𝑥𝑣𝑖𝑖𝑖

                                    

                                          
When Annabeth had fallen asleep as well, Percy scooted up next to Ash.
	"So, I know how Annabeth ended up at camp now. But what about you?"
Ash weighed her options. She trusted Percy fully, but wasn't sure if she was up to telling him.
	"Y-you don't have to tell me," the boy stuttered when she didn't respond. "I'm sorry I asked..."
	"No, it's okay, Percy. I want to tell you, it's just... hard to talk about."
	Percy nodded. "Take your time."
	After a few minutes of collecting her thoughts, Ash began. "I remember having a really happy childhood, actually, until I turned about five or so. That's when my powers started kicking in. It was fine at first. I didn't understand what was going on, and when I told my mom about the ghosts I saw, she just thought they were my imaginary friends. It wasn't until I started predicting people's deaths that she got scared. She tried her best for years but..." Ash gulped. "One day, when I was eight, this guy stopped us in the street. Saying horrible racist things to me and my mom, calling her slurs, and I got angry. Really angry. The guy's dog started squirming, whining, and then it just... died."
	She looked up at Percy, eyes full of guilt. "It's a power I haven't used since and never will again. Children of Thanatos are able to inflict pain upon other living things, and if they're powerful enough... it can result in death."
"My mom guessed what had happened. She'd had enough. Flipped her shit. She was terrified of me, had no idea my dad was a god, see, much less the god of death. She thought I was possessed or some kind of demon. So she tried to send me to a mental hospital. The driver who came to get me turned out to be a monster and I had to jump out of the car. I ran to the nearest park and that's where my original protector, Gleeson, found me."
	"I lived on the West Coast, Bay Area, so he had to take me all the way across the country. We got attacked a lot, mostly by Underworld creatures looking to prove themselves by killing the daughter of Death. We made it all the way to D.C. before getting separated by the Lernean Hydra. I managed to escape the thing, but got so lost. That was when Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth found me."
	Ash took a deep breath. "I was in a bad way at the time. Shell-shocked, exhausted, and finally aware of what everything I was seeing and feeling meant. Luke and Thalia... they took me in. Took care of me. And Annabeth... she was the first friend I ever made, really. None of them were scared of me, they didn't treat me any differently, they helped me cope with everything. We were a family. And then... well you know the rest."
	There was a heavy silence. Percy didn't know what to say. Finally, he asked, "Did you... did you ever get in touch with your mom again?"
Ash shook her head. "She, uh, died actually. A couple years back. I felt it."
	Overwhelmed with sympathy, Percy tucked his arm around her shoulders and brought her close. "I am so, so sorry Ash. I can't imagine what you've been through. I don't know what to say. You didn't deserve any of that."
	Ash wiped her eyes and leaned into the boy. "It's okay, Percy. It's in the past. I wouldn't trade the life or people I found at camp for anything. And I'm lucky, really, 'cuz my dad is a lot more present than other gods."
	She looked up straight into his eyes. "But that's why I'm sure we're going to get your mom back, you know? Because I don't think any kid should be without a parent. And because I'd do anything for family, and that includes yours, because you're part of mine. Does that make sense?"
	It was Percy's turn to tear up a bit. He impulsively pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "It does, Angel. Thank you." 
The two lapsed into a comfortable silence, and between Percy's warmth and the rocking of the trailer, Ash soon fell asleep against his shoulder. Leaning back against the pile of turnip sacks so her head moved to his chest, Percy smiled down at the girl, closing his eyes as well. For the first time in a while, Ash slept without nightmares. 
₪₪₪
Annabeth woke up to what might well have been the cutest thing she'd ever seen. Grover was still passed out in Ash's lap, who in turn was leaned back and tucked into Percy's side. Percy had both his arms around the girl and was drooling profusely over the burlap sacks that served as their pillow.
She shook the others awake when the truck stopped moving, and the four of them quickly had to hide when the truckers came back to check on the animals. They got to see first-hand how horribly they treated the creatures, so they did the obvious.
They unleashed a zebra, an antelope, and a full-grown lion onto the Las Vegas strip.
In the resulting chaos, they slipped away.
"Will the animals be okay?" Percy asked Grover. "I mean, the desert and all--"
"Don't worry," he said. "I placed a satyr's sanctuary on them. They'll reach the wild safely and find whatever they need until they reach a safe place."
"Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?" Percy asked a little indignantly, like he was wondering why Grover had been holding out.
"It only works on wild animals."
"So it would only affect Percy," Annabeth reasoned.
"Hey!" The boy in question protested, but Ash was laughing too hard for any of them to hear him.
"I kid, I kid," the daughter of Athena held her hands up. "Come on, let's find someplace to rest."
They walked for over an hour in 110 degree heat, not even sure exactly what they were looking for. At some point, they took a wrong turn and found themselves at a dead end, standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino.
The doorman smiled at them. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"
They were four teenagers in raggedy Waterland™️ clothing, as crusty and delinquent-looking as can be, yet this dude was offering to let them inside his very fancy hotel. Oh, and then he gave them room keys and casino cards free of charge.
Ash, Annabeth, Percy, and Grover looked at each other and shrugged. Seems legit.


AN: okay there are like two people reading this but i have a question, do you think the chapters are too long? like should i skip over more stuff? ik its easy to get impatient in the first few books of percy fics bc they dont get together until the end.... on that vein, should i start publishing the heroes of olympus continuation of this series bc its juicier? ive already written hella and it wouldnt rly require you to know the backstory
if someone actually responds to this ill literally be so happy