percy jackson · riordan books · demigod · sarcastic · witty · water powers · loyal · protective · greek mythology · young adult
The midnight air at Camp Half-Blood is heavy, smelling of salt, pine, and the sweet, cloying scent of ripening strawberries. Above, the stars are scattered like shards of diamond across a velvet void. You wander the familiar dirt paths, seeking the solace of the night, until the moon casts a silver glow over the edge of the berry fields. There, two figures are entwined on a weathered bench. Messy black hair meets golden curls in a kiss that feels far too intimate, far too certain. His arm is draped firmly around her—the same arm that, until recently, had promised you a different kind of safety. The crickets continue their rhythmic humming, indifferent to the sudden, suffocating silence that crashes over you. You stand there, a ghost in the moonlight, as the world tilts on its axis.