Today was going to be the worst day of my life. I just didn’t know it yet, thank the gods. I woke up and once again got ready in Percy’s cabin, I’m sorry but the Hermes kids have promoted themselves into the Hermes Hermits Peeping Toms! They have no respect for women what so ever! I swear, they were trying to sneak a peak the whole damn time! Sibling like sibling, eh? (Referring to Luke) So, the whole morning, I decided to learn some things. I had Greek reading classes with Annabeth in the morning. She said that even though I might know a little bit because I’m a demigod that I should get into actually knowing the language. She offered free lessons to me, so I took the opportunity. After classes with Annabeth, I went and did some archery with the Apollo cabin. I was surprisingly very skilled with the bow and arrow. The Apollo cabin thought maybe I was a child of Apollo, I would have considered it if it had not been for last night. I don’t think my dad would be hitting on me, but then again, incest did run in the Greek mythology blood, right? I mean talk about Zeus and Hera. They’re siblings and they had kids and got married, that’s kind of sick. Let’s not forget to mention Percy’s half-brother that he fought in some scary tribute place to Poseidon filled with skulls. Yea, Percy’s half-brothers parents were Poseidon and Gaea. That’s means Poseidon got freaky…with his grandma! That’s even more sick! I mentioned this to Percy but he said that since gods don’t have real DNA, it didn’t matter. That’s why kids at this camp date and stuff, cause even though we’re all related somehow, we don’t share the same DNA in our blood. Except the siblings though, don’t do it with your sibling, that goes too far. I mean, either way, you have the same parent and…it’s just wrong.
Anyways, every single guy in the Apollo cabin insisted in joining the archery team. Of course I had to say yes, I mean, all of the Apollo kids are cute so…it’s hard when you’re pressured by cute guys, okay?!!!
(Me: 0_0you have no will power—sigh.)
So, what’s next on our schedule, you ask? Well, right now, I’m in a canoe. By my self, no, of course not! I…have a problem with water, you see. I don’t like it and it doesn’t like me. Whoever my father is, he is not a friend of Poseidon. Percy was about to go canoeing when he had asked me if I wanted to go with him.
“Hey Eva,” Percy said while hauling a canoe. “What’s up?”
I smiled, “Nothing but the sky. You going canoeing?”
He nodded. “Yea, I asked Annabeth but she was busy with her brother, looking at some of Daedalus studies.”
I frowned, “Oh, that’s sucks. I heard that when you canoe with somebody its always more fun.”
Percy stood for a while, just looking at the sky. A slow smile came across his face, “Wanna’ come with me?” He cocked his head to one side waiting for an answer.
I looked down and fumbled around with my feet. Shit! I fucking hate water. Okay, I’m more like scared, but it’s not my fault. Water hates me too. So here I am, cornered up, like a about-to-be-beatendog. I frowned and said, “I’m…not good with water.
Percy just stared at me for the longest time and for some strange reason he looked amused. He raised an eyebrow and needless to say, he didn’t believe me. He picked up his canoe and started walking away from me. Was he actually walking away from me?
“Percy! Hey!” I yelled angrily.
I followed after him and when I found him he was pushing the canoe in the lake. He was standing on the shore of the woods. Where the dirt met the water. He grunted a little and then finally the canoe went straight in the water. Percy climbed in and turned back to look at me. He was serious. The canoe wasn’t moving, it stayed in place. How was it doing that? Was he really that light? That’s pretty gay…okay, sorry. (no offense to gay people, i love them!!!) He stood with his head high in the canoe. The canoe was perfectly still while he stood. It was in the water only a couple inches from the shore. It wasn’t too deep. He walked to the front of the canoe and bent over towards me; he stood over me with a serious face and gently placed out his hand. I don’t know if I looked scared or not because he frowned a little. His hand was still there for me to grab, should I take it? He spoke so low it startled me,
“You don’t have to be afraid while I’m around. The water is my home turf; it won’t hurt you while I’m here.”
I stared at him questioningly and he smiled gently, “I promise.”
I took hold of his hand and with little effort he pulled me onto the canoe. I leaped over the water into the canoe and let out a scared cry when Percy caught me. I grabbed onto his shirt and he held me by the waist tightly. I looked up at him and smiled weakly. He smiled back and when he did, I realized that Percy was actuallyvery handsome.
He helped me acquaint myself into the canoe and when I sat down the canoe started to move immediately.
I stayed quite for a while and then spoke, “Am I fat or something?”
Percy sat down and grabbed an ore. He started rowing and laughed,
“Why?”
“Cause' right when I get on the canoe it starts to move.”
Percy looked at me and started to laugh even more. It kind of bothered me; I mean being fat isn’t funny. (No offense to any fat people.) So, why was he laughing at me? Percy took of his shirt while laughing still and I widened my eyes. Holy shit, he was sexy. He threw his shirt in the corner of the canoe and kept on rowing while shaking his head. It bothered me that he was looking so fine and he was laughing at me.
“Why are you laughing at me?” I pouted.
“I'm sorry.” he said eloquently. “I saw you with that worried look on your face and I found myself compelled to laugh.”
“So, answer me.” I demanded.
“Eva, you’re not fat. Hello, my dad is Poseidon. If I want the water to still, I can make it that way.”
I am so stupid. Of course!
We stayed silent for a while. I looked around and noticed that nature was so beautiful. The water was as clear as crystal today and I could see the fishes swimming by. The woods were healthy and filled with little woodland creatures that would pass from time to time. The light shone down on the water making it sparkle and glisten like thousands of little diamonds and the light cast on the canoe, making Percy look more like a god every second. I mean let me describe to you how he looked. The light shone on his bare chest, making his tan skin also glisten. His black hair was like black stone shining ever so beautifully. His muscles flexed while he rowed. Pushing against the current of the water. His eyes were like emeralds, and when you stared into the emeralds you saw the depths of the sea, you felt the seatake you into the deep green cascade.
He spoke, “So, you and water don’t mix good?”
He wasn’t looking at me, but he was looking at the water while he rowed.
I could tell he didn’t wanna’ meet my eyes.
“Um, no. I’ve always been afraid of the water except for showers. I’m afraid of little fishes, big fishes, sinking, sharks....um...drowning."
He nodded, “Why?”
I spoke with a cold voice, “Because they hate me.”
He looked up at me and the canoe stopped abruptly. It actually stopped kind of hard and I slammed my elbow by accident. My funny bone went all…well, funny.
“Shit!” I yelled. OW! My funny bone was still numb and I moaned out of pain.
“You okay?” Percy worried.
“I’m fine,” I lied. “Just my funny bone.”
“What do you mean they hate you?” Percy asked. “Who’s they?”
“The water, the things in water, everything about water hates me!” I yelled.
Percy’s face was expressionless. “How?”
“I don’t fucking know! Okay, when I was three, I got stung by jelly fish at the beach. When I was five, I got bit by a crab. I was eleven when I broke a couple of ribs because I tried to surf and the wave fucking collapsed on me. Twelve years old, I busted my head because I hit it against a coral reef. Honestly, I think it moved by itself. I was fourteen years old when…” I stopped. Remembering that horrible incident was something I didn’t wanna’ go back to.
Percy looked heartbroken, “What? What happened?”
No. No. No. NO, NO, NO! I DO NOT WANNA BE REMINDED OF…
I felt my eyes stinging and getting blurry with the tears, “Please, don’t make me…please-”
“Tell me!” Percy’s voice rose. I could tell he was angry…I didn’t know why. I figured I should tell him…even though it hurt me.
It took me a while to tell him but then I managed, “I was in a river with a girl. She was doing what you are right now, trying to help me get over my fears of the water.She wanted….to see how long we could hold our breaths, it seemed okay at the time….It really did.” I breathed for air, trying not tocry in between the pauses.
“I put…my head under the water and then it happened. Something was grabbing me. Something was pulling from beneath. I opened my eyes and I saw a girl. Then i saw more, pulling me under.There were at least five girls made of water trying to drown me! Percy, girls made of water!” I cried.
Tears streamed down my face and I cried loudly, “They did it! They tried to drown me. Finally, when they let go of me, i came back up and Kelsey, the girl helping me was staring at me weird. She thought i was fake drowning...but i wasnt! I tried to tell people but they thought i was crazy. Only Devon and Brandon belived me. Kelsey never spoke to me again...”
I cried some more, the tears blurred my vision and I spoke softly, “I still remember their sneering faces, they laughed…they were laughing as they tried to kill me. They...they scared me. They scared the crap out of me...do you know what it feels like to drown Percy?”
He shook his head. I was a bit more calm now, "It's scary...it feels like your lungs are about to explode, and there is so much pressure in your thorat and you want to breathe in the water but you knowthatyou die if you do. To know that you're helpless...its horrible."
Percy looked at me with sorrow, and he came over and just in a flash he hugged me. This surprised me. It was a nice hug. Ihad alreadystopped crying and looked up at the sky while he hugged me tightly. He stroked my hair and whispered, “I’m sorry, I’m so…so sorry.”
“I’m sorry my father’s domain tried to hurt you, I’m sorry. That’s nothis entire fault, the vreatures have their own free will you know but still I’m so sorry. But your drowning incident…that’s not his fault either. My father has no control over Naiads. They are all freshwater; my father only controls the sea. In rivers, it’s very dangerous for a half-blood. Sometimes, depends who your parent is, they’ll be nice to you. They must not be a fan of your father…I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
I returned Percy’s hug and he stiffened a little, “I know it’s not your fault. Don’t feel like it is, just because your dad’s domain did all those things to me. I guess its not his fault either. His creatures mightknow who my dad is and probably are trying to pretect Poseidon or something,I know that. So, don’t feel bad. I’m okay, really.”
He smiled and said, "They also get jealous of pretty girls," he paused. "Though thats no reason to drown someone."
He let me go but didn’t stay far from me. He sat right in front of me with his legs on each side of my thighs. He whispered, “Then…why are you here? We’re in a river right now. They don’t…they don’t forget.”
I grinned, “I don’t have to look over the side…do I?”
He chuckled, “No, of course not.”
I smiled and whispered, “And you’ll protect me?”
He grabbed my hands and formed the pinky promise.
“Always.”
I smiled and sighed with fake relief. He laughed and threw a little pebble from the waterat me. We laughed together and made way back to camp. I stared into the water this time, as we made our way back. I didn’t see anything…maybe they felt guilty. Good.
I remembered what Percy had promised me and smiled. I closed my eyes and rested my head on the side of the canoe, letting the warm sun hit my face.
Always. I mused inside my thoughts. Hmm…I like the sound of that.
