[ standing this close to the son of the sea god, she can probably smell the ocean too. he carries the sea with him, no matter where he is; perhaps very like gilia.

and everything in her tone, her posture, makes her discomfort clear. percy can't help feeling sorry for her; if her meeting with the queen went anything like his, there wasn't any forewarning that they'd be expected to know how to fight. for percy, the expectation had been implicit. he's more than used to higher powers expecting him to fight their battles, and, truthfully, he's not sure he has any other skills to offer anyway. but that isn't true for everyone, obviously.

he says, gently, ] Hey, there's nothing wrong with that. But, um, it might...you know, help to learn how to defend yourself. Just in case someone isn't around to help.