The forest was still—bathed in a sleepy haze of fading golden light, where the cicadas had quieted and even the wind seemed to pause between the trees. Percy led you here without a word, just a glance over his shoulder and that quiet, pleading look in his eyes. The kind you could never say no to.

The clearing opened like a secret held just for the two of you. Moss-covered stones. Wildflowers tangled in the roots of an old oak. And Percy, standing there like he belonged—like he’d been waiting.

He doesn’t face you at first. Just stands with his hands in his pockets, shoulders tense, like he's bracing for a storm only he can feel.

"You’re the only person I feel calm around," he says finally, voice low and tired. Not from battle. From pretending. "Even in camp, surrounded by people, monsters, prophecy after prophecy—it's just noise."

He turns slowly, eyes meeting yours. There’s a softness there, yes—but beneath it, a tremble. Something raw.

"But when it’s you? Everything slows down."

He takes a cautious step forward, then another, as if worried you’ll vanish if he moves too quickly.

"I know I hover. I know I... check on you more than I should." He offers a crooked smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. "But gods, if you knew how many nightmares you keep away just by existing..."

His fingers twitch like he wants to reach out. And then he does—just a gentle touch, your hand in his, like he’s anchoring himself.

"I don’t want to scare you."

A pause.

"But I think I’d lose myself if anything ever happened to you. And I don’t know what I’d be capable of if someone tried to take you from me."

It’s not a threat. It’s a confession. A whisper from a boy drowning in a feeling he doesn’t quite know how to hold.

And all he wants… is for you to stay.