With a gentle snap, I closed the book, placed it beside me, and allowed my eyes to wander to Percy. She'd long since fallen into a fitful sleep. What little rest she'd gained would be plagued with whatever made her shudder and whimper. A sigh slipped past my lips. Blood, not yet dried, rubbed onto her blankets; I made a note to toss them into her hamper at some point. She would not think to do it, or she would not bother to. Did she truly think she could keep this a secret if she did not make an effort to? 

The tatters of her sleeve stood in stark contrast to her smooth skin. Unblemished, undamaged. I couldn't swallow. I should tell someone, but what could I say? I have no proof, and Percy-- Percy would never forgive me for such an act. 

I brushed my knuckles over her cheek, and a flutter of warmth dwelled in my chest when she nuzzled into the touch. It vanished. Was she touch starved? Is that why she was always cuddled up and touching me? Returning to the motion, I watched her and felt the pressure against my hand increase and the promise of death press harder on my shoulders.

"I will not harm her," I said. The sentiment should have been a given, but if her father had picked up on her behavior--and by the gods, I prayed he had--I could not fault him in this. My mother and father would wish the same for me.

Moving her was far outside the question, even when she curled herself against my leg and tugged at my shirt, even when my phone buzzed with a reminder. Her face scrunched, brows drawing together with a tiny crease between them. A soothing hand settled that. My fingers crept along the base of her head--between her and the sheets, among the black strands--I rubbed the back of her neck. With another shudder and sigh, she relaxed. 

My own shoulders relaxed, and I settled myself in to watch for threats. If the only sound I heard was her breathing, I would be content with that. 

Again, my phone buzzed. My lips turned down, and I slipped it from my pocket, set it to silent, and placed it and the book on the nightstand. I should have turned it off the moment Percy fell asleep. Dick had no qualms about hacking my phone to change it to blare music. And yet, I could not bring myself to shut it down. A persistent thought lurked in the recesses of my mind, what if there's an emergency? 

"Everyone around me dies," said Percy. Her words sank in, and my heart stopped. I looked at her. Blank green eyes stared through the ceiling. They were glassy and glossy, brimming with tears.

"That is not true."

"Mh. It is. And I wonder how long it's going to be before the Fates rip you away too."

"Starfish, go back to sleep." She was tired. That was all. That had to be it. Only her talking in half-asleep delirium. I couldn't stand to think about the other option, so I didn't. I tugged a clean blanket over her after fruitless attempts to snag the bloodied one. Eyelashes dusted her cheeks, dark hair framed her head like an inky halo. Gentle beams of light seemed to prod at her as they filtered through the window. 

A picture of a princess could never be as stunning. Nothing could compare to seeing the subject in person. She'd kill me for thinking it, for daring to remember the position she holds, but it did not change the truth of the matter. I traced the contours of her face: over her brow, down her nose, along her cheek bones, the top of her lip. A princess and a knight. That is what we were. I kissed her. 

"I don't want that to happen," she mumbled. 

"Rest now. I will not leave."

Even after she settled, drawn back down into sleep, the book and my phone remained on the nightstand. I did not so much as glance at them, too focused on the rise and fall of her chest, the way she snuggled closer, her warmth seeping through to me. They were little, but they put my mind at ease. A hum rumbled through my chest. 

Perhaps I could take her to the lake. We could sit at the bottom, and both of us would have a chance to relax for a change. I could picture the way her hair would move in the currents and the way she'd press against me in the shadowed depths where the chill rivalled that of the sea floor. And maybe I could teach her a few games. My heart rose. She was someone I could share those with without having to shapeshift.

I reached for the book.

"I don't deserve you." Her voice nearly made me throw the heavy hardback. I sat it down again. Still in the same groggy voice, the next words slurred together. "I don't deserve to be ali--"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," I snapped. Percy's eyes widened and darted up to my face. She curled in on herself. 

"I didn't mean to say that." 

"You are wrong either way. You have just as much right to live as I do, if not more."

All traces of sleep fled her. Her words became that much more sure, eyes more alert. And those two things combined. "It's not about rights," she said. "It's about if I deserve it."

"And you do." I leaned over her. My hand cupped her cheek again as I smiled down at her. I kissed her. Each time was no different than the last, with the faint tinge of salt on her lips. Her fingers rested over my hand. "You deserve it the same way I deserve to. The same way Bruce and Dick do. We are mortals and--"

"You're mortals. I'm not. Half-blood, remember?"

"The boy today, your cousin, would you say he does not deserve to live? What about Wonder Woman? Any of the demigods you know, are they undeserving?"

"No."

"Then you are no less deserving either!" 

She snorted. "Doesn't feel like it."

I wanted to shake her, just to see if it would allow her to absorb the point. Sitting back, I folded my hands in my lap. "Yes, well, I do not feel like I deserve many things," --You--"and yet I have them and am thankful." In truth, the thankfulness extended past her and to her father. If he decided I did not have the right to date Percy, there was nothing I could do aside from step back or be punished. 

Dull green eyes searched mine before darting away. For a moment, I thought she's seen into my thoughts, figured out what I has been thinking. Percy twisted her hands. Her knuckles popped. Then she sat up. 

"I...I want to die," she whispered. "Just to have everything over with."

Cotton filled my mouth. I tried, and failed, to swallow. "Do you have any plans?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Percy." My heart beat against my ribs. I needed- I needed to tell Bruce, Dinah, somebody. She- She's-- For all that she denies it-- I clasped her hand. 

"I'm not going to kill myself." She rolled her eyes. "It would get too many people hurt. So don't worry about that." She waved her free hand. "I'll be fine."

"And I will worry all the same."

"If I die, I die-- Don't give me that look--There's not much I can do about it when the Fates decide to cut my life short. Just hope they're not knitting me into a giant sock." My expression morphed into one of confusion, and it did not abate even when Percy added, "It's what happened to Luke," with a dismissive wave. 

Breathing out, I tugged her hand to my lips. Her knuckles, unlike her palms, were soft. "I truly and deeply believe you should speak to someone on this matter."

"You remember why I didn't want to tell you about, ell, my dad and everything that comes with that." She flopped back. "If Orin hadn't done what he did, you still wouldn't know. All this does is put you in danger. Anyone who knows can be used against me, and trust me the monsters are more than willing to go after you."

My breath caught in my throat. Percy standing in front of me and Dick, keeping us from helping, monsters pulling her down and-- It was a battle to bite down the swears that wanted to fall from my lips. I am safe, it was not real, and Percy is in front of me. One would think those truths would be enough to calm me. I laid beside Percy, pulled her close, and mentally counted backwards from one hundred.

It became easier to calm myself as I felt her heartbeat. Smiling against her hair, I tightened my grip. She moved with it, pliant like the cat I rescued from a fire. If she wanted to, she could slip away and I couldn't do a thing about it. She laid there against me with small touches that left my skin tingling. 

"I love you," she said. 

"And I love you."  I hummed and gently tugged on her hair to get her to look at me. "I mean that."

"Was I supposed to assume you didn't?" 

"Knowing you, it is safe to assume you will think something of it." 

"...I'm going back to sleep." She rolled over, pulling away from me in the same motion. 

Sighing, I propped myself  against the headboard. My gaze moved around the room. It took about twenty minutes for me to move at all. If she was upset with my comment, waking her up would've done nothing to help the situation. Once I became sure she was asleep, only then did I lean over to the nightstand.

I scrolled through my phone, an older model than Percy's that made me wonder if Bruce was just offloading old tech onto us. It was far better than the flip phone I carried with me on missions. At least I didn't need to worry too much about burner phones getting ruined in water. Though-- I looked at Percy-- I wondered if she'd work better than a bag of rice. 

Probably.

She twisted and turned, and I tugged her close to my side in response. Despite knowing it wouldn't work, I mumbled the calming spell. It was one of the few none battle oriented spells we were taught, and one of the few I was capable of casting without shocking her. 

Though based on what stories I have heard of her, it wouldn't hurt her. 

A message popped up on my screen and I sighed, staring at the picture of what remained of our toaster. How? 

Another message: Are you coming back to the Cave? We have to do that bonding thing Canary wants us to do.

"Shit." I had forgotten about that. Reaching over, I shook Percy. Canary's punishments far outstripped Percy being upset with me. She jolted awake and whipped her head around, hand clenched around a pen. She pushed her hand through her hair. The glow in her eyes disappeared. 

"I- I need to go. Are you-" I swallowed. "Are you going to be fine on your own?"

Percy's expression softened. "I told you, I'm not planning on doing it. Honestly, it's bold of you to assume the gods would let me get away with that. It's probably a one way ticket to immortality."

"Percy."

"If it makes you feel any better, if I think about offing myself, I'll go to my dad's." A smile fell onto her lips, much too soft for the topic. "He'd jump at the chance to have me nearby. He- He gave me an open offer actually. I can go live with him." Percy pulled me into a hug. Her face pressed against my turtleneck. "Be safe, or else I might have to have Nico beat you up in the Underworld."

"That goes for you as well, starfish." I smiled and hugged her a bit tighter. She let out a small noise. "I love you."

"Wonder how mad Bruce would be if I kept you here."

"My friends would be more upset that I am not upholding a promise." Not to mention Canary at me skipping something she considered training. 

"Dick knows you're dating me."

"I- I can stay if you want me to."

Percy pressed her lips together and pushed off the bed. She rocked onto her feet. "Actually, I might end up going to my dad's. If just to ask Tyson to make sure Triton didn't do anything to my shield."

"If you have a shield--?"

"I'm an idiot and managed to not think about taking it to a place where I knew there would be a high risk of getting attacked. Keep up." She pulled the watch from her pocket  and showed it to me. She pressed a button. Metal whirled, and it expanded into a shield. A soft glow radiated from it. A divine metal. And yet I had the feeling it would stop more than just monsters. 

"How does that work?" 

"No idea." Percy returned it to its watch form.  A smile lit up her face. She shook her head. "Good thing I'm not a Cabin Nine kid, I'd be like, the least inventive kid Hephaestus has ever had. Plus I'd be much less likely to survive a dunk in fire, which is a bit ironic. You'd think all of the god of fire's kids would be immune to fire damage, but nope, I'm the one who can stick their arm in lava."

"And you wonder why I am concerned for you."

With a sigh, Percy shook her head. "You shouldn't be. I'm a child of the Big Three, I can handle myself." I opened my mouth to respond, but my phone began blaring music. She winced. "I think you should answer that."

Ooo, what's percy gonna do?

The answer is obvious and it's 'whatever has the highest stupidity rating'

gotta love how percy is smart, just very oblivious and will just casually decide 'yeah im gonna become a vigilante but no one should ever care about me because they get hurt' while, you know, living in gotham as the niece of bruce wayne

That's a pretty decent way to get kidnapped

Hope you enjoyed the chapter

See yah