CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
—dumb dates and
blue birthday cake

🗡🗡🗡

—JUDITH wasn't entirely sure if this was supposed to be a date. Percy hadn't asked her. She hadn't asked him. But they were alone ... together, up against the lake's shore on a fleece blanket, watching the fireworks show for the Fourth of July. Completely sappy, right?

  But as the night continued, the daughter of Ares found herself wanting it to be a date more and more. At least to clear up all of her confusing thoughts.

  At each explosion in the sky, Percy's face was bathed in a rainbow of colors. The orange and yellows made his tanned skin look like a god's, Apollo's if she dared to say it. And she subtly admired the blues and greens that seemed to make his eyes glow and swirl like an unforgiving sea. Whirlpools and tides working in tandem to fuel an ocean. But Judith found the reds to be her favorite, unsurprisingly. The deep burgundy color was wildly unsettling upon his sharp features, his expression turning dangerous. And the shadows in his eyes made him look almost deadly. She found it hauntingly beautiful.

  She didn't have an avid eye for beauty like Silena, but it was becoming painfully obvious to her that Percy was attractive. In the way he looked, the way he held himself, in his untapped power. But Judith was also starting to notice the little details that she would normally overlook out of inattentiveness, especially from the past few weeks of learning about each other. It had been startling, coming to the conclusion that she truly liked him, but seeing everything that made this boy Percy, it wasn't hard to figure out why.

Both Annabeth and Silena had claimed that they were 'good for each other.' And though Judith hadn't understood it at the time, she could see it now. They should clash, a fatal mixture of fire and water. But where fire was unrelenting and ruthless, Judith was learning to control it and harness it. And where water could be tame and serene, Percy was discovering that it could be violent and vicious. Instead of crashing in disharmony, they were able to unite in a fiery storm.

  Tearing her eyes away from the boy's side profile that was currently lit up in a bright pink ( and even that color, she didn't hate it when it was on him ), Judith looked out at the lake, the question of the night formulating on her tongue. "Percy," he turned to look at her, "is this a date?"

  The question clearly caught him off guard as he stumbled through his next words. "Well, I — uh, do you want it to be?"

  Duh, she bit her cheek. But she was not about to let him turn the question on her to put her on the spot. "That isn't how our game works. Someone asks the question, it's answered, and then we can move on."

  "Right, right," he breathed. "I think it is ... whatever you think it is." That was so unfair. "So, what do you think it is?"

  She wouldn't let him win that easily. "I think it's whatever you want it to be. So what do you want it to be?" She could do this all night.

  "I'm starting to hate this game," he said instead.

  "Just answer the question, Barnacle Breath," Judith begged. Her patience was wearing incredibly thin.

  "Alright." Percy nodded to himself. "Alright, yeah. Yeah, I want it to be a date." Once the words were out, he relaxed. "Of course, I want it to be a date."

  Judith pursed her lips to hide her smile. "Then you know my answer."

  And Percy grinned, satisfied, even with her evasive response. He had come to appreciate her way of showing outward tenderness. The actions were small and rare, and if you blinked, you'd most definitely miss them — but he supposed it made the moments all the more special. Her eyes refused to meet his in the darkness, but he was thankful because it gave him a chance to admire her.

The darkness blended with her new leather jacket, a garment she had taken from Triple G Ranch, and only took off when sparring, despite the summer's heat. Her fingers were fiddling with the thin blanket beneath them, a habit that the demigods with ADHD had — or maybe she was just nervous ( the latter theory made his insides warm ). He could imagine that she would be twisting her old arm guard around if she had it on, but he hadn't seen it since coming back from Mount St. Helens. He regretted being the reason she took up the habit again after his 'death,' but was glad that he was also the reason she dropped it again. It was strange to see Judith in a calm environment like this one, but Percy liked it.

A firework erupted above the lake and Judith was painted in a vibrant navy blue. It took his breath away, seeing two of his favorite things intermingling. Judith never wore blue, but it complimented her surprisingly well; at least, Percy thought so. The cool color contrasted against the normal red he associated her with, two worlds colliding. It was beautiful, and she was too.

Judith finally tore her eyes from the reflective water and found Percy already looking at her. She raised an eyebrow curiously, seeing the small smile that was settled on his face. She was going to ask what had him so happy, but she stopped because she already knew the answer. Somewhere within her, she was content too, being in each other's presence when not almost dying was nice. In return, Judith offered a small upturn of her lips.

  Without thinking much about it, the two leaned in and closed the small gap.

A royal purple filled the sky around them as their lips touched, an intense combination of red and blue. The boom of the explosion didn't register with either of them as the world simply fell away and the sky lifted, replaced with the roaring of waves in Percy's ears and the crackle of a familiar fierce blaze in Judith's. It was all consuming, yet not at all unpleasant. Reality felt ... well, it felt unreal.

  And Judith — not that she was keeping track — ticked off another tally under the slow-kiss list: her favored of the two lists. This one was nicer than the others too, no threat of the Labyrinth or of Kronos. It was just them, blanketed by the warm summer night, watching the fireworks ... on a date.

  A demigod's life was rarely perfect ( especially a son of Poseidon and daughter of Ares' ), but within that moment, it was hard to believe that their lives could be anything but.

  But perfection could only last so long. Percy's last day of camp arrived too fast, it felt like.

Judith had said her goodbyes to Clarisse, the older girl inviting Chris to stay at her house while they located his family. She also gave a quick farewell to Mark and Ellis, knowing that even if she hated them at times, they were still her brothers. She would be devastated to lose either of them like they had all lost Maya. She didn't have to say goodbye to Annabeth yet, the girl choosing to stay at camp a while longer to study Daedalus' laptop and to care for Chiron's bad leg.

  Beckendorf and Silena were leaving camp as well, so saying goodbye to them had been awkward. The two were being as lovey as possible to try and make the separation between them two a little easier. Judith had been quick saying her farewells to them, not one to come between a relationship.

  The last person she had to say goodbye to was probably the hardest of them all.

  "You know," Percy said as they stood atop Half-Blood Hill, "you could always take Blackjack to Manhattan for a day. My birthday is in two. My mom always throws a small party."

  "I wouldn't be intruding on some mother-son tradition, would I?" Judith asked, unsure.

  "No, no! Tyson will be there. I think my mom's boyfriend will be, too. I asked Annabeth, but she's a bit busy with ... everything. Grover might stop by, but he's got the whole Pan thing going on, too. I'd really like it if you came, actually."

Judith couldn't argue with him on this. In fact, she kind of wanted to go anyway. Camp was always boring once the brunt of the summer campers left. "Alright, I'll be there. I'll see if I can convince Annabeth, but she might be on her way back home by that time."

  Percy was all smiles at her agreement, but nodded at the Annabeth comment. "She's got a lot of work to do, I can't blame her." He shuffled on his feet, looking back at his mom's car at the bottom of the hill as she honked. "She doesn't really like sitting here that long. Bad memories."

Judith recalled the stories about Percy's arrival at camp. She had just been an unclaimed camper at the time and not exactly in the loop with all gossip, but the sudden appearance of a child of the Big Three had been major news. And the fact that he had taken on a Minotaur almost singlehandedly was even bigger. Somewhere beneath all that glory, however, there was the fact that the boy had lost his mother to Hades on this hill.

"I get it," Judith said. "So I'll, uh, see you in two days, I guess."

Percy nodded, hands stuffed in his hoodie pocket. "Yep—" the car's horn sounded again and Percy gave an exasperated sigh. Swiftly, the boy stepped forward and placed a very chaste peck to her cheek, making sure his back was to his mother so she wouldn't see ( not that he was ashamed or anything. He just really didn't want to have that conversation on the ride home ). "See you then."

He bounded down the hill, waving to her one last time before climbing into the passenger seat of the car. Judith watched as it curved around a final bend in the road before heading back to her mostly empty cabin. Sherman Yang was still packing up his large collection of throwing knives as she walked in.

"—I could have sworn I had all of them," he huffed indignantly as he checked for something underneath his bed.

"Lost one?" Judith asked, knowing the frustrating feeling of losing a singular blade in a set.

Sherman stood up, gruffly crossing his arms as he glared at her. "Did you steal it?"

"Yang, I have my own set, why would I steal one of yours?" Her mood soured quickly as he accused her.

"I don't know, because you like making my life miserable?" He was being insanely dramatic.

Judith rolled her eyes as she walked across the room, yanking the celestial bronze knife out of the overused dart board. She twirled it in her fingers tauntingly as Sherman reached for it. "Ah, ah. Maybe, I'll keep it ... just because I like to make your life miserable."

The older boy glowered. "Jude, don't be a bi—"

"Don't call me Jude or accuse me of things I didn't do and maybe I won't have to be." She flicked her wrist and sent the dagger soaring into his wooden bed frame, skimming his camp t'shirt sleeve just enough to create a tear.

  He rolled his eyes, pulling the throwing knife out of his bed and stuffing it away. "Are you staying here for the year?"

  "I've asked to stay until I know my mom is back home."

  Sherman rolled up the completed knife sleeve before turning to her, arms crossed. "How long will that be?"

  "I don't know." Judith bit the inside of her cheek.

  The boy only nodded, shouldering his backpack. "Don't go crazy here on your own."

  "I'll do my best," Judith promised.

  But even within two days, it was hard not to go crazy. Judith had bothered Annabeth the first day, hoping to coerce her into the sword arena, but the girl was so absorbed in the files of the laptop.

The daughter of Ares then had to enjoy the arena by herself.

She spent the rest of the day there, completely enclosed in her training. She had to admit, it wasn't the same when she wasn't angry or on the verge of angry.

  Luckily, it was distracting enough to carry her all the way to the next day. She was at the stables right after breakfast, making sure to ask for extra donuts for Blackjack. Judith had to hide the sugary treats within her jacket to not raise suspicion with Chiron.

  The stables were rambunctious as she entered, all of the Pegasi smelling the food on her. Judith had to fend off Birdie who now felt entitled to whatever food she had after coming back from the Labyrinth. She caved and gave him half a glazed one. He whinnied in delight and Judith wished she could understand what he was saying.

  Then Blackjack cantered over and nudged her. Judith let him have the rest. "I don't know if Percy somehow told you, but he said you might be able to fly me to Manhattan for his birthday? You'd be able to see him."

  The Pegasus huffed and Judith had no idea if it was positive or negative. But he didn't walk away from her so she retrieved a saddle from the nearest wall. But as she moved closer with it, he took a step back, shaking his head around vigorously. "You have to wear a saddle. I can't ride you comfortably."

  She could imagine him saying something like — No way, girlfriend, as he refused to have the leather put on him.

  "Percy knows how to ride you like this, but I don't," Judith complained. "I'll probably fall off." She could have sworn he shrugged as he knelt down to let her on his back. She sighed heavily, putting the saddle back on its wall. "I'm telling on you to Percy."

  The Pegasus snorted before walking them out into the grassy plains. Judith knotted her hands within Blackjack's mane tightly, wishing desperately that Percy was sitting in front of her instead. She yelped as he took to the sky, her legs clamped around his rib cage.

  In no time, they hovered above New York, probably looking like some gigantic bird to the mortals. "Hey, I need to get a present for him, can you stop in an alley somewhere by that shopping mall?" She pointed out the Manhattan mall.

  They stooped down until they were in the confines of a dark alley, no doubt scaring a hobo. "I'll be quick, don't move."

  Judith really was quick. She didn't have much money to work with so her options were pretty limited. Socks were a safe bet as she walked into JCPenney, pulling a collection of multicolored sports socks, and also a few funny ones with patterns. It wasn't much, but he'd probably laugh.

  "Do you know where he lives?" Judith asked when they were back above New York City. They soared above the apartment complexes.

  There was no answer, but he suddenly swooped down on to the roof of a particular building. Judith reluctantly got off of the Pegasus' back, shuffling around awkwardly. She couldn't be sure which level Percy lived on and she wasn't about to climb some fire escape to check within random people's windows. Fortunately, Blackjack's weird telepathy warned the boy where they resided and Percy was climbing up the metal staircase to them.

  He flashed a grin to Judith as he walked over. "Thanks for coming." He glanced at Blackjack. "He says you were stubborn." His face held amusement as he looked at her crookedly.

  "Me? Stubborn? He wouldn't let me put a saddle on him." Judith scoffed.

  Percy tsked. "Oh yeah, he hates them. But you didn't die, so that's good. No Blackjack, the cake isn't ready yet." Judith would never ever get used to him communicating with the Pegasus. "You can hang out up here today or fly around. I'll let you know when you can have cake."

  That seemed to be good enough for the black winged horse as it took off into the air. Percy then turned to the girl. "I'm sorry, he's a drama queen."

  Judith raised her eyebrows at the hypocrite. "He learned from the best, didn't he?" She lightly punched his arm. "Happy birthday." She held out his present, JCPenney bag and all, minus the receipt ( he didn't have to know how little she spent on his gift ).

  "Oh, thanks." He grabbed the bag from her. "Do you want me to open it now or later?"

  "You can open it now, it's nothing crazy," she rambled.

  He opened the bag and started to laugh as he pulled out the patterned socks first, the emojis on display. And he also appreciated the normal socks since he went through his pairs surprisingly fast. Judith was relieved that he actually liked the present.

As they climbed down the fire escape and into a window two floors down, a man was staring at them oddly inside. "You just — you came in through the window?"

Percy rubbed the back of his neck, trying to find a good cover up. "She hates elevators." Judith, finding the lie awful, bit her cheek, but she nodded. And then he laid it on unnecessarily thick. "Her grandfather died in one."

The man's eyes widened exponentially as he looked between the teenagers. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Judith, pinching Percy's back, stepped forward. "It wasn't an accident or anything, he was old. I just don't like the thought of enclosed spaces."

"Yeah, claustrophobia," Percy added. Judith was going to kill him.

"I see," the man nodded. "Well, I'm Paul Blofis. I'm guessing you're a friend of Percy's from camp?"

"Yeah, I'm Judith Sloane." They shook hands politely. "It's nice to meet you." Paul's eyes lit up in recognition of the name, briefly glancing at Percy next to her.

"Judith, huh? It is very nice to meet you as well. Well, I'll let you kids be." And he walked down the hallway and into what Judith knew as the kitchen, but not without sending a wink at a reddened son of Poseidon. She tried really hard not to think about what that could mean.

As they walked out into the main living space, Judith's eyes were drawn to the large figure of Tyson.

"Judy Moody!" he called in excitement like he hadn't seen her in forever when in reality, they had talked only days prior.

"Hey, big guy," Judith returned, finding a seat on the couch next to him. He held out his plate of grapes and chips, offering some up to her. She politely grabbed a potato chip to appease him. "Thanks."

Percy sat in an arm chair across from them, no space left on the sofa with Tyson taking up almost two spots on his own. The coffee table between them held a large variety of snacks and candies. Judith avoided the sweets but happily splurged on the veggie platter and chips.

"Oh, Judith!" Sally Jackson greeted as she walked in, Paul behind her with a bowl of fruit salad in his hands. "I'm so glad you could make it. Percy was so excited that you agreed to come."

Percy ran a hand down his face and Paul noticed the obvious embarrassment, cringing behind the woman. Judith pursed her lips in amusement. "I wouldn't miss it."

Ms. Jackson gleamed, settling down in a nearby rocking chair and Paul took up another seat near Percy. After the initial humiliation of the birthday boy, they all conversed happily through the day. Judith had to concoct multiple lies that coincided with Percy's about the summer camp they went to as Paul was not in the loop yet. Eventually they were all surrounded around the coffee table after a round of the birthday song, Judith keeping her voice hidden beneath Tyson's boisterous volume ( she was a daughter of Ares, not a daughter of Apollo ). Percy was just getting ready to blow out the candles on his blue cake when the doorbell rang.

Ms. Jackson frowned. "Who could that be?" She walked over to open the door and gasped. Judith's hands flew to her waist but remembered she had left her dual swords back at camp so as not to alarm Sally since she could see through the mist. And she wasn't quite sure what Paul would be able to see. So then her hands went to her boots where she had a dagger.

But as she saw who was at the door, Judith let her hands fall, though her whole body stiffened. The man was wearing Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt and Birkenstocks, looking like a right tourist. His black beard was neatly trimmed and his sea-green eyes twinkled, reminding Judith of a pair that she was fond of. He wore a battered cap decorated with fishing lures. It said NEPTUNE'S LUCKY FISHING HAT. Very subtle, she rolled her eyes.

"Pos—" Ms. Jackson stopped herself. She was blushing right to the roots of her hair. Judith was unsure if it was from just the shock of seeing the man or if there was something else. "Um, hello."

"Hello, Sally," Poseidon said pleasantly. "You look as beautiful as ever. May I come in?"

Percy's mother made a squeaking sound that might've been either a "Yes" or "Help." Poseidon took it as a yes and entered. Paul was looking back and forth between the occupants of the room, trying to gauge reactions.

Finally he stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Paul Blofis."

Poseidon raised his eyebrows as they shook hands. "Blowfish, did you say?" Judith snickered into her hand quietly.

"Ah, no. Blofis, actually."

"Oh, I see," Poseidon said. "A shame. I quite like blowfish. I am Poseidon."

Judith wondered how he wasn't smited on the spot by Zeus for being so revealing of his true identity. Weren't there rules or something about keeping things a secret? Didn't he have some sort of alias?

"Poseidon? That's an interesting name."

"Yes, I like it. I've gone by other names, but I do prefer Poseidon."

"Like the god of the sea."

"Very much like that, yes."

"Well!" Ms. Jackson interrupted. "Um, we're so glad you could drop by. Paul, this is Percy's father."

"Ah." Paul nodded, though he didn't look real pleased. "I see."

Poseidon smiled at Percy. "There you are, my boy. And Tyson, hello, son!"

"Daddy!" Tyson bounded across the room and gave Poseidon a big hug, which almost knocked off his fishing hat.

Paul's jaw dropped. "Tyson is ... "

"Not mine," Sally promised. "It's a long story."

Poseidon then looked at the daughter of Ares and the girl couldn't be sure how he would feel about her. "Hello Jude—"

"She goes by Judith," Percy coughed.

"Sorry, my apologies. Judith, it's nice to see you." The girl bowed her head only slightly to be respectful without seeming weird in Paul's presence. "I couldn't miss Percy's fifteenth birthday," he said next. "Why, if this were Sparta, Percy would be a man today!"

"That's true," Paul said. "I used to teach ancient history."

Poseidon's eyes twinkled. "That's me. Ancient history. Sorry ... would you mind if I borrowed Percy for a moment?"

He didn't wait for an answer before he put his arm around his son's shoulders and steered him into the kitchen.

Judith awkwardly let out a breath she was holding, Ms. Jackson doing the same a few feet away. Paul just looked troubled and Tyson was over the moon, eating up more grapes and chips.

It didn't look like there were any ill feelings toward her from the god. She'd even say he really did think it was nice to see her. But that could just be a front. Did he know that her and Percy had something going on? Of course he did, he was a god. Did he approve? Introducing herself to Sally as a girlfriend sounded intimidating before, but she was going mad over what Poseidon would say. But then, she realized, she didn't care. She didn't care what Poseidon thought, she especially didn't care what Ares thought. ( He definitely wouldn't approve. ) But still, Ms. Jackson was a little nerve wracking. That one still mattered, in her opinion.

Judith pulled the still lit candles out of the cake so the wax wouldn't completely ruin the frosting. She let Tyson blow them out before setting them back into the cake to be relit later.

Percy eventually walked back into the living room, face pale and tense. Judith eyed him strangely, just knowing Poseidon gave him some heavy things to think about on a day he really shouldn't have. The boy had to use the excuse that Poseidon used the fire escape to leave. Paul was clearly shocked that the exit was so commonly used in this home.

They all ate blue cake and ice cream — yes, even Judith tried it to make Sally happy. She had to admit it was fun to eat colored food, even if the taste didn't appeal to her. Then they played a bunch of cheesy party games like charades and Monopoly.

A while later, the festivities died down and Tyson fell into a deep food- and excitement-induced slumber on the couch. While Paul and Ms. Jackson went to the kitchen to clean, Percy and Judith went to the boy's room so as not to disturb the Cyclops.

Percy had made sure to clean his bedroom — going so far as to make his bed the day before. He had become a master at speed-cleaning since starting camp because of all the random inspections. Judith sat on the edge of his bed, looking around at the posters and old swim medals that were pinned on the walls. They really didn't surprise her.

The boy set an uneaten slice of blue cake on his dresser, most likely for Blackjack later on. He then took off his Camp Half-Blood necklace and laid it on the windowsill. She found him staring at it closely. He had three beads for his three summers—a trident, the Golden Fleece, and the latest: an intricate maze, symbolizing the Battle of the Labyrinth, as the campers had started to call it. She had the same three, plus one more for the summer she'd attended before him ( the clay bead had a bright red strawberry painted on it since their sales that year had been through the roof ).

"What did your dad tell you in there?" She asked.

He didn't answer for a moment. "There's a war going on under the sea. My dad's doing his best to keep it down there and stop it from migrating on land, but he says it's bad."

"But that's not what has you freaked out," she guessed.

"No," he admitted. "He also said that I woke up Typhon when I blew up Mount St. Helens."

Yikes. "You couldn't have known that would happen. Besides, he was bound to stir from Kronos' rising anyway," she tried to console.

Percy nodded. "That's what he said. But the Olympians all had to work together to subdue Typhon last time, and now we have to do it? Somehow, I don't see a great margin of success. People are going to die, and there's nothing I can do to stop it." He slumped down on the bed next to her and let his head fall into his hands.

Judith placed a hand on his back, her fingers still for a moment before her thumb started a soothing motion—at least, she hoped it was soothing. "This isn't all your responsibility. I've told you this. Everyone has told you this."

He lifted his head to look at her and her hand stilled. The dark shadows she had seen at the fireworks show under the blood red light were now focused on her. "Isn't it, though? I'm going to be the one to make that decision on my birthday. I'm going to be the one leading an army of kids. I'm going to be the one fighting Kronos."

She hated this, she hated every word that came out of his mouth. The one thing she couldn't stand about him was how he chose to take everything on himself just so others didn't have to. Percy wanted to be this impossible hero and Judith hated it. She stood up.

"Would you stop talking like that?" She tried to stay as quiet as possible with Paul and Sally not too far away. "You're not alone in any of those things! People will be behind you the whole way — no, they'll be beside you. And you can bet I am not letting you fight Kronos by yourself," she hissed. The Titan broke her ax!

The boy looked up at her, feeling a stirring fit of emotions as she yelled at him. He should be mad, he knew he should be mad, that was the Odikinesis talking. But the only thing he could feel was adoration as it overpowered whatever feeling she was trying to unconsciously force on him.

Just as Percy went to thank her, a new voice made them jump.

"What are you doing?" Nico asked.

The boy was standing on the fire escape right outside the window. He'd just appeared there. Judith walked over to the windowsill with a deep and hopefully calming breath, greeting the boy with a nod. She hadn't seen him since he left a couple months ago. He returned it with a small smile.

"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"That's — that's okay. I mean ... what are you doing here?" Percy asked.

He'd grown about an inch taller over the last couple of months. His hair was a shaggy black mess. He wore a black T-shirt, black jeans, and a new silver ring shaped like a skull. His Stygian iron sword hung at his side, Judith smirked at its sharpness. Deadly.

"I've done some exploring," he said. "Thought you'd like to know, Daedalus got his punishment."

"What is it?" Judith asked curiously.

Nico shrugged. "Minos wanted to boil him in cheese fondue for an eternity, but my father had other ideas. Daedalus will be building overpasses and exit ramps in Asphodel for all time. It'll help ease the traffic congestion. Truthfully, I think the old guy is pretty happy with that. He's still building. Still creating. And he gets to see his son and Perdix on the weekends."

"That's good," Percy said.

That was an understatement, Judith thought. Hades could have easily bashed out something awful for the man for evading death, but he had mercy. She wondered what other misconceptions there were about the god of the underworld that she held.

Nico tapped at his silver ring. "But that's not the real reason I've come. I've found out some things. I want to make you an offer."

Judith's hands clamped around the sill below her, sensing something a little off.

"What?"

"The way to beat Luke," he said. "If I'm right, it's the only way you'll stand a chance."

Judith was all for advantages, but she was hesitant to believe that any advantage over Kronos would be without immense risk. Percy took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm listening."

Nico glanced inside the room. His eyebrows furrowed. "Is that ... is that blue birthday cake?" He sounded hungry, maybe a little wistful.

"Come inside for some cake and ice cream," Percy said. "It sounds like we've got a lot to talk about."

Nico obliged, surprising the both of them. Judith went to follow them into the depths of the apartment, but Percy stopped her. "It's getting late. I don't want you to get hounded by the harpies when you get back to camp."

"You can't just make me go after Nico shows up," she argued in annoyance. "Especially not when he wants to propose a deal like this."

"Judith, Chiron will already know that you skipped out on dinner. I'm sure he's thinking of a punishment right now."

"I really don't care," she hissed. "I want to know what this plan is."

Percy looked conflicted and changed a glimpse at Nico. "I promise to tell you about it. I'll send an Iris-message." Nico was about to say that it was dangerous to send Iris-messages with pertinent information, but Percy kept talking. "I'll make sure it's vague enough that it won't give too much away."

Both Nico and Judith were unsure of this compromise. But there was nothing Judith could say at this point that wouldn't escalate her to screaming her head off.

"You will tell me."

"I will," he promised. "I'll swear it on the Styx if it'll help."

Judith saw Nico cringe noticeably behind him at his words and narrowed her eyes. She shook her head slowly, deep in thought — she didn't want to jump to any conclusion. "No, don't do that." Her eyes returned to his gaze. "I'll, uh, see you ... soon. Or not. Whenever I see you."

Percy nodded, his hands fidgeting at his sides. "See you."

Judith then looked at Nico over his shoulder. "And don't be a stranger. Now that you've visited Percy, I expect a visit at camp. And maybe then you can tell me the details of the plan."

The son of Hades stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Sure. I'll make sure to visit, Judith."

"Good. Tell Tyson goodbye for me as well. I'll see you guys." She grabbed the slice of cake and stepped out into the orange setting sky, giving one last look at the two boys before climbing the fire escape.

  Blackjack was waiting for her, very interested in what she had in her hands. Judith let him eat it in peace. "I hope you're willing to make this trip a few more times."

  Because Judith was not about to let Percy make risky decisions all on his own just because he wanted to be some hero.

NOTES;
OMG OMG OMG. THAT FIREWORKS SCENE??? 🎆🎇🎆🎇❤️❤️❤️❤️ I LOVED WRITING IT SO MUCH. I WANTED TO GIVE THEM THE PARALLELS. LIKE PERCY IS GROWING INTO THIS CRAZY POWER THAT WILL EVENTUALLY NEED TO BE UNLEASHED AND JUDITH IS LEARNING TO HARNESS HER POWERS TO BE MORE CHILL. AND PURPLE?PURPLE???????💜💜💜💜

I WANTED SO BADLY TO GIVE THEM A HAPPY DATE BEFORE THEY HAD TO GO THEIR SEPARATE WAYS FOR A WHILE. GOD KNOWS THEY WON'T HAVE MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO BE A HAPPY LITTLE COUPLE

ALSO, WE GOT THE BIRTHDAY PARTY BC OBVIOUSLY PERCY WOULD WANT HIS "GIRLFRIEND" THERE. AND IN THIS SCENE IN THE BOOK, PERCY IS CONSTANTLY THINKING ABOUT HOW CAMPERS WILL DIE AND HOW HE HAS TO BE THE ONLY ONE TO DO THINGS SO I FIGURED AN ARGUMENT OVER IT WAS IN ORDER

THIS CHAPTER WAS ALMOST 6,000 WORDS, I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER WRITTEN THAT MUCH FOR ONE CHAPTER

I CAN'T BELIEVE MY SECOND BOOK IN THIS SERIES IS HALFWAY OVER. I'M SO CRAZY EXCITED FOR THE LAST OLYMPIAN, LIKE GUYSSSS