PART OF YOUR WORLD, p. jackson

──Don't Lose Ur Head, Six & Christina Modestou

Argus drove them out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again, Annabeth and Percy sitting with Oliver in between as if they were completely normal carpoolers. After two weeks at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seemed like a fantasy.

"So far so good," Percy mused. "Ten miles and not a single monster."

Annabeth gave her an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."

"Remind me again—why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you."

"Could've fooled me."

She folded her cap of invisibility. "Look... we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."

Percy heard Oliver groan quietly, she wouldn't have been able to tell if she hadn't grown so used to the way his eyes darkened when he was annoyed or mad. The noise he made was almost incoherent and cut short, but she knew it was a groan.

She could also tell that Annabeth didn't know much about him, because she only shifted slightly to make space for him. The blonde girl thought the child of Aphrodite was making a noise of discomfort, how wise.

"Why?"

She sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mum caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mum created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."

"They must really like olives."

"Oh, forget it."

"Now, if she'd invented pizza—that I could understand."

Oliver snorted, again the noise almost incoherent. Annabeth paid him no mind, glaring at Percy.

"I said, forget it!"

In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winked at Percy.

Traffic slowed them down in Queens. By the time they got into Manhattan, it was sunset and starting to rain.

Argus dropped us at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from Percy's mum and Gabe's flat. Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with her picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GIRL?

She ripped it down before Annabeth could take notice, but Oliver had basically watched her do it and didn't seem to want to question it, which she appreciated.

Argus unloaded their bags, made sure they got their bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his head opening to watch them as he pulled out of the car park.

Percy thought about how close she was to her old flat. On a normal day, her mum would be home from the candy store by now. Smelly Gabe was probably up there right now, playing poker, not even missing her.

She was glad that Oliver and Annabeth were with her, but she felt guilty that she hadn't been straight with either of them. She hadn't told them the real reason she'd said yes to the quest.

The truth was, she didn't care about retrieving Zeus's lightning bolt, or saving the world, or even helping her father get out of trouble. The more she thought about it, the more she resented Poseidon for never visiting her, never helping her mum, never even sending a lousy child-support check. He'd only claimed her because he needed a job done.