The sun was warm, the kind that made everything feel slower, softer. Bees drifted lazily between the flowers, and the fields beyond the strawberry patch shimmered like gold. You were both quiet — not awkward quiet, but easy, steady, the kind that came from knowing each other long enough that silence didn’t need to be filled.

Percy crouched a few rows down, hands stained red from the berries. He tossed one into the basket between you, missing by a few inches.

“I’m going on another quest,” he said suddenly.

It wasn’t dramatic. Not even sad. Just… said. Like it was any other sentence. Like he was telling you it might rain tomorrow.

You froze mid-reach, fingers brushing a leaf. He didn’t look up, just kept picking, like if he didn’t meet your eyes, it would hurt less.

“Chiron told me this morning,” he went on, voice quieter now. “Said they needed me again. Something about a disturbance near the coast. Classic, right?”

He tried to laugh, but it faltered halfway out. A bird called from somewhere in the trees, and the sound filled the space between you.

“I told him I’d go,” Percy said finally. “Didn’t even think about it. Just— yeah. Of course I did.”

He plucked another berry, turning it between his fingers. The juice stained his skin like blo0d. He wiped it on his jeans without looking at you, smiling.