Thia's POV

It was hot. Really hot. The sun left us all looking like lobsters. It reflected harshly off the water. Dry salt clung to us and I was sure anyone who saw us in this state of being would be heavily concerned.

The other problem was that we were hungry and thirsty but our provisions had been damaged by water leaving us vulnerable to the elements and dehydration. My lips were cracked and peeling but I wasn't the only one. Andy's had bled more than once already.

"Any idea how close we are?" He rasped, resting beneath the thin ray of shade made by the mast.

"No. I don't have Poseidon powers." Replying caused my throat to ache. I would kill for some water. Just a sip that was all I needed.

"Right," he nodded, closing his eyes. Siting up I peered over the edge of the boat at the water. It was tempting to dive in but the salt would only cause my sun burns to sting. Leah had been at the helm of the ship for a while now without complaints. It seemed like she'd just zoned out and forgotten whatever afflictions were bothering her.

When darkness came again it was a relief. The sun was no longer the culprit of our dismay. Andy practically dragged Leah away from the helm insisting she take a break and that he take over.

Neither of them had let me take a turn yet, they said it was because of my hands, but if I was being honest I could do it just fine.

"Alright. Let me see your hands," Leah mumbled, grabbing one of our dried off back packs. Some of the medical supplies had managed to survive. I'd learned not to argue by now as it hadn't stopped Andy from inspecting the wounds and re bandaging them once already. Sighing, I held them out to her.

She carefully peeled back the dirtied bandages and tossed them aside. The flesh was still torn and pink but sections of it had scabbed.

"Looks better," She smiled, digging around in the bag before pulling out some sort of antiseptic and salve.

"Do we have to use that?" I asked, eyeing the antiseptic.

"Yeah. That way there's no infection," she insisted.

"But it hurts," I frowned.

"It's supposed to."

"That's a stupid explanation."

"I'll be quick. Promise."

"Ow! I thought you said you'd be quick!" I growled, my eyes watering from the stinging of my hands.

"If you didn't insist on tugging your hands away it would have been faster," she replied.

"Well it hurt. A lot." The pain didn't subside for a long time.

"It wouldn't hurt if you weren't so stubborn," Leah sighed, starting to bandage over the wounds.

"You sound like my mom," I frowned.

"Good. Maybe you'll listen." Leah snorted.

"Right. Very funny." Rolling my eyes I watched as she finished with the medical job and packed everything back up. I couldn't help but think about home. Aurum, Argentum, and Aes had to be pretty lonely by now. Then there was Emily with Uncle Frank and Aunt Hazel. She was probably worried.

"Thinking about home?" Leah asked, tucking her knees up to her chest.

"Um...yeah. Yeah I am." A breeze ruffled my hair and with an irritated flick of the wrist I pushed it out of my face. I was getting sick of the ocean.

"Me too. As much as I hated it I actually kind of miss it now," Leah sighed, her eyes glancing out to the ocean.

"I miss my dogs," I laughed.

"The metal ones?" Leah asked.

"Yeah. They're pretty fun. We used to get into trouble together." I could recall numerous times when I was younger where they aided me in my antics.

"Sounds amazing," Leah laughed.

"Truth be told I kind of miss my parents. If this wasn't going on we'd probably be at home jamming to music." The mere thought of what things would be like if the universe wasn't trying to kill all of us made a melancholy feeling settle over me. "When I was really little, we used to get into pajamas and wear socks every Friday night and dance around the house. I mean I sucked at it. I still do. I can't dance at all but it was really fun and it always made the week thirty times better. That and the fact that they were willing to embarrass themselves just for my sake."

"Sounds like an awesome childhood," Leah grinned, glancing at Andy who watched the waters with a stoic expression.

"Yeah. It was...is I mean," I smiled lightly.

"Is? You really think we'll get our childhood back after this?" Leah spoke with a mixture of bitterness and skepticism.

"Well yeah, why wouldn't we?" I asked with a frown. It seemed logical to me.

"Think about it. Any historical figure we know about from school, how many of them came back and just went back to normal?" It was a fair question and the more I thought about it the more I realized she was right. "No one. People change on quests."

"Maybe, but we don't have to let it get to us." It seemed like a decent idea.

"We have zero control over that sort of thing. We don't know what we'll see let alone experience."

"Why are you telling me this? I'm trying to be optimistic." Couldn't she see that? Besides, why did she even care so much?

"I'm being realistic. For your sake and for Andy's sake," Leah explained.

"No one asked you to be realistic for us." Andy's attention shifted from the waters ahead to our conversation. I guess I spoke louder than I meant to.

"You're right. No one did but we can't pretend bad things aren't going to happen. We're already stranded in the damn ocean." She gestured to the large expanse of dark water on either side of the boat.

"You're right. We are, but if we don't stay positive then we have no reason hoping any of this is going to work out," I insisted. Andy locked the wheel into place and made his way over.

"Two of us are supposed to die," Andy reminded, putting in his own two cents.

"Yeah. I know," I frowned.

"Then we have to be realistic. None of this is going to be easy and none of us are going to be the same." Andy nodded in agreement with Leah.

"That's your opinion. I have my own. I'm not going to be different after this. I'm going to be the same I've always been. That's how it's going to be. I'm going to be the exact same as when I left." The two of them shared a look with one another like I wasn't even there.

"Why are you scared of change?" Andy questioned. "There's no shame in it. Plenty of people go on quests and come back different."

"I'm not scared." I wasn't. I didn't need to be. I wasn't. Is that the truth?

"Yes you are. It's not hard to see," Leah laughed, crossing her arms. I glanced at Andy for support but he held his hands up in submission.

"Maybe I am, alright? We all are. And why shouldn't I be? I've seen first hand what quests can do to people." It was something I preferred not to think about. I didn't want to believe that it could happen to me.

"What do you mean?" Andy questioned.

"My family. My Uncles Nico and Percy, and Aunt Annabeth, they all have nightmares from Tartarus. Uncle Leo died and came back to life, that leaves a mark. Uncle Jason's complexion is covered with scars. My Aunt Hylla has a metal hand because the real one got blown off." As I spoke it was clear that maybe they hadn't been as realistic as they thought. I could see the regret on their faces. They wished they had kept a positive mindset because now the truth came out. It wasn't pretty. "Uncle Will lost two of his brothers to war. Clarrise the old head counselor of the Ares cabin lost her best friend.  You guys hardly know anything about war or quests or what happens after."

"Okay. You're right," Andy nodded, quietly averting his eyes.

"I'm not done." This seemed to surprise him and his eyes snapped back up to me. "Bianca Di Angelo died from War. Allies from New Rome's Civil War died. "

"Like I said, I get it!" Andy grumbled, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm not done." The tension in the air was nearly thick enough to cut. "Simple things get ruined. Holidays. Like Christmas for instance. It's not the same when part of your family is dead. Halloween is hell when it brings back bad memories. Valentine's Day always holds an aura of grief. The Fourth of July should celebrate patriotism but when loud noises remind you of bombs and explosions it doesn't ."

Silence settled over the boat. Maybe I'd gone a bit too far. Or maybe I hadn't.

"Thia-" Leah started.

What? I thought we were just being realistic."

"I thought you were being positive." Andy mumbled, turning on his heel and heading back up to the helm of the ship.

"Listen, we have to get out of here and off this boat!" It felt like the world was just swallowing me up. Whatever emotions I'd stumbled upon during my rant were threatening to boil over now. "We have to find the stupid temple and I have to make sure you guys get back in one piece. A-an-"

Suddenly I was crying. I didn't even know I was hydrated enough to do that. What was worse, I didn't want to cry, I didn't have a reason to.  I shouldn't be weeping when the world rested on our shoulders. I should be like all those other heroes who held their chins high and took on the world.

They were all so strong and brave and I was me. I was a powerless kid who didn't know what they were doing. Someone who had no one to believe in them. Who knew that the gods expected them to fail. That was me.

"I just want to go home." That was it wasn't it? What I really wanted. To abandon all of this and go home. To pretend it never happened, but I couldn't. I couldn't . "I didn't want this!"

I hated being touched let alone when I was upset. The only people who could console me with hugs or similar gestures were my parents. Perhaps Leah would forgive me for my violent flinch when she hugged me.

"You know fatal flaws?" She asked softly.

"Y-yeah," I sniffled.

"I know yours." Leah pulled back from the hug to study my features. "You're too selfless. You care more about everyone else than yourself. Look at your damn hands!"

She turned my hands over so I could see the bloodied bandages. I couldn't explain why I felt ashamed but I did.

"You can't fix everything. You have to accept that things don't always make sense. That you will be different from all of this and that's okay. You'll have people to support you. Your family may have suffer Ed but they didn't do it alone. None of them did. Don't lose sight of the fact that you have fiends." Her eyebrows furrowed together. "Please, remember that you can't fix everything Thia. It's not human."

"I can sure try." My voice was soft, I didn't have the energy to speak with much passion.

"Maybe," Leah smiled softly. "But people can only try so much before they drive themselves mad."

She was right. I'd heard such things before. I was certain it was the source of my anxiety. The overwhelming desire to take care of everyone and everything. The need to fix.

A breeze rocked the boat slightly. It seemed to carry a familiar scent. Something I couldn't quiet place. It was warm and almost reassuring. Following the gust of wind I stopped at the front of the boat where just over the side something incredible was taking place.

The water was glowing beautifully in the dark water like the ocean was full of glow sticks. "Bioluminescent plankton."

The breeze returned trailing its fingers through my short hair. How could a breeze be so comforting? It was familiar. Too familiar. Like I'd felt it somewhere before.

"Guys. Look." Just up ahead I could see a dark mass on the horizon. It was land. The plankton raced towards it in a brilliant glowing trail. Somehow the universe was guiding us. "Andy, follow the trail."

He seemed confused but did as he was told directing the narrow boat through the water. I wasn't sure how I knew but I did.

"You're leading us aren't you?" I whispered to the breeze. There was no response but I knew. I could feel it in every ounce of my being.

"What is it?" Leah asked fixing the sail.

"Order," I smiled.