Truth

Percy POV

Rachel and I were walking around the museum. I was on guard duty, and Rachel decided to join me for company. I didn't mind her presence though. Rachel and I had become very close friends, especially over the past week.

Beck and Silena's deaths have changed things in camp.

Everyone was feeling the deep sorrow of their absence. I couldn't shake the feeling that we could've done more. However, there's nothing more that could've been done.

"I know that a lot changed in the past week. How are you holding up, Percy?" Rachel asked. Her red hair was in a fiery ponytail. She was struggling to control her poofy hair because of the crazy wind today.

New York usually isn't windy like this. It was just one of those days.

"I'm fine, Rachel. I miss them though."

"Chiron wanted me to ask you if you're willing to help in South Sector. You know the camp's biggest secret now, so we need some more help," Rachel informed.

"I can't imagine myself working next to caged-up zombies."

"It's hard sometimes," Rachel said quietly.

I violently stabbed into a zombie's brain before retracting my spear. Guard duty is a great way of relieving stress and tension. Violence is a part of human nature, and responsibly dispelling anger feels great afterward. I finished with two more zombies before turning to Rachel, who stopped walking.

She had a downcast look on her face. The sunlight made her hair glow like fire. I went closer to her and stopped a few feet away. I rested my hand on her shoulder.

"Rachel, what's wrong?" I asked.

She looked up at my eyes. Rachel was several inches shorter than me, but her light green eyes sparkled with tears. She shrugged and shook her head.

"Rachel-"

"I spend so much time smiling and coordinating activities for people at camp. Sometimes, it is so hard to keep up the facade. I smile and paint with everyone because I don't want them to feel the darkness and loneliness that I feel daily," she replied.

My other arm raised and rested next to her neck. "You're not alone, Rachel. So many people at camp love what you do for us. Plus, you have friends here."

"I know, but I'm tired of pretending like things will get better," Rachel whispered sadly.

I pulled a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

It's easy to understand where she's coming from. She misses her old life, and she's trying to make everyone feel better. However, in the process, she's lying to herself. We live in a zombie apocalypse; things aren't going to get better anytime soon.

"Look at me, Rachel. You're not alone. Trust me when I say that there isn't any darkness in you. You're so kind and pure," I expressed.

Her green eyes sparked while she gazed at me.

I felt the distance between us close. A few weeks ago, I didn't even believe that I could have a romantic relationship. My views on the world changed after coming here. I realized that working with others is a good thing. Creating meaningful relationships is the point.

My face slowly tilted and drew close to her lips. My eyes closed while my hands cupped Rachel's pale face. It's been so long since I felt a sensual connection with someone.

I felt her soft breath flutter my lips and skin.

Suddenly, a car screech pierced the moment. I gasped while pulling away from her. Rachel and I both turned toward the busy street.

A car was barreling toward the museum, and it seemed out of control.

The car violently swerved to the side before swinging to the left. I could only see a woman in the driver's seat. The rest of the vehicle seemed empty. Then, the young lady's eyes widened at the traps, and she took a sharp turn to the left.

She was going through exactly what I went through. She wasn't expecting the spikes to be on the road, and she turned to dodge them.

A loud BANG reverberated through the air. It wasn't an explosion. Instead, the young woman crashed into another car on the street. I grabbed my spear aand started running to the perimeter close to her.

The zombies on the street were already rushing to the car. However, it seemed like the woman inside the car was unconscious. The white airbags had deployed.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Rachel screamed.

"Go inside, and call the guards," I ordered. "NOW."

I didn't wait for Rachel to listen to me. I ran to the perimeter and crawled under the traps. Then, I ran toward the steaming car crash. My spear hacked and stabbed at the zombies as I ran past them.

Once I reached the car, I pounded against the driver's seat doors. The lady was unresponsive. Her bloodied head was resting against the dirty airbag.

Shit. This is bad.

I whirled around and slashed the heads off of two nearby zombies. Then, I opened the driver's seat door and pulled the woman onto my shoulder. She was a slender young lady with creamy skin and caramel hair. She was pretty too.

The rest of the car was empty besides some survival backpacks.

Her body rested over my shoulder as I ran back to the museum. One arm clutched her body so that she didn't slip off my shoulder. My dominant hand continued to fight the zombies as I forced my way to the spiky perimeter of the museum.

Rachel brought some of the guards outside. Jason nodded at me as he and two other guards manually pushed one of the traps out of the way.

Annabeth and Thalia shot at nearby zombies while I ran inside.

It only took a few seconds for me to run into the perimeter. Then, Jason, Luke, and the others reinforced the perimeter of traps.

The groaning zombies impaled themselves as I breathed in exhaustion. The adrenaline that was previously pumping through my blood wore off quickly. I groaned at the pain in my still sore ankle before pulling the caramel-haired girl to the ground.

"Seaweed Brain, are you okay?" Annabeth asked quickly. Her arms wrapped around me, which caught me off guard.

Regardless, I accepted and enjoyed her embrace.

However, I did notice Luke's glare in my direction even while he was studying the unconscious girl in front of us. Rachel also looked at our interaction with conflicted emotions. I was suddenly very conscious of the situation.

I cleared my throat before pulling away from Annabeth. My cheeks burned with heat.

Annabeth looked at me curiously but didn't say anything.

Everyone's attention turned to the unconscious girl. Dirt and blood were staining her hair and the side of her head. However, the rise and fall of her chest indicated that she was alive. Will was wiping her forehead scrape.

"We still have to initiate the strip protocol. Annabeth and Thalia can help with that. The rest of you go back to your roles," Chiron ordered while rolling to us.

"Also, Jason help Percy on guard duty for today."

We both nodded before everyone dispersed. Luke helped transport the woman into the museum. Annabeth, Thalia, and Will followed close behind. Before they went inside, Annabeth turned toward me.

She simply looked at me for a few moments before disappearing inside.

"First of all, great job with saving the woman," Jason expressed. "However, you should've waited for the rest of us."

"There wasn't time. The zombies were already going at her," I replied.

"Okay." Jason nodded in understanding. "Secondly, what were those looks about? Luke, Rachel, and Annabeth all gave you quite contrasting looks just now."

"I don't know," I sighed. "Let's just get back to work."

***

Stella and I are no longer the newcomers to the camp. Even though we've been here for a little less than two months now, people still considered us newbies.

Well, not anymore.

Chiron instructed me to come to the infirmary in the afternoon. Jason covered for me on guard duty so that I could freshen up and grab Estelle. I ran into Will on the way to the clinic area, and he told me that the new girl passed the strip protocol.

So, if she wants to, Calypso can stay at the museum.

Will gave me a quick summary of the woman. She woke up a few hours ago, and she told Chiron and the others about her journey through the apocalypse. Apparently, Calypso was with a survival group for a long time. However, the group slowly started dying as the number of zombies in New York City multiplied.

I held baby Estelle in my arms while walking into the infirmary. The young lady was sitting on one of the hospital beds.

Annabeth, Thalia, and (surprisingly) Leo were sitting on the bed next to her. They were talking about the camp and what goes on around here. Luke walked out of the room as soon as I entered.

I already know Luke doesn't like me much.

However, today, I realized that Annabeth is a big part of the reason why he hates me. He doesn't like me getting closer to Annabeth. The reason is obvious. Luke is interested in Annabeth. Maybe, he even genuinely likes her. After all, Annabeth is the only person that Luke talks to kindly and caringly. In other words, Luke isn't a camp leader when he's engaging with Annabeth.

I sighed before walking to Chiron and the others.

Calypso looked up at me, and her brown eyes sparkled with gratitude. There was also attraction and light-hearted lust in her eyes.

Gods, my life is becoming too complicated with Annabeth, Rachel, and now Calypso. The zombie apocalypse is NOT the right time to be dealing with drama.

"Hey, Chiron. You wanted to see me," I said while fixing my hold on Estelle.

"Yes. Calypso wanted to meet the man who saved her," Chiron gestured at the woman.

Calypso smiled at me before settling her gaze on Stella. For a few seconds, her eyes fixated on Stella before the smile faded. Suddenly, I realized that she recognized Estelle. Calypso gasped before turning her attention to me again.

"Um, first of all, thank you so much for saving me. I am so grateful. I know that the world is very dangerous, but you risked your life to bring me to safety," Calypso expressed genuinely. She smiled at me.

I simply nodded in response.

My grip on Estelle tightened. I didn't know why I felt so self-conscious and protective. Calypso seemed to be looking at the baby with too much familiarity.

Meanwhile, Leo's face turned between me and Calypso. His gaze flitted between us. The light smile on his face faded sadly.

"Calypso, you keep looking at Stella," Annabeth mentioned. I shot her a look of gratitude for getting to the point. She nodded with her eyes.

"I just... how do you have Estelle?" Calypso asked.

"How do you know her name?" I shot back defensively. I hugged Estelle against my chest while she simply placed the stitched branding on my shirt.

Calypso shifted on her bed. The bandage around her head strained as she moved. A light pink tint was emanating from the white bandage on one side. She gestured for me to have a seat, and I obliged. I sat at the foot of the bed while Stella sat on my lap.

Then, Calypso consciously looked at everyone else.

Everyone shifted in response. They wanted to hear what Calypso has to say.

However, it was clear that Calypso wanted to have a more private conversation. If this is about Estelle, then I just wanted to know what's going on.

"Maybe, we should talk in private," I suggested quickly.

The others understood and separated themselves from me. A part of me wanted Annabeth to stay. Surprisingly, her presence is comforting to me. However, I wanted the Calypso's information more.

"Estelle was a part of my survival group just a few months ago. Specifically, two months ago, our base in the Upper Eastside got broken into by zombies. We all were forced to go our own ways, and that's when I lost contact with Estelle and her caretaker," Calypso explained.

"The woman that gave me Estelle had thick brown hair and black eyes. She was bitten, and she begged me to take her baby," I answered.

"That woman wasn't her mother though," Calypso said quietly. "Her name was Laura, but her mother was someone else. During the early days in our survival group, a beautiful pregnant woman gave birth to Estelle."

"The woman's husband, Paul, died in the initial days of the apocalypse. The woman escaped and joined our group. She gave birth to Estelle, and she raised her for a few months. However, one of the raids in our group went wrong, and the woman died. Laura started caring for Estelle after her mother died. Those were the days when our group started dwindling."

"Wait, hold on- So, Estelle's mother wasn't the one who gave her to me?" I confirmed.

"No, she was not," Calypso clarified. "Anyway, I guess Estelle's history doesn't matter now. She managed to get herself into your wonderful care."

My mind raced with many thoughts and emotions.

Calypso's survival group was based on the Upper East Side. Estelle's mother was pregnant and gave birth to her two months into the apocalypse. The father is named Paul. All these details were hitting me way too close to home.

I shifted Stella in my lap and hugged her tightly. I kissed the top of her forehead before standing up. I couldn't sit still any longer.

"What were Stella's parents' names?" I asked firmly.

Calypso looked confused as I clutched Stella against me. She squirmed under my tight embrace, but I couldn't let go of her. I needed the answer right now.

"Paul and Sally Blofis..."