⋰☆✄♘➶⋱
【𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬】
ᵍʳᵒᵛᵉʳ❦ⁿᵒᵃ

"Where are we?" Percy asked as he breathed heavy, the near hit of the vehicles sending them all into a panic.

"Turn off the lights." Annabeth spoke up quickly, Percy cut the headlights. Noa looked around from the backseat, taking her chances of opening the car door first.

"Noa." Grover began to climb out after her. "Wait."

Percy and Annabeth followed. Grover grabbed Noa's hand. "Noa....I know you."

"Oh course you do." she smiled, but the memories came to her just as fast as they came to him. The casino fogged her, but being near the the sea formed it back in her mind. Grover got his back, Noa blinked as her tone shifted. "Of course you do."

Grover looked to Annabeth and Percy next, his hand stilled grasped Noa's. "You guys are my best friends. Little weird I forgot a lot more stuff than you guys did."

"No, me too." Noa promised him with a nod to her head, glancing at Percy. "What happened at the casino?"

"It was the lotus flowers, it was in the air there." the blonde explained as he gave her a half grin. "Glad you're back."

She smiled back at him, Annabeth looked over at Percy. "We weren't alone. It's easy to forget what's important when you're alone."

Noa squeezed Grover's hand, bringing him back to her as he looked her way. The girl grinned his way. "Probably should never get separated in a casino ever again."

"Probably a good idea." he had to laugh. They all looked to the ocean as the waves grew louder, the wind caught in Noa's hair.

Percy took a breath. "Think I gotta go meet my dad now."

He then looked at Noa with a tilt to his head. "You can too."

She glanced to the sea once again, the feeling of her father in her veins called to her. It mocked her soul and all the years she spent without truly knowing him, a hundred more lifetimes than Percy has lived. The times they crossed paths and not a word was mentioned of the secret she so desperately should have known, the power of a goddess fresh in her body. "You go."

He frowned his eyebrows at her, Noa nodded once. "I don't think I'm ready to see him again yet...not like you are."

"We'll be here when you get back." Grover promised.

"What do I say to him?" Percy asked Noa hopefully. "What's he even like?"

"He's quiet...he listens to your actions more than your words." Noa recalled Poseidon like she'd seen him everyday, she described him in a way Percy would have never guessed she'd been upset. "You have the same eyes."

"What do I say? What would you say?" he was looking for more than what she gave him.

"You'll know." Annabeth spoke up, a promise within just two words. Percy nodded just once as he looked at the three again, Noa offered him a small smile. It was sad...that much was clear. As he walked to the ocean, Grover looked over at her and pulled her closer to his side. Noa leaned her head against his as she inhaled the salt of the sea, the worst type of feeling swarming around her chest.

Annabeths face fell in realization, her head slowly turned to Noa to stare as her. "Noa..."

The girl opened her eyes and looked her in the face. The Chase girl shifted uncomfortably, tilting her head some as her nostrils flared for a second. "It's pasted midnight."

Noa frowned her eyebrows before her face slowly blanked, she leaned off Grover as the wind picked up around her. Her hands came up as she felt her neck, the pulse beneath her palm still beating. She felt her face, the blood flow still flushing her cheeks and her breath exhaling. Her eyes looked over at Grover quickly, panic setting in. "I didn't die tonight."

"You're alive." he smiled widely, grabbing ahold of her. "What changed?"

Noa pulled away from him quickly and hurried back to the car, getting into the backseat and finding her video camera. She removed her shell necklace quickly and set it on the screen of the camera, pairing it quickly as the footage from the casino came through. She fast forwarded quickly, in search of anything that stood out. She paused when a particular head of curls was on display to her, going back quickly.

Her body collided with someone, stumbling slightly as they caught her. She laughed and found her balance. "Woahhhh, I'm sorry. Wasn't watching where I was dancing."

"Oh, that's okay." he laughed slightly, looking at her with wide eyes. He held her waist still, not letting go because she hadn't removed her hands from his shoulders. "I'm glad you're okay. I liked your dance."

"Really?" she grinned, glancing at the little horns on his head. She pulled his neck some so he would duck his head. "I like your horns...they're cute!"

"Thank you, I haven't gotten my actual ones yet!" he called back over the music, eying her hair. "I like your hair. It's very red."

"I know right?" she laughed, raising her eyebrows at him. "You're really cute!"

"You think so?" he laughed nervously, a bashful look across his face as he stared at the girl that made him stop his search for Augustus, and he was certain nothing would have stopped that. "You-"

He was cut off by her leaning in, hands on his neck, and pressing her lips onto his. His eyes widned in shock but kissed her back for just a second, spending too much time sitting there in shock. Noa smiled at him when she pulled away, staring at his face as a bashful smile crept to him. "I'm gonna go dance some more but I hope I see you again soon! Come back here when you hear the song again!"

There it was. Noa's breath hitched, almost shaky like. She looked up, staring out of the windowshield. Percy was back, talking to the pair. Noa stared at those curls, the little horns she called cute noticeable from here. Her fingertips still felt like the warmth of his face, the faint chapped feeling lingered on her lips. Noa breathed heavy. "It was Grover."

It was Grover.

•

Noa walked past her long lost brother as he was tied to one of his own beds, following Percy and Annabeth into the back room as they stared at the door. Grover was close behind her. Percy took a breath. "Are we sure this is the right way?"

No one spoke, Grover walked forward first. Noa watched him closely, holding her breath as he slowly pushed the door open. The smell hit them quickly, a type they'd never smelt before. In all a thousand years Noa had lived, that was something she couldn't relate to. Grover backed up quickly with a cough, Noa caught him so he wouldn't stumble too bad. "It's either the realm of the dead or someone left a carton of milk in there in the 1990s."

Annabeth looked around, grasping a stress ball off the desk and handing it his way. "Better?"

Noa rubbed his upper back as he squeezed it in his hand. "Much."

"If we get into trouble..." Percy trailed off, pulling the five pearls from his pocket. "-these are our tickets out."

"No ones turning back till we all come back." Annabeth made the promise amongst the group.

"No one comes back!" Crusty yelled from the shop.

"Shut up, Crusty!" Noa yelled from where she was.

"We have no idea what's down there." Percy pointed out the obvious, rolling the pearls. "I just think it's safer if I'm not holding them all."

The ball squeaked a few times in Grover's hold, each of them taking a pearl. Noa shoved hers into her boot while the trio pocketed theirs. Annabeth took a breath. "Let's go get your mom."

They walked first, Grover's hand found Noa's as they trailed toward the back some. Her eyes looked his way in the darkness. "Do you not want to do this?"

"Does anyone want to go into the Underworld?" she had to laugh slightly.

"No, I mean....you've just been a little quiet." he spoke up, though he questioned every second. "I mean...maybe you're just scared, I don't know, maybe that was a dumb question. Are you scared? Is that why you're being quiet?"

Noa hesitated. "Yeah....I'm just scared."

"Me too." he nodded his head, his hand finding hers. "Think we'll make it out of here? Well, obviously you will."

"Obviously?" she frowned her eyebrows.

"You're a goddess now, a new one. You're too valuable to let die...Olympus isn't gonna let you die before you training." he shook his head. "If anyone's gonna die, it'll probably be me."

Noa stopped as she caused him to bump right into her. "Don't say that...it's not true. I wouldn't let anything happen to you, Grover. I wouldn't."

•

kylie speaks

boring short chapter but i
wanted to give you guys
something!! i've got covid
rn so don't have the most
energy ever so the next few
chapters may be a little
short but i missed you guys
and missed them!!