I felt the blush rise up my cheeks. “Do you need to make it awkward?”
“It is what you’re doing, aren’t you? Checking out our sexy bodies?” Jason teased with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
“I’m studying your—well!” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Shut up!”
I huffed and turned away from him when he and the others started laughing. I proceeded to again look around for Percy. I spotted him a ways away from our little condensed group. I kicked off and floated closer to him. He was still in his human form. He looked beautiful as his hair, which was usually tied up in a short ponytail, floated around him, and without his glasses he resembled those statues of angels, matching melancholy expression included.
“Percy, are you okay?”
“I am well, Ms. North,” He said, clipped.
I cocked an eyebrow at him. “If that were true, you wouldn’t be over here, separated and lacking shiny scales.”
“Perhaps.”
“Soooo?” I prompted.
“Why don’t we finish your inspection and work on controlling your shift?”
I pouted, knowing I wouldn’t be getting an answer out of him. I had already decided that I shouldn’t be trying to push them, anyway.
I turned back to the others and looked to Ajax. ”So, how do I get more scaly?"
Hip snorted and muttered under his breath, "I like how she's not even bothering to ask us anymore."
I rolled my eyes. “Because you four are horrible teachers.”
"Can't argue with you there.” Hip shrugged.
Ajax swayed his powerful tail and drifted closer. The movement itself was quite small, and I bet when they really kicked with their tails they could probably move through the water just as fast as any speed boat.
"You said before that you pictured your shift like a little ball in your chest. If releasing the tension makes you more human, then…?”
I thought on it for a moment before throwing out, "Then I should picture tightening the ball?"
He nodded. "It also helps just to picture yourself growing said tail."
Okay. I could do this. I closed my eyes and once again saw that little glowing stress ball right next to my heart.
"Wait!" Hip called, causing me to lose my concentration and open my eyes.
"What?" I asked, looking around worried. "Whats wrong?"
He gestured up and down my body. “You’re still wearing your clothes. You won't be able to shift like that."
I looked down at my waterlogged sweater and jeans and then back at the five guys surrounding me. "I am not taking off my clothes."
Theseus shrugged and gave me a failed attempt at an apologetic smile as his eyes sparkled with humor. "If you don't remove them, your shift will not only be painful but you'll tear right through your clothes and have to walk back to your house butt naked.”
"Not that we would mind seeing you naked. In fact, we will join you in your walk of shame, if you want," Hip grinned.
I bit my lip. "There is no way I'm letting you guys see me naked. Can I at least keep my shirt on?”
“You’ll end up having the same problem with your fins.” Jason replied.
“Then no,” I said crossing my arms.
I was sure they had seen my scars—even if they hadn't brought them up—but that didn't stop me from not wanting to expose my mangled body to them.
"Atalanta."
"No! It's not going to happen."
"We can close our eyes."
"I think it's time we head back, okay?” I looked at Jason, trying not to cry again. “Please.”
Jason gave me a sad smile and nodded. "Okay. Whatever you want." He turned back to the others. "Let's go back."
The other four had a range of expressions from disappointment to worry. I squared my shoulders and swam back towards where I thought the shore was, only to be pulled in the correct direction moments later by Percy.
I felt bad for ruining the outing, but I wouldn't let myself feel bad for getting freaking naked in front of five guys I hardly knew. I decided that I would head out next time I was alone, and try shifting then.
With my hand in Percy’s, we came back to standing water level. God, did it feel weird the moment that I broke the surface. My lungs pushed all of the water out like a squeeze bottle before I took in my first breaths of actual oxygen. So I guess it wasn't really possible for me to drown anymore, even if that wasn't already obvious with me breathing under the water.
We left the other four behind to change back and trekked up the sand back towards the cliff.
“You will have to let us in at some point, Atalanta," Percy whispered.
"You're one to talk.” I snapped back. He was just as full of mystery as the rest of them, with an even harder face to read half the time.
"You may have a point, but this is difficult for all of us. We may have known each other for years, but it is not as if we were ever close. Having to work in this group dynamic will be a learning experience. It will be harder to get some of us to open up to each other. But it will be easier once you learn to trust us.”
“I just don’t understand how you guys can be okay with this. I didn’t even know you all knew about…” I fidgeted with the sleeve of my sopping shirt. “About what was going on.”
Percy, who still held my hand, turned my palm upwards and began to run his fingers over the lines. “There are a few things that happened that day. One of them being an argument with Jason that brought everything to light. Once we sorted everything out and realized that none of us could let you go, we decided to try.”
My mouth fell open and I turned my gaze away from him. “Oh.”
I looked back at the others, who were walking up from the water. My eyes had reverted back to seeing only silhouettes so I couldn’t see their faces, but I doubted they were smiling.
“And this is okay with all of you? Dating me all at once?” I asked, looking back at him.
I watched his shadow nod. “We are okay with it for now, as long as you are willing to try. As for the future, no one can know what will happen. If it makes you feel better, our kind don’t all practice the human idea of monogamy. Many of our women have multiple men.”
I frowned. “Why do I feel like you’ve said that me before?”
“Because I have. Though, that time I tried to have you believe I was speaking only of common animals.”
“Oh yeah, I remember now,” I lied. I didn’t remember that at all, but I still felt like I’d heard it before.
Without me realizing it, we had actually come out of the water closer to my cabin. After climbing the cliff in silence, I stared at the empty building with its lights off. A shiver ran up my spine. Even with the guys there, I couldn’t help but feel like all of the warmth my father, sister, and I had put into making it a home was gone.
“My place?” Ajax suggested after he and the others made it to the cliff’s landing with Percy and I.
I nodded, and without a word, the five of us trudged through the woods back to Ajax’s much more welcoming home.
When we got inside, I spoke up. “I shouldn’t have snapped like that. I’m sorry, I know you guys are only trying to help.”
“Don’t worry, short stuff. We understand.” Jason said with a pat on my head.
Ajax grunted in agreement.
Hip came over and kissed my forehead. “Yeah, like Jason said earlier. You’ve been through a lot. We’ll talk about it more another day. Okay?”
“Let’s get you to bed,” Theseus said, putting his hand on my shoulder.
Despite my protests, Ajax gave me his bed while he insisted that he would sleep on the couch. I didn’t know where the others were going to sleep, but Jason was on the floor next to me, stealing as many pillows as he could find to build himself a pillow mountain. I think Hip ran back to my cabin to grab the air mattress.