𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐧 || Percy Jackson

Eight

Toward the end of their second day on the train and Percy was still under Aurora's arm.

The girl played with his hair, curling it, braiding it, crimping it. All while he fought off falling asleep for the third time.

They passed over the Mississippi River into Saint Louis, Annabeth craning her neck to see the Gateway Arch.

Percy thought it looked like a giant shopping bag handle one of the gods placed in the city.

"I want to do that." The blonde sighed, Percy blinking his eyes open.

"What?"

"Build something like that. You ever seen the Parthenon, Percy?" Annabeth glanced at him, a little laugh leaving her when she saw his head fall back against Aurora.

"Only in pictures." Percy thought it should be illegal to be so comforting. The warmth, the fingers massaging his scalp before she did something else in his hair, even the tune she was humming was enough to make him sleep drunk.

"Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods ever. Something that'll last a thousand years." Percy laughed.

"You? An architect?" Aurora swatted his shoulder as Annabeth scowled at him. Her face had flushed a little, whether in anger or embarrassment he didn't know.

"Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down. Like a certain God of Earthquakes I could mention."

"Guys, don't start arguing again." Aurora groaned, giving both of them pointed looks. Annabeth sighed.

"Sorry, that was mean."

"Why don't we work together?" Percy had no idea why they kept butting heads. How could Aurora do it? "I mean, didn't Athena and Poseidon ever cooperate?"

"I guess....the chariot." Aurora hummed, encouraging Annabeth to continue. "My mom invented it. But Poseidon created horses out of crests of waves. They had to work together to make it complete."

"Then we can cooperate too, right?"

"I suppose." Grover grinned as he looked at Aurora, the girl shaking her head with a smile when she saw the look in his eyes.

"Remember the day you bursted into flames?" Annabeth snorted before laughing, Aurora chuckling a bit. "Ryland screamed so high I thought the windows would shatter."

"He thought I spontaneously combusted and died." She somewhat defended, Percy laughing a bit as he imagined it. "It made it worse that water didn't extinguish it."

"Ryland ran around the camp screaming for more water because his baby sister was on fire." Annabeth chimed in.

"I was seven!"

"Even Phoenix was panicking. Phoenix almost set three cabins on fire!" Aurora huffed as they continued laughing, though a smile stayed on her face despite her trying to hide it.

They continued telling Percy stories of Ryland being over-dramatic, each story somehow being funnier than the last.

They departed the Amtrak for the three hour stop before Denver, crowds swarming around them in the station as Aurora looked around. Grover stretched and mumbled about getting food, Annabeth grabbing the back of his shirt.

"Come on, goat boy. Sightseeing." She said, Grover looking at her in confusion.

"Sightseeing?"

"The Gateway Arch. This might be my only chance to ride to the top." She cast a glance at Percy and Aurora, the girl's nose wrinkled as she watched a few tourists walk by. "Are you coming or not?"