Chapter Thirty-Five:
The Naïvety of a Hero Changed.
— Open hand or closed fist would be fine.
Blood is rare and     sweet as cherry wine !

Naïvety was a luxury most heroes couldn't afford to buy into after discovering their heritage.

Despite everything he'd already been through within a year of discovering who his true father was, and the things he had the power to do, Percy was incredibly naïve for a Son of the Gods — one of the Big Three at that. Colette Victoire wanted to applaud him for it, but she was disappointed by it. She'd seen his truly cunning nature, she'd enjoyed watching it shine through his typically boyish mentality. He was smarter than most gave him credit for, and Colette knew it. She couldn't help her own disbelief that he'd let a monster live. She understood it was because of his realization of affection toward his half-brother, she could read as much in his eyes, but the monster before them — Polyphemus — had hurt her best friend. That was a sin, a mistake, she didn't let anyone get away with — be it at camp or in the real world where monsters cared little for companionship — no one hurt Annabeth.

Eyes alight and patience at its wits end, Colette swung out her axe again. She took a quick glance back one more time through red slashed vision that the girl she'd dubbed her love was safe in the arms of someone she held close as a friend.

The next steps she took were intercepted by the idiotic boy she adored.

"Wait!" Percy grabbed her unoccupied wrist. "C'mon, I know I fucked up not killin' 'im earlier, but don't go alone — please."

Her burning eyes slowly trailed down to gaze intensely at the hand on her wrist. He was quick to move it away. Any other time, she wouldn't have minded, but she was a girl with one task in mind: Killing the monster who'd hurt her smart girl so terribly. "Percy," she warned, "if you hesitate, I will make sure you are out of my way. Do you understand?"

He swallowed audibly but nodded anyway, drawing his sword.

Polyphemus advanced carefully.

Percy willed the sea to rise. A twenty-foot surged up, assisting the demigods to rise to the massive height of the giant Cyclops.

Together, they lunged. Percy's sword swinging in every direction he could manage while Colette slashed at the monster's skin with the edge of her axe, relishing in his pained sounds.

Eventually, Colette grew tired of moving her weapon over her head, and she could see Percy was growing tired, too. She managed to climb her way around the monster's neck. She held the hilt of her axe with one hand and a safe edge of the blade with the other, and squeezing — choking him where he stood.

               "Now, Percy!" She ordered, eyes ablaze.

And that time, he did not hesitate. With the help of his enlarged wave, he jumped — sword over his head, and plunged his blade directly into the blind eye of the Cyclops.

Within seconds of their fatal moves, both demigods were in nothing but heaps of gold dust. They panted for breath, sweat dripping from their temples, and their limbs sore.

Unfortunately, however, while they were trying their best to fight a monster a hundred feet taller than them, the Cyclops managed to make one final move. He'd thrown a boulder toward the Queen Anne's Revenge, sinking it effectively. Their friends were standing in the water. Clarisse doing her best to use her strength to keep Annabeth above water with the Fleece draped over her still injured body. Grover was bleating nervously, and Tyson was staring ahead — eyes shining with the slightest bit of fear.

Colette let Percy walk ahead of her and into the water. Her chest was still heaving with adrenaline as she stepped into the water. The coldness of the sea made her moves sluggish, the chill seeping into her bones in a way that made her weak. The linen clothes in her body became translucent, but she truly did not care for it. She wanted Annabeth in her arms, healed, and to be back at camp in the warmth of her cabin.

               She watched as Percy approached his half-brother. "Hey, bud'." He smiled, clearly relieved. His face fell into a more hurt expression when Tyson took a step back. "Tyson ... ?"

               "You ... you killed ..." the poor thing stammered, eyes darting between the dust that was floating away with the wind and Percy.

               Colette knew it was her turn to step in. "Hi, Tyson." Her voice was soft, gentler than it had been in a long time.

Tyson turned to her, big eye rounding even further as his lips quivered. She took a small step closer, slowly walking toward him, and keeping her hands out as if she was approaching a skittish and scared animal. When he didn't back away from her, she continued until she was right in front of him. She took his shaking hands into her own, her thumbs running soothing circles on his palms until his stopped shaking so violently and his breathing had calmed. 

               "You know you are not a monster, right?" She asked him tentatively, looking up at him with a soft and caring gaze. He swallowed, but nodded slowly to agree, so she continued.

               "The difference between you and Polyphemus was that he was a monster. And I am not saying that because he was a Cyclops. I say that because he hurt Annabeth very badly. You have not hurt Annabeth. You may have scared her at first, but that was because we have met bad Cyclopes who hurt us as well. You will never be hurt by us because you are not a monster. And your brother loves you very much. Please," she dropped her voice to a whisper as she peered up at him, "do not fear your brother."

It was a feeling she wouldn't wish on anyone.

He sniffled one last time, a stray tear leaking from the corner of his eye. He smiled when she reached up on her toes to wipe it away.

               "Thank you, pretty girl." Tyson found it in himself to hug her tightly.

His eye found Percy's, who was looking at him hopefully. Colette patted his arm, and it was all it took for him to reach for his brother. Tyson picked Percy up, hugging him tightly.

               "I have missed you, brother!"

               "Missed you, too, buddy."

Percy's voice was muffled by Tyson's shoulder, but the emotions in his words were clear.

Colette knew then that she could move away from their reunion, letting her tunnel vision guide her to her injured best friend.

               "Lettie." Annabeth called weakly, arm outstretched in Clarisse's hold.

The call of her name alone made Colette fight the cold in her bones, picking up her pace to have the brunette in her arms once more.

               "I'm here." The blonde reassured, taking Annabeth out of Clarisse's arms and into her own tenderly. "I've got you, mon amour." The gentle uptick of her lips was as genuine as it had been in a long time when Wisdom's Daughter nestled into her chest, melting into her hold.

When Colette looked up from her girl, her eyes found Clarisse's burnt coal colored ones. The knowing look in those dark irises made heat crawl up the blonde's neck. She knew very well what she felt from both Annabeth and Percy, but she wasn't quite used to people calling her out for it — which was what Clarisse was doing.

               War's Daughter shook her head playfully with a smirk. "Whipped."

While everyone was distracted, Percy and Tyson called to their ocean friends. The Hippocampi who appeared within seconds.

Shapes shimmered in the darkness of the ocean — three horses with fish tails, galloping upward faster than dolphins. The largest of the three had Clarisse on his back, letting Tyson grab hold of his mane. Colette rested Annabeth on one of them, giving them a short smile when they allowed her to keep hold of their mane as well. Grover was on the third, Percy holding onto that one's mane, as well.

The group of them skimmed across the sea as the island shrank and disappeared, which happened much quicker for Colette than the rest of them — that much was clear when everyone stared at the island longer than she had.

She took a glance at Percy once Annabeth had mumbled something about their victory before falling asleep, noticing he was doing the same, but there was something different about the way he was looking at the world.

His bleary eyes were no longer searching for the best parts of life, but taking in the good and the bad — accepting it all.

She bit the inside of her lip, feeling a small sense of sympathy for the change.

It was a hero's naïvety changed, a new and better mentality for survival.

ICARUS INQUIRES:

^^^^^^^^^^me realizing there's only four chapters left of tsom.

What the freak, guys. Who let it go by this fast? (Not fast at all, tsom should've been done, but I don't have TIME.)

Wdym I'm already prepping for ttc ? Wdym there's so much angst coming when these three little shits are finally getting back into their usual simp modes? WHOOPS

Missed y'all so much though <333

DEBRIEF:

— Lettie pov because she's so angy all the time nowadays, figured why not

— Lettie is so "fuck around n find out" coded

— Percy said "I won't fuck up again, I promise"

— The two powerhouses kill monster, yay !!

— Uh oh, Tyson saw no hesitation. Tyson scared, understandably so

— Yes, Lettie is so therapist friend (she's breaking inside and needs one herself)

— Lettie and Annie <3333 missed my girls

— Clarisse is such a teasing older sister

Anyways, yes I changed basically everything about this chapter because the actual chapter is only four pages and so boring. Enjoy Lettie's inner monologue and her thought process of why she accepted Tyson so quick

Pls vote (if you want) and comment (plsplspls)

LOVE YOU GUYS <33333