Percy and Aurora were laying on Percy's bedroom floor, as if it was just a normal Thursday evening, and the two demigods had the luxury of just hanging out on the whim. And, as insane as that idea may sound, they couldn't help but relish in the normalcy of it all.

But it wasn't just a normal Thursday, and they couldn't just get together whenever they wanted to, and fate was at it again, bringing Aurora closer to Percy in a fit of "Let's try and get them killed! Again!" Fate thought it was funny. They did not.

Sally had welcomed her earlier, as Aurora was too early for their journey and Sally didn't want her standing outside in the cold.

Aurora had knocked on the door to the Jackson apartment, expecting the familiar, grinning face of the boy she despised and learned to like. However, after the second rap of her knuckle on the door, it was a woman's face that greeted her.

As soon as Percy heard the knock, he bolted from his room that he was desperately trying to clean to open the door for Aurora, but his mother beat him to it.

She stared at him quizzically as he slowed his run to a light jog, attempting to look casual and not worried at all—and failing desperately. Sally squinted her eyes, asking herself what was wrong with her son, and a small smile grew.

"Percy, who's at the door?" She asked slowly and patiently. Not that she didn't know who it was, but seeing Percy dive into a fit of panic was comical, to say the least.

"She... she's early," Percy spluttered, his words tripping over themselves as they blurted out in a jumbled mess. He didn't even know why he was so nervous, but his insides felt like they'd been put in a soda machine and the can had been shaken by Tyson. Aurora had come over before, sure. But she hadn't entered his bedroom, or even properly met his mother.

"Ah," Sally hummed knowingly, and opened the door with a beam that had grown three times in the past twenty seconds.

"Hello, Aurora!" Sally exclaimed, knowing who it was without even having to look at the girl.

Aurora wasn't surprised to see Percy's mother, but she was still struck with shock at how beautiful the woman was. Now that Aurora had met Poseidon—she wanted to block the terrifying, horrid, traumatic interaction with the sea god in Percy's cabin from her brain—and Sally, Aurora could confidently say that Percy got his extraordinary good looks from his mother (though, her favorite physical attribute of Percy's was the sole thing he'd acquired from his father: his sea green gaze . Her smile was kind as she looked at Aurora with warm, welcoming blue eyes.

Aurora grinned, her cheeks flushed from the cold and her eyes wide with surprise. "Hi, Ms. Jackson!" Her voice was bright and excited, and Sally pulled her into a hug automatically.

Percy lifted onto his tippy toes, his insides twisting nervously as he saw Aurora be embraced by his mom. He knew her well enough to know she was unfamiliar with sudden parental affection, but he also knew that her love language—one of them, at least—was physical touch. It could go either very wrong, or very right.

Aurora's breath hitched as Sally's arms embraced her own, her body warm against Aurora's coldness that had been bestowed unto her by the harsh weather outside. Sally smelled like cookies and she hugged tightly, and when she drew back, her eyes were glistening with maternal pride. Sally reached up to flatten a strand of strawberry blonde hair that stuck up from the static, and she kissed her cheek. Aurora was confused as to why she was being shown so much love and care, but she didn't question it. Somehow, though it was undeserved, it felt right.

"Please, sweetheart. Call me Sally." Percy's mother insisted, and she patted Aurora on the back before turning around. "Oh, sweetie, you are glowing. You're such a pretty girl."

Aurora flushed at the compliment, averting her eyes to the ground as Sally added, "Don't you think, Percy?"

Percy wanted to be buried as his mom turned towards him and beamed bigger than he'd ever seen her before, expecting an answer. Aurora's head snapped up, and her bashful expression morphed into a smirk—something evil and taunting that Percy recognized all too well.

"What does he know?" Aurora snorted, rolling her eyes as Sally beckoned her into their home.

"Practically nothing." Sally agreed, shaking her head with mock disdain. "I tried so hard to teach him, but you know how he is."

"I—" Percy stuttered, his voice cracking embarrassingly obviously. His voice faltered, and he cleared his throat. His face was burning, and he was sure he looked as mortified as he felt. "She always looks great."

Sally nodded with a slightly evil smile, as if she was satisfied with that answer, and turned on her heel. "I'll give you kids some space."

Although Aurora protested, Sally insisted and began to bake cookies. "My speciality," the woman said with a wink. From what Aurora had heard from Percy, she knew they were going to be blue.

Sally left, and it was just the two of them. Just Percy and Aurora, staring at each other in silence. And somehow, there was not an ounce of awkwardness; the two sat in the absence of sound without hesitation or squirming, but rather finding solace in it.

When Percy saw Aurora, he didn't even say anything. After two quests, their friendship had grown significantly. Percy just engulfed her in a brief hug—practically a given at this point, because what's the point of being cautious with the person you almost died a thousand times with?—which the two secretly relished.

Percy didn't miss the knowing glance his mom sent his way before she slipped into the kitchen, but Aurora did, thankfully for the boy.

Their hug wasn't anything special, just a simple embrace to say hello. Because that was how they were now. Hugs were not strangers to either of them, and Aurora liked physical touch. It was just a little reminder to her that people were real, that they were there and alive.

"Hey," Percy's voice was low and quiet as he leaned towards her, his eyes twinkling.

Aurora bumped her shoulder next to his—which, to her surprise, was a bit higher than she had expected it to be—and smiled. "Hi."

When they got to his room, which was unsurprisingly blue, Aurora collapsed on the floor dramatically without a single word. Percy simply just stared as her face squished against the wooden tiles, which were cool and comforting in its own way.

All of a sudden, he felt extremely hyper-aware of the fact that Aurora was in his bedroom. His bedroom. The place he grew up, the place he spent nights dreaming. She'd been to his house before, but not his room, his safe haven, his sanctuary.

But somehow, for some reason, it didn't bother him. It usually did, having his personal space interrupted, but for her, it almost felt normal. Like she fit right in.

"So, I'm not gonna ask what's wrong..." Percy joked, trailing off as he sat criss-crossed on the floor next to the limp and exhausted body of Aurora.

"Don't even." She groaned, rolling over so she was looking up at the green eyed son of Poseidon with her nose to the sky and her back against the floor. "Monsters, and monsters, and more monsters... I'm so glad you're not a monster." After a second, Aurora added, "I have to say, I kind of missed you, Shark Boy."

The nickname started out as a joke, Aurora trying to make fun of him, but over time, it grew on Percy. He would never admit it, but he loved being called Shark Boy, even if the nickname was derived from a stupid, childish movie that had horrible production.

Percy poked her side, scoffing as he ignored what her words did to him. He missed her an ungodly amount, but he wasn't going to just say that. "I know you did."

"Are you not going to say it back?" Aurora said, sticking out her tongue childishly.

He smiled at her, shaking his head teasingly. "Nope."

Aurora huffed, crossing her arms as she let her eyes wander, observing every little trinket in Percy's room. Percy felt a wave of self consciousness wash over him as he followed her gaze across his messy bedroom, from the photos of him and his mom when he was young to the seashells littering his dresser. He had tried to clean it, but the cleaning gods just weren't in his favor.

"Your room is so... you, Perce. I honestly don't know how you didn't know you were Poseidon's son." She sighed, like his room was a luxury she wished for. "It looks just like Cabin Three, but more homey. I wish I had my own cabin. Not because I want to be alone, but I hate being in a cabin with people that aren't from the same godly parent. I'm not ashamed of being born from Persephone like everyone else wants me to be." She was rambling at this point, spouting word after word, but Percy just let her, not once wanting to interject. It was the fact that she felt comfortable enough to talk so freely that did it for him.

"I mean, I could stay in the Artemis cabin, but that would raise too many questions. I mean, everyone already knows about my mom, but I just hate feeling out of place. Demeter is not my mom, duh, and I hate grain, and wheat... gods, I hate wheat so much, and—Percy, are you even listening?" Aurora snapped her fingers in front of the eyes that she loved to tease him about. Deep down, Percy hoped she secretly loved them, like he loved hers.

Percy realized he wasn't listening. Not that he didn't love hearing Aurora talk, but, it was just...

Her face.

Even after just a couple months of them not seeing each other, Aurora looked so different.

In all the myths, it was known that Persephone was trapped in the Underworld during the wintertime, but even if it wasn't Aurora's peak season, she still looked otherworldly. Her strawberry blonde hair was longer and curlier than it had been last summer, with little flower buds braided into it like Rapunzel. Her skin was paler but still glowing, and her eyes were darker, yet somehow brighter. Percy could see gold shimmering throughout the dark umber irises, which, in the summertime, were a warm hazel.

At certain times, Percy wished that he stayed at camp year round like her, because what he would give to see her in Aurora true habitat of the springtime...

It took a third snap for Percy to realize that he was staring.

"What?" Aurora asked defensively, seemingly shrinking under Percy's steady and observing gaze. "Is something wrong?"

Percy shook his head, blushing in embarrassment. He felt words tumble out of his mouth that he was never meant to say out loud as a bird—was it a dove?—chirped loudly outside his window.

"No, it's just... Ro, how can you look in the mirror and not obsess over yourself? I mean, I can't find a single thing wrong with your face. Honestly, it's kind of annoying." He cleared his throat, diverting his eyes to his hands. "All the Aphrodite kids would kill to look like you."

Percy could go on for hours and hours about how much he liked every single feature of Aurora's face. Every. Single. One.

He could write a five paragraph essay by hand, although being dyslexic, about how he loved her smile, how he would count every single freckle on her nose bridge like they were stars, how her forehead crinkled when she was worried about his stupidity, how he could stare into her ever changing hazel eyes forever (they were brown regularly, and streaked gold and green on good, warm days). He could go on forever.

It would be kind of creepy, however. It wasn't that Percy liked her-liked her, or had some sort of obsession over her, but he also simply enjoyed her presence. He enjoyed knowing things—appreciating things—about the people he enjoyed spending time with.

He would do the same for anyone he loved. His mom, Grover, Tyson, Annabeth... it wasn't because Aurora was Aurora. It wasn't.

It wasn't Percy's fault that she was just perfect. Aphrodite must've took her time creating Aurora's face, because gods, it wasn't fair. How could Percy look like him, and Aurora look like her? Not that he was trying to see if they complimented each other.

She was so insanely immaculate, and her appearance—although she was the most gorgeous person Percy had ever seen in his entire life—wasn't even the most flawless part about her. Which was crazy.

I mean, to Percy, Aurora was annoying. She was a know it all and thought that Percy was insufferable and when they first met, they hated each other. She was unfairly powerful and was crazy good with a sword and a bow, which really made Percy mad. She loved to bring up his past mistakes and make fun of his stupidity and taunt him with her easy smiles and had this incredible ability to make anyone like her. Although he practically begged her to be his friend, Aurora still annoyed the shit out of the son of Poseidon. And he loved annoying the shit out of her.

But every time she degraded herself, a little piece of Percy's heart chipped off.

She frowned, kicking him in the shin. Percy winced in pain, grabbing his leg. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Aurora was the best swordsman and archer at camp, probably the most powerful demigod he knew. Way more powerful than himself, and, although he would never admit it to the blonde's face, in his opinion, more terrifying than even Annabeth.

"Shut up before I decapitate you, Shark Boy."

"You're gonna pay for that, Flower Face," Percy threatened back airily, letting out a breath of relief. He had no idea why he had just said what he said, but it didn't seem to affect them that much, so the two just brushed it off, forgetting the words that were uttered. It was like he was infused with some sort of sappy, lovey curse.

The dove flapped its wings in annoyance and flew away before Percy could give it a second thought.

"Cookies are ready!" His mom's voice seemed muted over the intimate comfort the two demigods shared, like it was their little bubble and everything outside of it was dim.

Percy grinned excitedly, hopping up. He extended a hand down to Aurora, which she took quickly. He hoisted her up, his hands instinctively steadying her shoulders. "Careful, Ro."

"When am I not careful, Jackson?" Aurora countered with a light laugh, not dropping Percy's hand. Either she didn't know or didn't care, but Percy felt his palms get sweaty and his heartbeat beat a little bit faster.

"I can name a couple times." He supplied, matching her contesting energy with a smile. It was too big of a grin to be just because.

Not that he knew why else he'd be smiling besides being for just because.

"You don't wanna go there, Perce." Aurora raised an eyebrow, placing both her hands on her hips as she blocked the doorway. Percy felt his hand drop from hers. "Let's talk about, I don't know... the two life-threatening quests we've been on? Which are usually your fault. I'm not usually the one who's not careful, but I don't think you want me to out you in front of your mom. I mean... the Arch, first of all. Don't think I've forgotten about that. I will never forget about the Incident."

"Okay, yeah, I agree with you, you're right. You're always right!" Percy immediately blurted out.

"That's right, pretty boy." Aurora giggled, pivoting towards Percy's kitchen to devour Sally's famous cookies.

Percy watched as Aurora ate the blue cookies with delight, the chocolate chips smearing against her bottom lip as she giggled at some joke Sally made. Aurora was truly, utterly beautiful. There was no doubt about it.

And he smiled to himself at the name "pretty boy." Even though he knew the nickname was condescending and sarcastic, he couldn't help the giddiness grow in his stomach.

Percy looked away before Aurora could catch him, smothering his elation with the reminder of their platonic relation.

We're just friends.

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The car ride from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine was silent, but not awkward. Aurora and Percy rode together in a blissful hurricane of chatter, the boy recounting every tale he'd encountered since the last time he'd seen her—early September—but the talking slowly died out into a nervous stillness as Sally picked up Annabeth and Thalia.

Aurora didn't know Thalia very well before she came back as a human and not a tree. However, she did know the story growing up, and she respected her more than anyone else. Therefore, the flowers grown at the bottom of her pinecone tree every summer were a tribute from Aurora, a simple act of remembrance that kept her spirit alive. But, now that Thalia was actually an animate being, the daughter of Persephone had grown close to her like she'd never had with anyone else—but, most of Aurora's friendships usually didn't begin with intrigue, but rather spiteful hatred and opposition to getting to know them.

Once Aurora met Gracie, Connor, Clarisse, and Grover her first couple years of camp, she decided she needed no one else. Why would she even try to make other friends, knowing that they could potentially annoy the shit out of her? Thalia, like Annabeth and Will Solace, was the anomaly. Percy, on the other hand, was not.

Thalia wiped the fog off the car window and peered outside, whistling sardonically. "Oh, yeah. This'll be fun."

Being a tree for years didn't seem to take away from her sense of sarcasm, because Westover Hall looked like an evil knight's castle. It was all black stone, with towers and slit windows and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff overlooking this big frosty forest on one side and the gray churning ocean on the other.

"Are you sure you don't want me to wait?" Sally asked, a worried tone underlying her maternal concerns.

"No, thanks, Mom," Percy replied, the tips of his ears tinging with a light pink color, his tone shifting into something sharper, something much more teenage-boy than ever before. "I don't know how long it will take. We'll be okay."

"But how will you get back? I'm worried, Percy."

Percy bristled, but Aurora sent him a look to keep him in his place. Don't be a dick, she mouthed. To his mother, the girl grinned and tucked a wave of strawberry blond hair back into the braid that it had escaped. Her nose was buried deep into the black puffer coat she sported to stay warm, the hood of her—Percy's—forest green sweatshirt peeking out the back, underneath her neck. Percy rolled his eyes at how she was sucking up to his mom, but it was also the slightest bit endearing, how much she cared about gaining approval. "It's okay, Ms. Jackson, I promise. We'll try to keep him out of trouble."

Sally seemed to relax a little, and smiled back at the girl she'd become familiar with. "I know you'll do your best. And you really must stop calling me 'Ms. Jackson.' Now, do you all have everything you need?"

"Yes," Thalia answered with a firm nod, tucking a piece of dark hair behind her ears. "Thanks for the ride."

"Extra sweaters? You have my cell phone number?" Sally continued to probe, worry never lacking from her expression despite the affirmations being provided.

"Mom—"

"Your ambrosia and nectar, Percy? And a golden drachma in case you need to contact camp?"

"Mom, seriously! We'll be fine. Come on, guys." Percy exclaimed hurriedly with a layer of annoyance as he