted. "But what if SHE comes here?"
Percy quiets down, finally understanding my point. I sit up and twist to look at him. I lock eyes at him as he calmly looks back at me. There was no turmoil or hesitation in his gaze.
"It doesn't matter if she comes here, Hazel; I'm not leaving you, all of you!"
His statement contained a conviction and assurance that were palpable. A pledge that he intends to see through, a promise he intends to keep.
It assured me that no matter what, I would always have him by my side, but my mind still needs something more. Something tangible.
So, I leaned closer to him, my hands on his shoulder, bracing myself as I brought my lips to his.
Soft, tender lips met my own as I took what I needed to calm my mind and heart. After a short kiss, I leaned away and looked into his eyes again.
"Promise?" I hated how needy I sounded. But I needed this; I needed to hear him say it.
And Percy, as if reading my mind and knowing exactly what would remove all the doubts plaguing me,.
"I swear on the Styx!"
I heard the sound of distant thunder as his oath was sealed. It still baffles me how he can swear to himself like that with apparent ease.
I smiled at him and leaned my head on his chest, content with just basking in the peace I felt with him by my side.