“No,” I sighed and heaved my medical bag back to its usual place. “If she wakes up and doesn’t see you, she’ll probably flip. I’ll go sleep on the couch.”
“And you need to stay here to keep her calm if something goes wrong.”
I snort. “Isn’t that Jason’s job? He’s the one who’s her mate and all. Actually, I’m surprised he isn’t rushing over here, breaking into my apartment like you.”
Percy cocked an eyebrow at me. “I told him she was safe and sound. All tuckered out from the swim. I’m hoping to give him a good night’s sleep. Though, I don’t know how much he will get with her not being in arm’s reach.”
“He has been looking like a sack of crap, hasn’t he?”
I actually caught a spark of anger on Percy’s face when he signed. "It’s in his instincts to worry about her. We haven’t been much better.”
My eyes slid to Atalanta’s sleeping form. He wasn’t wrong. Those two weeks had been torture, and now that she was awake, I found it difficult to leave her side…but seeing how she only responded to Jason this morning, it had shattered any confidence I had.
Were we doing the right thing? I had been so sure before, but…
I looked back at Percy, who, for once, I could read. He was just as insecure about pursuing this relationship as I was. Maybe that was why he had really taken her out tonight. To reassure himself that she wanted him as well.
Slowly, Percy began to sign. “Listen. Jason may be connected to her in a literal sense, but that does not diminish the connection you have to her. Of all of us, she trusted you the most to take the first leap. She showed you her scars.”
My gut clenched up as I remembered the first time I had seen the scars on her legs. “It was an accident.”
Percy shook his head. “She’s too smart for her own good. She would have known the risks of doing anything with you. Whether she realized it or not, a part of her trusted you with that bit of herself. Don’t let your fear chase you away from this. We need you just as much as she does.”
Was that true?
I sighed. Whether it was true or not, thinking about it when sleep weighed on me was pointless. As my father had taught me, thinking on important things when you’re tired easily leads to mistakes, and mistakes can end up making things worse than they were.
“Let’s talk about this later, okay? I’m tired,” I signed as I walked over to my dresser, pulled out some boxers and tossed them to Percy. “Bed time.”
Taking off the boots and jacket that I still had on, I slowly moved Atalanta into the middle of the bed. Settling down beside her, I finally relaxed.
When Percy settled down on the other side of Atalanta, I tensed for a split second before brushing all of my anger and guilt aside. If someone had told me two months ago that I would be sharing a bed with Percival, I would have laughed in their face. He was an arrogant coward, whom before recently, could hardly stand to look at me without guilt leaking out of every pore.
My mind flashed back to a little over a week ago when I had cornered Percy and asked when he had learned American Sign Language. When I had first learned the language, I figured it would make my life easier. That was until I realized I was the only one in the town that knew it. It hadn’t been a complete waste of time though, as I remembered when Atalanta had first apologized to me using it. I had felt so touched.
Percy, on the other hand, in all the years we had been on the surface, had never once hinted at knowing it. Then he had the gall to try to brush it off, claiming that he found the human language to be interesting and had learned it out of pure curiosity along with several others. I called bullshit, but the fucker was a locked box so I just convinced myself he would never reveal the truth and I dropped it.
If it wasn’t for Atalanta, I would be trying to ignore him like I always did. Being near him was too awkward.
Yet…what he said a few minutes ago. Did he mean it?
I hadn’t been needed in years.
Coming to the surface had meant stripping away everything that made me who I was. The leader who was no longer needed to lead. It had been the hardest thing I ever had to do.
I sat up, my mind snapping out of its dozing state when I felt the bed shaking. “What’s going on? Are you laughing?”
Percy looked up at me, a grin on his face, and signed. "Atalanta is singing in her sleep again.”
Oh. I peeked down at her prone form. Her mouth was open and it was clear that she was mumbling softly, though I didn’t know what. When she was out during those two weeks, I had seen her do this a few times. It was really only when at least two of us were sleeping on either side of her.
I made eye contact with Percy. Embarrassed, I asked, "What does she sound like?”
He settled back and stared up at the ceiling for a few moments, his expression pensive. Eventually, he reached over and snagged my closest hand and guided it to rest at the base of Atalanta’s throat.
My eyebrows rose as I felt the vibrations of her singing. If I really concentrated, it was like when I went to concerts and felt the vibrations of the music. I could just make out the different notes she made.
A smile spread across my lips as I looked back over at Percy, who had let go of my hand and began to sign. "Do you remember the sound of my mother’s apprentice, Emilee? She often performed for your family during events.”
My mind reached back, recalling the older girl who had sung for us on numerous occasions. She was pretty and an extremely talented singer, though I often wondered why it was her performing and not Percy’s mother, who was a close friend and my own personal tutor as well.
I nodded. “Yes. Her voice sounded like bells.”
“Atalanta sounds a bit like that. But softer.” Percy signed before turning his back towards me.
I felt my smile wobble as my gaze moved back to the singing sleeping beauty. I stayed like that for a while, my hand resting lightly against her throat as I imagined what she sounded like as I finally drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Twelve
Atalanta
I was so warm.
It was like I was wrapped up in a blanket cocoon.
Sleep…
No, wait…I was supposed to be doing something, wasn’t I?
I stretched, working the kinks out of my muscles. The sheets beneath me were so soft. My cocoon, though, was hard. I wiggled against it but it wouldn’t budge.
My brain was filled with cobwebs.
A feeling I was really tired of. Taking mental stock, I wasn’t surprised when I couldn’t remember crawling into bed last night.
I needed to get up, so I continued to wiggle, thinking that the blankets would loosen.
“Atalanta,” Someone groaned, causing me to freeze.
“Percy?” I mumbled.
I inhaled, smelling a mix of books and lemons. Had Percy been cleaning? Slowly, I pried open my eyes. I was staring at a naked chest. Turning away from the sculpted muscle, I saw Percy’s brown eyes staring at me over my shoulder.
But if he was behind me…
My eyes snapped back to see Theseus’s sleeping face looking back at me. My cocoon was the two of them, their arms and legs wrapped around me in double snuggle.
Now, I certainly would have remembered climbing into bed with the two of them last night. At least, I hoped I would.
“Percy?” I asked again, this time with worry evident in my tone.
“You are safe, Atalanta.”
“How did I get here?”
Percy slowly untangled himself from around me. “What’s the last thing you remember?”