#had the urge to do so and no one stopped me so have some Athena birthday art ^^

[katerinaaqu]

Why did Helen choose to torment the Greek Warriors inside the Trojan Horse? (An Odyssey Analysis)

Okay so here is a conundrum that seems to be quite interesting in homeric poems. One of them seems to be Helen's behavior before the sacking of Troy. Menelaus informs us and Telemachus on the events of the night before taking Troy and speaks on the moment where Helen knocks on the Trojan Horse and calls upon the Greek warriors inside imitating the voices of their wives.

Three times you circled the hollow ambush and out of the best of the Danaans you called the names and all the Argives heard the voices of their spouses. Nevertheless I and the son of Tydeus and the godly Odysseus heard you as you called out and while we two were eager to rush out and act to our sudden urge, Odysseus though held us back and restrained us despite our eagerness. Then all the other sons of Achaeans endured apart from Anticlus wanted to respond to your call but Odysseus placed his hand upon his mouth non-stop and strongly and thus saving all the Achaeans until Athena Pallas led you away

(Translation by me)

So basically here we see a very cruel act right? Helen knows the Argives were away from home and their wives way too long, over a decade so why would she play such a cruel game to them and call upon them by using the voices of their wives? It seems unnecessarily cruel at some point especially since she did express the need to go back to her husband already a year prior during the events of Iliad.

So here are a couple of explanations for it.

So for many I would epxect this would be something one might consider inconsistency at writing which leads many people to turn to the "different writer" trope. Quite honestly I can see why and as a hypothesis is really valid or maybe if one takes the hypothesis that Odyssey was witten way after the Iliad that the author himself changed his mind on some stuff or reconsidered his sources etc.

However let's hypothesize for one second that this is a logical continuation of the story and character development (yeah I am not convinced on the different writer theory, fight me! XD) and let's just think for a second the context of the scene based on what we know from the Iliad and the Epic Cycle in general.

We know that Helen lived in Troy a decade (yes for the "20 years theory" I have answered an ask here). She knew these people for a long time. We also know from the Iliad as she stood next to Priam, giving him information about the Greek leaders and kings and we know that she was not judged by him or any other of the Trojans. If anything she was blaming herself quite a lot for it. Even in the funeral of Hector she expresses her love for him (not romantic love guys) and her respect for him. She had no real hate for the Trojans even if she already had a change of heart or Aphrodite's spell on her had weakened. For the reasons why she stayed I also answered another ask right here but apart from that reason we know she wanted to go home so why did she do that to the Greeks? Well in the same scene Menelaus seems to be excusing his wife and he presents this very interesting explanation as to why she did it:

And then you came there: called by some god, no doubt, who wished to extend the glory of the Trojans

(Translation by me)

Menelaus seems to be excusing his wife once more and presents the hypothesis that Helen was inspired by some god or goddess (δαίμων) to go and disturb the Greeks inside the horse. Helen doesn't deny it but doesn;t confirm it either. In fact Telemachus speaks soon after and Helen orders the slaves to prepare stuff. The conversation on this subject seems to end there. So the one explanation could be that indeed Menelaus is correct and that Helen was once more either coersed or blackmailed by a god, potentially Aphrodite again, even if not mentioned, and went to the Greeks and tried to lure them out for the sakes of that god that wished better for Troy. It stands as an explanation as well.

However let's make things more spicy and let's assume that Helen was not influenced by divine intervention by the gods and instead it was her own free will to do what she did. If yes then why? So here's a hypothesis. Before in her narration Helen talks about how she met Odysseus and recognized him in his disguise. She also mentions how Odysseus informs her on the plan to take Troy:

And then he entrusted me everything he had in mind for the Achaeans

(translation by me)

How much he told her is not clear. Did he already have in mind to make the horse so he tells her that? Maybe he warns her on the one day that the Achaeans shall enter the city without speaking on precice details? Either way Helen would know Odysseus was up for some ploy and she knew she had to act fast. Menelaus also mentions how Deiphobos was with her at that time (how Menelaus knew? Well probably Helen told him). So immediately if Helen had a reason to do what she did, we have two reasons;

She wanted to persuade Deiphobos on her loyalty to Troy. Arguably when Odysseus escaped, as Helen said, he killed many Trojans on his way out. Most likely her loyalty must have been questioned at that tensed time thus being accompanied by her new husband all the time. By doing this, ellegedly tormenting the Greeks, was showing to Deiphobos her loyalty to Troy (manipulating him into believing that she was on their side) plus showing him like "See? Nothing here. No danger whatsoever". She probably knew already Odysseus would be inside and he wouldn't fall for her trick and she trusted him and her husband to hold the rest of the Achaeans inside the horse so they wouldn't cry out. So not only did she show to Deiphobos that she was on Trojan side but also manipulated him into believing indeed there was no danger.

Two, this part is the best, in my opinion, she was signaling to the GREEKS inside the horse. She called them all by name by immitating their wives. More or less tells to them that she KNOWS and that she knows EXACTLY who they are and who their families are, and that she could have betrayed them at any moment if she wanted to but she chose not to because she was on their side. Like that she would have more hopes not to be killed by vengeful Greeks during the siege of Troy or her daughter by Paris, Helen, and ensure her and her daughter's safety. Also signaling her change of heart in person to them.

Conclusions:

Like I said before I do not believe Odyssey was written by a different author altogether and Odyssey itself gives us some very good explanations on Helen's behavior. I am actually willing to side with my second hypothesis. Perhaps Menelaus was talking literally when mentioning a god but I tend to believe he was more like metaphorical. In an essence "what's gotten into you?" manner. However I tend to believe that regardless of whether there was or wasn't a godly intervention in Helen's behavior, Helen is extremely intelligent and she knows that after the fuss Odysseus caused (literally a Greek spy in Troy, possibly two if we count Diomedes too) that got in, stole the Palladium of Athena and killed people on their way out might as well throw suspicion on her and she needed to make sure she would continue have the love of Priam, which was literally her shield of protection at that moment. Two she knew that her husband was coming for her and that he was potentially furious and if it wasn't him, some other of the Greeks would be or they would get battle-drunk with their success. She wasn't going to rely only on Odysseus's silver tongue that he persuaded the Greeks on her change of heart but she wanted to make sure that they knew on her talents and power and the way that she could literally give them away at any moment and that she chooses not to because she is Greek like them and because she had a change of heart!

I hope you find this analysis interesting! Let me know in the comments below! I'd love to hear your thoughts! ^_^

[gaysindistress]

Sad girl - eighteen

summary: James has an interesting new business proposal and one hell of a condition to deal with.

pairing: Mob!Bucky Barnes x Reader

warnings: cursing, Bucky’s smartass, angst, guns, violence, Walker has decided that he wants to be Joe Goldberg

word count: 2.2k

a/n: there are some POV shifts in this part but I tried to make it obvious with dividers so it wasn’t too confusing. Anyways, there’s one part left!

part 17 | series masterlist

Taglist: @missvelvetsstuff @angelsincident @spencerreidisagorgman @goldensunflowe-r   @i-have-no-life-charlie @esposadomd @iateall-yourcookies  @littlelizardlizzie @alana4610 @kandis-mom @beware-my-thorns @ozwriterchick @reader-without-a-story @unaxv @wh0reforbucknasty @cjand10  @vickie5446 @katymae12344 @openup-yourmind @callsign-athena

disclaimer: credits to original creator/poster of image/gif. found on google/Pinterest

The Stark Estate is always the looming house on the hill as the SUV approaches the large iron gates. The brick mansion is mostly covered in vines and plants, much to Pepper’s dismay. Anthony thought it gave the 20s-built house character and a homey feel so the vines were left along with the ridiculous amount of landscaping that lined the driveway. Bucky resists the urge to roll his eyes at the blatant display of wealth as the SUV rolls down the driveway to the main house. Scott is the one to meet the men, standing with his arms crossed in front of him. The SUV slows to a stop beside him and Bucky gets out of the driver’s seat. 

“The others in position,” Scott asks him as Bucky adjusts his black jean jacket to conceal his holster and gun better. 

“Yep, yours?”

Scott nods while the two walk into the house. While Pepper may not have any say about the outside, she took full advantage of changing every little detail inside to fit her taste. White and marble covered every inch of the 20,000 square foot home, a stark difference from the industrial and wood feel of Bucky’s house. It reeked of cold indifference as they walked up the same stairs Doll nearly cracked with anger that day. Scott pushes open the heavy doors, letting the other man enter the room first. 

As usual, Anthony is seated at his desk however without his normal crowd of men in black. Thor and Loki are reclining on the couches, guns completely on display due to their relaxed posture. A younger man, who he assumes is the new recruit Peter Parker is standing off to the side of Anthony. 

“You brought a kid?” Bucky tries to hide the disgust in their voice when he sits in the same chair he had during that meeting. 

“He’s not a kid and you didn’t bother to dress for the occasion,” Anthony, however, doesn’t even bother to cover his disapproval at Bucky’s outfit. 

Leveling a blank stare at the other man, he speaks again “We’re not here to do business.”

Anthony rolls his eyes dramatically, making a show of it as he gestures to Scott to come over. He says something about the ETA of John to which Scott tells him he’s at the gates before leaving the room. 

“What’s the status of your team?” He turns to his son-in-law. 

“Waiting for my cue.”

“Good good. How about my daughter?”

“Safe.”

“Wow, I forgot how quiet you are,”  he widens his eyes in annoyance, “Anyways when John gets here, I don’t want you to speak. Let me handle it and if I need you to step in, I’ll let you know.”

“Fine by me,” a hardened expression takes on his face as he rests his hands together in between his spread legs. 

John’s voice echoes up the marble staircase as Bucky’s phone rings. 

“Buck we have a problem.”

Nat had promised Doll that his meeting would only last a couple of hours and that it was just a business meeting. 

“I swear it’s just a meeting that’s all.”

“He took his gun,” Doll is trying not to panic, however with his injury and their developing closeness, it’s getting harder and harder to stop it. 

“He takes it everywhere.”

“But this is different, I can feel it. He didn’t tell me where he was going and he always tells me.”

Nat takes her by the shoulders and stops her pacing, “Do you really want to know?”

She pushes the other woman’s hands off of her, “Obviously.”

“If I tell you, will you promise to stay here until he gets back?” she demands as she sits down on the living room couch. 

Doll takes a seat as well while nodding her head. 

“He set up a meeting with John at your dad’s house to get him to cut his bullshit and to get your mom. Steve and Sam are headed in to get her as we speak.”

“Natasha what the fuck?” she jumps off the couch, yelling at Nat, “why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I knew this is how you were going to react. Now sit your ass back down. They’re going to be back in like an hour.”

Doll’s phone goes off, the ringtone specifically set for Morgan and she answers it in confusion, “Hey Mo Mo, what’s up?”

“Sissy help! He’s hurting everyone,” Morgan’s small voice is full of terror as she whispers into the phone. 

“Mo Mo what’s going on?”

“John, he's hurting everyone. Sissy, please help!”

She looks at Nat with frightened eyes, “Where are you? Are you hiding?”

“I’m hiding in Daddy’s closet,” she cries into the phone. 

She gestures to Nat to stand up as she holds the phone between her head and shoulder, “Okay Mo Mo, stay there and don’t make a sound okay? Do not open the door unless it’s Daddy, Mommy, or Scott. I’m coming.” 

Hastily shoving her feet into her torn vans, she throws a pair of keys to Nat and points to the door, “Start the car and call Bucky. Shit is going down.”

“Buck we have a problem.”

“Do I even want to know?”

“She’s not here.”

“What do you mean she’s not there?” 

Sam shutters from the other line, “The woman we saw isn’t her. She says she’s a housekeeper and that Walker forced her to dress up as Marianne and stay in her room until he came and got her.”

“Fuck, get out and get over here,” Bucky hangs up the phone as John bursts into the room dragging the woman in question beside him. Blood is dripping from her eyebrow and her lip no doubt from where he hit her. Bruises are starting to form on her face and arms as she drops to the floor when John lets go of her arm. Thor and Loki jump to their feet, guns drawn and pointed at the man. 

“Gentlemen! What a lovely fucking surprise,” he exclaims, holding Marianne by the hair, “Imagine my surprise when Scott here told me that I was being set up and I found your two buddies lurking around my house.”

Anthony stands but the sudden movement is not welcomed by the furious man and he pulls his own gun on the woman beside him.  

“Sit down or I’ll shoot sweet Marianne,” the threat causes her to start crying and begging for her life as she claws at the hand holding her hair, “Shut the fuck up.”

Anthony does as he’s told and sits down. Bucky’s chest rises and falls at a steady pace, the soldier and mercenary in him remaining calm even when the room is up in arms. He rubs his eyebrow in mild annoyance that the meeting went south so quickly. He expected that this would happen, just not so quickly. Scott, on the other hand, is frozen by the door after being caught double-crossing his boss. 

“Thor and Loki sit,” John demands of the two brothers. 

Thor glances back to Anthony who gives him a nod and a dismissive wave. A shot rings out and is followed by a thud. Bucky glances over his shoulder to see that Scott is the one hit. Footsteps and shuffling are heard from behind him as the two brothers collect the body and take it out of the room. Looking forward again, he can see the disgusted and sickened face of Peter who hasn’t moved an inch since this whole thing started. 

“Peter, go find my wife and daughter,” Anthony directs the young man. 

He doesn’t move at first but Anthony saying his name sharply snaps him back to reality as he rushes out of the room to find the two other Stark family members. Marianne cries out again as John rips her up to her feet and forces her to sit in the chair next to Bucky. 

“Care to explain what the real reason for this meeting was?” John sneers at the two men, eyes rapidly shifting between them. 

Taking a deep breath and shifting his feet slightly so they’re more solid on the ground, Bucky speaks, “It was to ask you to leave my wife and her mom alone however objectives have changed.”

“Enough with the cryptic nonsense, start talking,” he shoves the gun into the woman’s hair, releasing another cry for help. 

“Let her go and we can.”

“No.”

“I’m not going to ask again,” Bucky rolls his shoulders and shifts to the edge of his chair. 

“Then don’t,” he moves his attention to Anthony, “And you. I can’t believe you would help him with all of this. I had to go through Scott to find all of this out.”

Anthony licks his lips, “He is married to my daughter so I felt obligated to help.”

John lets out a downright evil laugh, “Obligated? You felt obligated? That’s fucking hilarious. I think you wanted to cut me out of the deal and saw your opportunity.”

“So what?” the older man shrugs his shoulders at the accusation. 

“If you felt so obligated to help your family then you would try and stop me if I shot Marianne?”

“No, she’s not my family.”

“You’re not going to shoot her. You are going to let her go though,” Bucky clears his throat and aims his stare at John. 

The constant demands are starting to wear down his resolve and his finger grows restless on the trigger. Taking out all three of them right now would solve all of his problems. Taking out all three would bring back his sweetheart and he could have her all to himself. The decision is made for him when three shots crack out and three loud thuds hit the floor. 

“Fuck, get out and get over here.”

Sam curses under his breath as he pockets his phone and waves Steve over from his search of the bedroom. 

“Buck said to head to the Stark estate. John took her with him.”

“Shit,” Steve curses before turning to the housekeeper, “Go home, pack your stuff, and get out of here.”

She nods quickly while crying and takes off out of the room. The two men reupholster their guns and leave the room. They swiftly exit the house and climb into their SUV, speeding off to the Stark Estate. 

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Sam tells the man to his side as he races through the city streets. 

“Me too. Did he say anything else?”

“Not just that we needed to get over there. Do we have a first aid kit?”

Steve reaches behind the driver’s seat and pulls a backpack to the front. Opening it, he digs through it until he finds the kit.

“I hope you’re wrong,” he says, shoving the kit back in and putting it at his feet. He pulls his gun out and checks his clip before checking the rest of the clips attached to his tactile vest. 

“Me too, man, me too.”

Nat refused to let Doll drive, insisting that she could get them there faster and in one piece. Morgan had hung up the phone before they left in fear that John would hear her voice and find her. She promised to answer when her sister got there and called her to get her out. The phone rings over the car’s speakers and she smashes the answer button when she sees that it’s Sam calling. 

“Nat get her out of New York. We’re here and shit isn’t looking good.”

“What the fuck do you mean?” Doll says with an eerily calm voice. 

“Shit, where is Nat?”

“Here.” “Please tell me you’re not on your way here,” the stress of the situation is draining his energy. 

“Morgan called me crying that John was hurting people. She’s hiding in our parent’s closet. Do you know where their room is?” 

“Do not go in until we can meet you. Nat, make sure she stays put until we have eyes on you and Bucky,” Steve’s voice is harsh and authoritative as he takes over the call, “Doll I need you to answer me.” 

“Yes I won’t go in until I see you or Sam,” she begrudgingly answers, slouching into the car seat. 

“Good see you guys in a few,” he hangs up the phone. 

“Do you have an extra gun?” She asks, opening the glove compartment and riffling through it. 

“No close that,” Nat slams it shut, “you’re not going in.”

[ofdragonsdeep]

6: Halcyon

A fabled bird.

In the midst of trying to stop Athena, Ar'telan has a question for Lahabrea's shade.

In the shallowest reaches of the aetherial sea, Ar'telan beheld a ghost.

They were not ghosts in the way that the souls that drifted by were ghosts. Oh, they were dead, but this was far, far worse than a meeting with the departed.

Athena had created them on a whim. Ar'telan did not pretend to understand why she did what she did, only knew that it was abhorrent to him in every incarnation. She wanted him to find her, he thought, and this was a way to help.

It was likely she hadn't even considered that it would hurt.

The researchers had kept their distance from Lahabrea, but despite Erichthonios's uncanny resemblence to Claudien, they were happy enough to speak with him about the nature of the issue they faced. Erichthonios had not been a scholar in life - a phrase that hurt, knowing he could step through time and see him living, if only for a fleeting moment - but he still knew a great deal about this.

Lahabrea stared at him.

He should have left long before this, of course. He had never had a conversation with Lahabrea that did not end in disaster, and this was not like to be the first time. This simulacrum, pasted over with a hasty coat of paint, would not have the answers Ar'telan had wanted from Lahabrea and never managed to seize. He couldn't look at him without remembering the pain that he had caused.

"I see now why you could not elaborate in Pandæmonium," he said eventually, his voice quiet, but it carried in the silence. Ar'telan took a breath that failed to calm his nerves.

"A shame that you will never truly know that."

Lahabrea nodded, his face pensieve. It was strange to see him without the immediate burdens of his role weighing on his shoulders, though given the nature of their foe, the stress was never far from him.

"You and I are both aware that I am barely a person in my current state. This form will last until the aether Athena stole to forge it fades, and she did not plan for that to take long. Yet you stare at me as if I can help you." Ar'telan fought the urge to flinch.

"You can't. I know that."

"Then leave." He folded his arms. "It is only a matter of time before Athena conjures some new horror to bar your way. You will not want for distractions."

Ar'telan hesitated. He was almost certainly right - a situation he did not like to attribute to Lahabrea, but not unusual in the grand scheme of things. But he was all that was left of Lahabrea, save for the broken shell of Hephaistos. And Hephaistos would not know anything that would help Ar'telan, so he would not burden him with the question.

"I want… an answer to a question," Ar'telan said eventually, swallowing back his nerves.

"Do you think I can give that to you?"

There was no malice in it, just a simple statement of fact. It was very like the Lahabrea he had met in Pandæmonium, and unlike the Lahabrea of his time. Of this time.

"…No. But I wanted to ask. If you do, then…" Then what? He didn't even know. The spectre of Lahabrea's fate haunted him still, how even his desperate attempts to save the ones who wanted him dead had been unable to reach the first of them he had wanted to save.

For a while, he had thought it the desperate desires of a fool. But he had saved Elidibus, after a fashion. A small fragment of him, but what else was left, after all that time broken?

Could he even weather it?

"I suppose I owe you a question," Lahabrea allowed. "Ask. But do not expect an answer."

Ar'telan supposed it was the best he would get.

"I have… something," he said. "I wanted to know if- if it meant anything." He ignored the puzzled quirk of an eyebrow Lahabrea responded with, reaching into his pocket and pulling from it the one thing he had never told anyone else about. To hold out the crystal to Lahabrea, even this recreation, felt somehow wrong to him. But he did it all the same.

Lahabrea's expression went from puzzled to a frown of concern. He reached out as if to touch it, but paused before his fingers met the crystal.

"…This is… The same substance as the Heart of Sabik," he said. It was a credit to his stoicism that he could say it without even a hint of fear in his voice, after everything the Heart had done to him. "Black auracite."

"Yes."

"Where did you get this?"

"You gave it to me."

The pause was palpable. There was no outward change to Lahabrea's expression, but there was the subtlest shift in his stance. Ar'telan knew it well for what it was, after all this time. Hesitation.

"It was a gift, I think. But I'm still not sure," he continued. "I… wanted it to be a gift. But…"

"I cannot think of any reason that I might want to give you a fragment of something so uniquely dangerous," Lahabrea said, his tone frank. "This is not the same stone as the Heart. But something lurks within it still." Ar'telan started in surprise at that, closing his hand around the stone as if Lahabrea might think to take it from him. "Do not mistake me," he said. "It is the barest wisp of essence. One of your aetheric composition would be entirely unable to detect it, much less interact with it." He frowned. "But if it was me who gave you this, and it is not the Heart, then it is not the tiniest fragment of Athena who sleeps within it. We are not enemies, but even if we were, I would not inflict her upon you so." He shook his head. "The corruption concerns me, but it is not cleansable. Why did I give this to you?" Ar'telan looked down at his closed fingers.

"…I don't know," he replied. "I thought perhaps if I showed it to you, even if you could not give me the answer, I would… figure it out from what you said. But I just have more questions now."

"I do not know if it is true in the present, but Auracite was incredibly difficult to procure in my own time," Lahabrea said. "If I truly gave you this token, I did not do so lightly. The fact that it is corrupted is… concerning, but irrelevant. Do you truly know nothing of why?"

"It's… complicated," Ar'telan replied. "I didn't think much of it at the time. Well, I… I did, but not… not in a way that mattered." Lahabrea's concerned frown did not shift. "A different question, then. If you had the Heart of Sabik when you died, would you suffer the same fate as Athena?"

"Perhaps," Lahabrea replied. "It would depend upon the manner in which I met my demise. Assuming there was naught else to trap my soul, and there was… room, within the stone, I imagine I would be similarly imprisoned." He folded his arms. "The soul over which my likeness has been written is not my own. It is not even a fragment of my own, just as Erichthonios is not his own."

If there were nothing else to trap it…

"And if it were trapped, could I get it out?" Ar'telan asked. Lahabrea sighed.

"Perhaps," he repeated. "Extracting a soul from a prison not designed for such a thing is rarely a clean experience. And depending upon the manner of my death, I suspect it would be kinder to release my spirit to the aetherial sea, rather than attempt extraction." Ar'telan grimaced at how easily he could speak of his own death. "There is much you have not told me, this is plain," he added. "But you know me. For it to be me that you know, in this present, then I have been alive far longer than man is meant to live before his return to the star. If you truly seek to recover this… present incarnation of me from a supposed prison, I cannot guarantee that he will much resemble me." He paused. "Though I suspect you know this already, given your actions in Pandæmonium."

"…Yes," Ar'telan replied.

"I would tell you not to attempt anything rash, but you are a shard of Azem. No matter how diminished your soul, I suspect their capacity for utter stupidity that still somehow does nothave consequences has carried over," Lahabrea remarked. Ar'telan sighed.

"If only there were no consequences," he said, "but thank you. I will… I will get help before I do something stupid."

It was a promise he might even keep.

---

It was only when the dust had settled that Ar'telan had the time to think about the question he had asked.

He sat in his room at the Rising Stones, crystal in his hand. For so long he had held on to it, long after the hope of Lahabrea speaking to him about all that had happened had died. He had been so scared, back then. Even now, having sorted through the feelings, having learned so much about the Ascians - about the Ancients - he still didn't understand it, not really.

He had seen the memory, just like everyone else in Pandæmonium. Lahabrea had searched so desperately for love that he had damned himself, and found nothing. He had cut out his passion in Hephaistos, but he could never cut out his heart. It had been a long time - millenia of waiting, of fighting, of endless hosts and exposure to the stone that held the woman who had hurt him the most. It was no wonder that Lahabrea did not remember him, being a mere footnote in the story of Pandæmonium as he had been, but…

Elidibus had held on to something. Something of Azem, yes, but something of him, too. And Elidibus had been broken beyond belief by his death and subsequent rebirth. Surely Lahabrea would have rememebered something. If not him, surely he would have held on to the fact that nothing hurt more than looking for love and finding none where it should have been promised.

Lahabrea had acknowledged his part as the villain, though. He had admitted he would do it, if the need arose, even if that had been an untempered memory. Ar'telan thought about the stories Erichthonios had told him, in explaining the Phoinix, of Lahabrea's search for the bird of eternal life. Of Suzaku, an auspice and phoenix both, that proved his success.

What drove him? What had driven him then? Did Ar'telan even have the right to think of finding that ragged soul and begging answers of it one last time?

He did not like to think what it would do to him if he did not like the answer. But he owed it to him to look, if only to grant him the peace of a death not tainted by what had happened in the Singularity Reactor.

He would find it, somehow. If nothing else, even what was left of Lahabrea would find the parallels amusing.

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Ara has never done anything wrong in her entire life idk what you mean -Danny Words: 2,112 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'As The World Caves In' -by Sarah Cothran

LXI: Back by Unpopular Demand: Me

"You won't stay."

"But—"

"Ara, if I have to throw you overboard I will!" Leo frowns.

Ara's eyes brim with tears. "We can't even have a proper goodbye..."

"There is no goodbye in this," Leo gestures at Frank. "Hey! Make sure to take her with you!"

"Leo!"

"We don't have time for this," he insists, also holding back tears.

"HOLD ON!" Zeus warns them, getting ready to toss them out.

Ara doesn't even get to take one last look at Athens before the sky flickers and changes at the speed of light.

"Jason!" Leo screams. "Hurry!"

Everything around breaks and flies off the deck, Ara unclasps her harness and watches Frank and Hazel as they try to get closer.

"Go!" Leo urges her. "Go, go, go!"

"LET'S GO! MOVE IT! CUT THAT OUT!" Bufford keeps screaming. 

It isn't wise to distract him while he's desperately trying to keep the ship in one piece, but love blurs all her coherent thoughts. "Leo..." she turns to him, trying one last time.

"Leave!" He screams with an anger she's never heard before.

Frank rises off the deck as a dragon with Percy, Annabeth, and Hazel on his back, Ara sees him fly in her direction ready to seize her. "Fine!" She yells at her boyfriend. "Leónidas Valdez if you don't survive this, I'll kill you!"

Leo laughs. "I love you!"

Frank's claw hooks on her cloak and pulls her out of there. As they fly down to the hill where the Athena Parthenos is standing, Jason catches up to them and starts giving instructions. "Hazel! Those three cohorts are in trouble! If they don't merge with the rest of the demigods—"

"On it! Go, Frank!"

"Drop me there!" Ara spots a familiar shape in the mob. "Jason, Piper, you come with me!"

"Alright, General!" Jason responds. Frank flies past the hill and opens his claw. 

Ara lands on top of Pollo the Nemean lion, and slits a monster's throat with her crossbow. On each side of her Piper and Jason land and draw out their swords. The monster dissolves and she glares at the army before her, pulling the lion's mane so he stops running.

"Who missed me?" Ara smirks at the monsters that are quickly scattering away from her.

"About time!" Reyna says over the cheering of demigods. "Glad you could join us!"

Piper smiles. "We had some giants to kill!"

"Excellent! Help yourself to some barbarians."

"Why, thank you!"

"General Jackson!" Nico slashes a monster without paying much attention. He looks pale and barely alive. "Good timing. Where's the ship?"

Jason and Ara look up, the girl feeling a bit faint when she sees the wreckage the Argo II has turned into.

"Gods," Nico makes a face. "Is everyone okay?"

"Leo..." Jason says weakly. "His plan is in motion."

Nico nods, locking eyes with her. "He'll be fine."

"Of course," she pushes back her fear to focus on the fight.

"But just in case... For Leo."

"For Leo," Jason looks at Ara and nods.

"Where is Octavian?" Ara demands out loud, slashing through the monsters like they're cardboard figures, guiding Pollo with only one hand. "I wanna give him a proper send-off!"

"Ara?!" Connor Stoll looks at her with his mouth wide open. "When Lily said you looked different, I thought she meant sunburned!"

Ara pulls the lion's mane so it comes to a halt once more. She smiles down at her friend. "You're here, that means Saggio is close. Where?"

Connor opens his mouth to respond but Frank's voice cuts through. "Repellere equites!"

"Ave, Praetor Zhang!" Reyna greets him.

"Ave, Praetor Ramírez-Arellano!" He responds. "Let's do this. Legion, CLOSE RANKS!"

"Legion, cuneum formate!" Reyna yells. "Advance!"

"Hey, Birdy!" Percy calls behind her. " Lost something?"

The army of Greeks goes wild the moment they spot him and Annabeth. Lily Saggio is with them.

"Strategus!" Her eyes are fierce, but they seem happy. "Your armies wait for instruction!"

Ara feels ten times stronger at the moment. She turns Pollo to face the girl. "Brigadier Saggio, you see the monsters?"

"Yes, General."

Ara unsheats Lily's dagger and tosses it back to her. "I want them all dead."

"Let's kill stuff!" Percy shouts with enthusiasm.

Everyone gathers around Ara and charges into battle. Ara notices Nico and Will Solace sneaking to the opposite side of where the fight is happening, she looks further ahead and sees where they're going, a dark grin forming on her face. 

She turns to Annabeth and Lily. "Take the lead on this group."

"Yes, General," Lily lifts her dagger. "Let's go!"

Ara has barely slipped off Pollo's back when the ground shakes, and she looks up to see a gigantic mount of dirt emerge from the mud. "AWAKE," Gaea growls. "Little fools. The paltry magic of your statue cannot contain me."

"Bitch," Ara curses, glaring at the mighty woman before turning around and following Nico's trace, which isn't hard because the ground seems to be dying wherever he sets foot.

"The whole earth is my body," Gaia boomed. "How would you fight the goddess of—"

FOOOOMP!

Ara stops and gasps. Festus just tackled Gaea, and there, confidently seated on his back, is Leo. "Pipes! Jason! You coming? The fight is up here!"

"Gods, I wanna marry him," she whispers in joy.

Ara.

The girl gives a start and looks around, but no one there seems to be paying her attention. She frowns, maybe she heard wrong. The girl quickly forgets about it when her eyes land on Nico and Will, both standing next to an onager. She looks at Gaea with a smile.

"I should give her a proper send-off..."

"Octavian, get away from the onager—That isn't safe!"

"Of course it's not! I will shoot Gaia down with this machine!" Will and Nico are facing Octavian, who is wearing the most dreadful assessment of jewelry she's ever seen. 

The sky darkens when Jason and Piper fly up to meet Leo, a storm cooks above their heads as Jason gathers all his power.

"You see?" Octavian continues frantically. Ara thinks she might be hallucinating, but his skin seems to be smoking. "The gods approve of my actions!"

"Jason is making that storm," Nico points out with annoyance. "If you fire the onager, you'll kill him and Piper, and—"

"Good! They're traitors! All traitors!"

"Listen to me," Will presses. "This is not what Apollo would want. Besides, your robes are—"

"You know nothing, Graecus!" Octavian reaches for the lever. "I must act before they get any higher. Only an onager such as this can make the shot. I will singlehandedly—"

"Centurion," a new guy appears, tall and buff. 

Ara recognizes him from Frank's stories, he's a son of Venus—something like a half-brother to Ara but not quite like the ones from Aphrodite. Ara's eyes travel down Octavian's clothes. She gets a pleasant thrill down her spine when she gets a very horrific idea.

"Michael! Excellent!" Octavian squeals, making her skin crawl. "Guard me while I fire this onager. Then we will kill these Graeci together!"

Ara gets to work in silence, pulling his cloak further into the mechanism. She hates this guy like she's never hated anyone before, he brought all these monsters to her camp, terrorized her family for weeks and weeks, and paraded around wearing that atrocity of an outfit. He's insulted her in every possible way.

Out of the corner of her eye, she thinks she sees Nemesis, perhaps she was the one who guided her here, but Ara refuses to acknowledge her. She gets up and circles the onager. "Michael Kahale, isn't it?"

The boy looks at her, his posture stiffening. "Strategus."

Ara smiles. "At ease, soldier. Let me talk to your Centurion."

"General," Michael nods, stepping back.

Octavian might've jumped over every rank from the Roman army, but he can't jump Ara, above her there are only gods, and even for him, that would be too much.

"No!" Octavian squeaks out in anger. "I'm your superior, you idiot! You don't listen to her!"

"You and your army, and your army's parents answer to me, Octavian." She speaks sternly, having perfected that voice after a whole year of practice. "You've caused destruction and death. You will yield, or face the consequences."

"NEVER!" He spits, eyes wide and crazy. "I will be remembered as the savior of Rome!"

"Apollo hates you, you psychotic jerk," Ara presses. "Yield or I'll make sure you never stir trouble for any of my camps ever again."

"Octavian..." Will tries to intervene, but Nico pulls him back.

"Our General is talking."

Ara knows he saw her pull the cloak inside the mechanism, she sees the way he looks at her: displeased but determined to stand by her.

"Liars, tricksters til the last minute," Octavian's hands hold onto the lever. "You cannot defeat me."

Ara sighs. "Octavian, I could snap you in half like a twig... but I'd rather put you to better use."

The girl pretends she's about to attack Octavian and he screams, cutting the rope that's keeping the onager's lever in place. The ammunition flies up with Octavian's cloak firmly tucked in by her, and Ara feels zero remorse as the guy disappears into the storm.

Her eyes find the other ball of fire in the sky that is Festus, and both explosions reach Gaia at the same time, making her stomach churn with apprehension. Next to her, Michael Kahale speaks. 

"Goodbye, Octavian." He turns to her. "What are our orders, General?"

The storm swallows the explosions for a moment but the fire gains force, vaporizing everything in the sky, not just Gaia, but also Leo and Festus.

Ara's vision starts to darken. "Cease fire."

Will catches her, and the girl faints without saying another word.

Ara spends two days in what can be considered an actual comma, when she wakes up she's damp with cold sweat and it takes her a full minute to recognize the room, then she realizes she's in the Big House, and someone is next to her napping.

"Will," she says hoarsely, barely able to open her mouth. "Will Solace!"

The boy drops his clipboard, quickly scrambling to his feet. "Ara! Thank Apollo, you're awake!"

"I won't be thanking Apollo for anything in the next few months," Ara groans, trying and failing to rub her eyes. "What day is it?"

"It's been three years, everyone went off to college but I volunteered to look after you this summer."

"Ha ha," she replies, struggling to keep her eyes open. "Gods, I feel like crap. What happened?"

"You've been asleep for two days—well, a day and a half, technically. I couldn't bring down the fever, we even submerged you in a bathtub full of ice. It was crazy Ara, you were—"

"Burning alive," she starts coming to her senses. "Will, the campers—"

"We had losses," he tells her, pressing a wet cloth on her forehead. "But not as bad as last time..."

Ara's pulse picks up again as she asks the next thing. "What about the people in the storm?"

Will turns the cloth over, Ara's temperature still warming up the material too fast. "Jason and Piper came down seconds before the explosion but Leo... Cabin Nine spent the whole day picking up bits and pieces of the Argo II, but there was no sign of Festus."

Ara closes her eyes. "Yes, that was the plan."

"No, Ara," Will sighs, not understanding. "The explosion was massive. There was nothing left because the fire destroyed everything."

"I need Nico," she says dryly. "Please, tell me he's around here still."

"He's been following Lily and Connor around like a guard dog ever since—"

"Take me to him," Ara tries to sit up but the world turns upside down and she falls sideways. "Or tell him to come," she says in a strangled voice. Will doesn't try to fight her, he knows arguing is useless. "Don't tell anyone else I'm awake yet," she adds quickly. "I need a moment, then we can handle the funerary—"

"We did that already," Will eases her. "Nico and Chiron did it. Lily and Clarisse have taken care of the rest... I saw your cloak, you got like five blessings in two months," the boy shakes his head in disbelief. "I'm surprised your body didn't melt."

She gulps. "Please, bring Nico."

"Did he die?"

Nico takes a seat next to her bed. "He died. Hazel and I felt it. And then..."

Ara sits up at his pause, feeling anxious. "I need to know."

"Well, we sort of... lost track of him. One minute his soul was there, and then... don't know, it was nowhere to be found."

"Festus had the physician's cure."

"We all saw Festus explode."

"You didn't find pieces."

"The explosion was too strong," Nico frowns. "And you threw a ball of fire at him for good measure, remember?"

"He made it out."

"You can't know that."

"You don't know the opposite," Ara argues. "He needed to survive to break the curse. You say he's not in the Underworld, and judging by how I'm feeling, my body's purging centuries of disease."

Nico stares at her. "...I'd like to believe you."

"Then believe me," Ara says earnestly. "It's better than the alternative."

He gets up and gestures at her closet. "Get dressed, everyone will feel better if you show your face at today's campfire."

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris @obxstiles @ellipsisspelled @thepixiechicksh @ebony-reine-vibes

[imapuppy5000]

A story with the guard squad!! Vlk, Orion, and Athena belong to me. Everyone else belongs to one of these amazing people

@tamberwoof @theacedragon0w0 @mirconreadzztuff22 and y’all please give me the tags of everyone else

It was movie night and the guard squad had just settled down for their movie. It was Athena’s turn to pick so of course they were watching the rom-yist com there was. But suddenly disaster struck, they realized they had no snacks and NO POPCORN. The horror!

Vlk, never one for cheesy movies, piped up and soothed the group's panic and grief with a few simple words, “I’ll go get snacks. You can start the movie without me.”

“You’d do that?” Athena asked, “and we can just wait for you to get back— you don’t have to miss any of the movie.”

“It’s fine. You guys watch and I’ll be back in a giffy with lots of snack for everyone.” She pulled out her phone and went to her notes app to make sure she had everyone’s food preferences written down. She did. “Alright, bye.”

But before she could leave Sage stopped her, “Wait! Take Orion with you.”

“What?” Vlk growled darkly and Orion yelped.

“You’re safer in pairs. Please? It would make me feel better about you going out alone at night.”

“I can handle myself.” Vlk huffed but didn’t fight. “Come on Orion, let’s be quick.”

The hound growled but Athena urged him on and he padded after Vlk stoically.

“You have a car?” Vlk asked as they left the building.

“Nope.”

“Ah. Then unfortunately we’re stuck together for a bit.”

Orion lifted a brow but didn’t really express anything beyond that so Vlk crossed her arms and walked in silence.

Ten minutes later she was dying. She always had to have some kind of noise or else she got stuck in her thoughts and went mad. Finally she couldn’t take it and blurted, “Why don’t you talk?!”

Orion gave her a quizzical look and shrugged, a mischievous smile on his face.

“No- no don’t do that! Why don’t you just— urg— rant to me about your day or something?!” Another shrug and Vlk stopped in front of her companion, forcing him into a halt as well. “Please. I never ask you for anything. Just… tell me something. Talk at me.”

Orion studied her face for a moment and decided she wasn’t desperate enough. “Grovel.” He growled deeply.

“Seriously? This is why I hate you.” She poked her finger into his chest and decided to walk without noise. Another five minutes and her teeth were clenching. Thoughts of her parents were circling her head like vultures. She needed a distraction and it just slipped out, ever so weakly, “Please.”

“What?” His ear perked and he turned his attention on the dejected fox.

“Please.. please talk to me. I really can’t stand the silence.”

“More.”

“What more do you want?!”

“Get on your knees and beg.”

Vlk sneered and then jeered back, “You do like to see me on my knees, don’t you?”

Orion blushed and snarled, “Do it.”

She rolled her eyes but got on her knees and held her hands tightly, “Please, sir. Talk to me.”

“Fine. But you don’t get to talk the rest of the trip.”

Vlk nodded, fine with not having to talk and being able to just listen.

And so the rest of the walk to the store was peaceful, Orion chattering on about his day and ranting about Jasmine, saying a few things about Athena that were interesting to say the least, and just rambling. It was comforting and kept Vlk’s mind off of everything else.

At the convenience store she sent Orion to the movie theater down the street to pick up a few large bags of popcorn, extra butter, and nacho cheese dip (a specialty item for Sage, and no Vlk was not showing favoritism).

Four bags of jerky, one for Vlk, one for Iris, two for Xana. Vlk wasn’t a fan of Iris’s favorite snack but she would buy it if the store had it. Unfortunately, they were outside of cannibal town so pinky’s were harder to score. Vlk couldn’t really understand that liking. She had tried human flesh once and it wasn’t great but something as lean as the pinky seemed just terrible.

Regardless she continued on her search.

Nutter Butter’s and P.B Bites for Hazel.

Sage got hot fries, seasoned mango’s, and some Red hots.

Sydney got chewy chips ahoy.

Athena’s snacks of choice were skittles and airhead belts. She had a major sweet tooth so Vlk also got her a bag of powdered donuts.

Finally was Orion. Vlk got him black licorice.

After everyone’s individual snacks had been collected it was time for drinks. A case of Dr. Pepper (Vlk’s favorite), Root beer, and Fanta added to the list. Unable to hold everything properly the Fox stumbled to the counter and dropped her load onto it, looking over the pile at the clerk. Poor guy looked like he wanted to roll over and die.

Checking out took a long time, by the time she was done Orion was waiting outside with the popcorn. She did not expect the bags to be as large as there were, roughly the size of a toddler, and hadn’t expected Orion to buy 5 if they were that big. But here he was, all five giant bags tied together and slung over his shoulder while he carried a bucket of butter in his other hand.

“Where’s the cheese dip?”

“In one of the popcorn bags.”

She nodded and they left back to the tower. Needless to say, everyone was shocked and pleasantly surprised when they returned with enough food to feed an army.

[toasecretsanta]

To: @dreams-and-dreams from @colorsunlikeanythingseen

Prompt: Meg and Apollo road trip

We see a big fork/ I’m absolutely famished/ Turns out I bite too/

I do not get why mortals complain about road trips. There is nothing better than driving across the country, spending time with friends, and listening to music, podcasts, or whatever radio station you happen to find. It is better in the sun chariot of course but even so there is joy in the journey of our stolen truck. I have however learned to appreciate road stops more than I used to when I was a god I rarely saw the point in stopping.

“Turn left” Luckily I was reinterpret this particular order and turned my body left to face Meg instead of raming the car into the side of a building

“Meg watch your orders. I am not mad at you but you have to be more careful”.

“Right, sorry” Meg said and looked away, her face was like cement. Luckily that only lasted a block and she soon went back to examining her map and humming along to the radio.

“Go…We… um.. Please go right now.” I turned right wondering what destination or dead end I would find.

I turn the corner only to find more rows of downtown brick buildings. I will never understand Missouri’s apparent urge to make everything brick. It brought up bad memories of Athena’s lectures on city planning in Olympus. I barely had to make an effort to tune out those meetings. When buildings weren’t brick they were the same bland cookie cutter modern office space.

“Right. It’s right here” Meg suddenly said. I barely had time to turn right. I pulled into a building that managed to be a mix of both brick and modern glass office space. Perhaps Athena had a point about the decay of American architecture.

“Why are we here Meg.” I asked as she stumbled out of the car with the grace of a newly born gazelle.

“Fork.” She said pointing at the fork that looked like one of Utgard-Loki’s dropped dinner sets (Do not accept any of his invitations even if he is, funny, has really good poetry, and lovely eyes. He is simply a terrible host).

“Yes I see the fork. Why?”

With her usual eloquence Meg wandered off without a word in my direction. I suppose you can only expect demigods to stay still so long. I felt a bit wobbly as well, another downside of being mortal. I used to be able to drive all day with complete ease and now after only four hours driving I wanted a rest.

I found a bench to sit down on. It was once of those weird almost modern art ones with curves that might pass as handle bars if you squinted in the middle. The air was warm and you could feel the sun warming the earth. Perhaps it was Ra up there or Sol, or a giant ball of gas, at the moment the cosmos turning on without me brought more comfort than despair. Even if I fail things would continue my children would outlive me and the world would keep turning (a weird fact but not an unpleasant one).

Someone sat down next to me and it was not Meg. It seemed to be a business lady and I felt hungry just looking at her. I didn’t need to be the god of medicine to recognize the clear signs of extremely unhealthy weightloss. She was bone thin in the way only starving people could be, her once perfectly tailored business suit now sagged around her like loose skin. Despite the layers of her suit jacket, vest, and shirt I could count her ribs. She is literally only skin and bone.

“Hey are you alright?” I asked knowing the answer should not be yes. I would not be surprised if I had to call for an ambulance which would be a problem unless the Arrow of Dodonna could make phone calls as easily as they could access google maps.

“Yes… yes I am alright better than ever in fact. Thank you for asking, what is your name, young man.” She gave me a thin smile as she found something funny.

“Lester.” I searched my pockets for some sort of snack. Dried vegetables or meats would be preferred as she would be more likely to accept that of course anything is better than nothing.

“It is nice to meet you Lester. I am Limos, I work in one of the offices there. What are you doing here this is hardly a place you should be.” I found a packet of peanuts in my sweatshirt pocket.

“I am on a road trip with my little sister.” I was starting to feel hungry myself. Ugg road trip snacks are not filling. “That’s her”

She looked over towards where Meg was destroying the carefully cultivated patch of grass at the center of the roundabout. Limos was not as happy as I was at seeing her have fun.

“Well we can’t help who we are related to.” If looks could kill Meg would be dead but when she turned back to face me Limos was all smiles again. “What do you know about this monument.”

“Not much” I was increasingly tempted to dig into the peanuts myself.

“The fork used to be a sculpture in front of some restaurant. They went out of business and whatever company rents out this office space bought the world’s second largest fork.”

“Second?” I felt weak. The last time I felt this hungry was the last time I was mortal. It hadn’t quite sunk in then that food, sleep, and water were now mandatory for me. I was in such a rush to complete the wall of Troy I didn’t eat, sleep or drink for four days straight. Had I not maintained some measure of godly strength I would have died. I wasn’t at that level of hunger yet but something was wrong.

“Oh yes the new largest fork is located in Colorado. So not it is now just a large empty fork with nothing particularly special about it.”

I pulled out the peanuts poured half into my hands and offered the other half of the bag to Limos. “Here”

She looked like I had just offered her maggot infested meat. Far faster that she should be physically be capable of moving she threw the bag into the dirt and knocked the peanuts out of my hand.

“I never share. You should never give something for nothing! That destroys profits and drives me out of business” She snarled and for a moment resembled my father about to strike. However hunger was a force far more powerful than fear so I was more focused on the peanuts.

“My peanuts!” I stumbled off the bench and collapsed as if my legs were cooked spaghetti. My stomach growled like a cornered wolf ready to eat me alive.

“You aren’t human.” I should know exactly who and what she was but as usual that file was not found.

“Neither are you Apollo.” Limos said and in a parody of tender care helped me back onto the bench.

“Why are you trying to kill me.” I asked mostly to delay the inevitable. I remembered many many reasons monsters, gods, spirits, and humans might try to kill me and there were even more that I had forgot.

“I am not trying to kill you Lord Apollo. You might die but that wouldn’t be my fault.”

“Well that is a nice change. It really does not feel like you aren’t trying to kill me though” I rasped. Shooting pains ran through my stomach were it not for Limos’ tight grip on my hands I would have charged towards the roundabout and started eating grass or the peanuts scattered out of reach.

“It’s not worth getting on Artemis’s bad side besides you are going to die soon anyways hopefully after you deal with Python. It could be… inconvenient for us all if you die before then” She said is an even and uncaring tone like she was discussing the projected revenue of a new product and not whether I would live or die.

In a worrying turn of events I stopped feeling hungry as if my body gave up on receiving anything to eat. With this bit of renewed clarity I remembered that she was the very very very minor god of famine (duh), not someone I hung out with, and the natural enemy of Demeter and her children. She wasn’t here for me she was here for Meg, and I was a hostage.

She seemed to notice my look of despair, “Oh you finally caught on took you long enough.” Limos dragged me to my feet. I had to come up with a clever plan to warn Meg unfortunately nothing clever came to mind so I did the next best thing.

I shouted. “MEG. LIMOS IS FAMINE. DO NOT STEP OFF THE---”

I was rudely interrupted by Limos covering my mouth. Taking a page out of Megs book I bit her, hard. Despite the blood running down her hand Limos didn’t even flinch. Luckily her blood was red, like the triumvirate or my sister’s hunters. Limos’ power truly had faded over the millenia. If I wasn’t about to pass out and had my ukulele or any arrows, I could kill her! Maybe...

Meg unlike me was always ready to fight someone and was armed with ornamental vegetable seeds, snacks, and swords. With her typical grace she stated, “Give him back.”

“I will if you corporate with me. Lets have a talk just you and I this does not have to be ugly and no one needs to get hurt.”

Hopefully heading my warning Meg did not move closer. Limos stepped onto the road instead cementing my theory of her not quite having the range she once had “Your dear stepfather worries about you and had hired me to bring you home.” Limos lied.

“He- he isn’t my family. That’s not my home. I am not going back like that ever again.” Meg spoke in a rush like she was trying to fit decades of unspoken words into a sentence.

“I am sorry about your situation I truly am” Limos continued lying, “But I was hired for this job and I must fulfill it. I am sure we can reach a compromise.” I am sure she said elaborated more but I was rather distracted by a jagged knife of bone getting far too close to my throat.

Perhaps it was a sign of my current starving state of mind but my first thought was not, oh yikes I am going to die , instead I wondered it I could eat that bone. There was only one way to find out. In a move so stupid that Limos couldn’t predict it I stopped biting Limos’s and bit down on the knife instead. In case you are wondering, no it did not tase good. it tasted like my own blood and new mouth injuries because that is what happens when you bite jagged knives.

Luckily Meg took advantage of Limos’s distraction or perhaps someone drop kicked a pumpkin out of a nearby window. Either way Limos fell back and I stumbled forward. Meg supported me back to the grass and more importantly the pumpkins. They were better than any ambrosia and nectar I have ever had.

“That was quite rude of you. To think we could have done this the easy way. Now well- you have disrespected a god you both know the consequences of that.” My pumpkin withered and felt more hungry than ever after eating.

“How do we beat her.” Meg said still standing tall despite her new hunger. I tried to mimic her focus.

“Food, especially gardens, grow as much as you can. You are her natural enemy for a reason, she wants to kill you before you kill her, because this god can die.”

Meg nodded and scattered seeds across the grassy spot. Strawberries blossomed and burst into fruit, shoots of grass grew into golden grain, squashes sprouted. It was a paradise greater than Elysium. I gobbled up as much strawberries as I could. Meg munched on a cob of corn. We were safe for now, but I doubted that Meg could outlast a god. Limos reached the curb but did not step closer. I could see anger behind her smiling mask either at my words or the pumpkin staining her new suit jacket.

“Ridiculous I am immortal just like you once were Lester. You could never defeat let alone kill me. I just want to kill you because you are related to someone I can’t hurt yet.” Meg nodded at me as if to say keep talking. Finally I could do something I excelled at!

“That speech might have fooled me if I were a mortal but I am a very old god. I have witnessed the final moments of pantheons, I can see the signs of a gods death. Your domain is weakening-”

“NO it is not. Famine has never weakened in fact it has grown more than ever, tonight over 828 million people will go to bed hungry. My reach has not weakened and it never will.”

“Yes there are far too many people hungry, but they don't have to be. New farming practices are so effective that there is enough food to feed everyone.” I couldn’t tune out all of Demeter's rants on improved agricultural efficiency.

“And people would rather have it rot then share it. No one shares if it means that they might lose a few dollars.” Limos successfully was distracted arguing with me but Meg seemed to need even more time.

“Some are that greedy but not everyone. Besides that isn’t even your biggest problem I mean who know who Limos is? You name is practically forgotten. I haven’t seen a shrine for you in millennia and nothing is named after a famine god. That would be terrible branding.”

For a moment Limos’ mask of confidence cracked and either fear or anger leaked through. “Shut up.” A wave a hunger washed through me a but I simply helped myself to more strawberries. “Gods are always powered by a worshippers’ fear. Even if they don’t know my name anymore, anyone that has met me fears me and will never return to life the same. That is more powerful than any shrine.” Her resemblance to Zeus continued to grew and it wasn’t because they had the same taste in business suits.

“Fear only works for so long, Love lasts far longer, but nothing is remembered forever. Even Pan died and you are far weaker than him. How much time do you have before you die like everyone you killed? I have always wondered what a god’s afterlife would be like if we have one at all.”

Limos trembled probably out of anger. “You are going to learn that first.” Bone knives flew towards my neck and would have hit were it not for Meg and her ornamental vegetables. A wave of vegetation grew cracking the concrete. A peach tree grew around Limos trapping her.

As one Meg and I ran towards the truck. The ground trembling beneath us as the road was transformed into a new community garden. We did not buckle our seat belts, I stomped on the gas pedal, accelerated to illegal speeds and left Limos in the dust. Presumably. I did not turn around to check.

It took twenty miles before I felt safe enough to speak “That was terrible. We are never doing that again”

“Yeah, don’t get captured ever again.” Meg looked at me weirdly like I might die or vanish forever if she looked away again.

“I am not planning to. Want to find us a new rest stop?”

“Thought we were never doing that again?”

“We aren’t visiting any large forks again, but a ball of twine is still on the table if it is on the way too….”

I didn’t continue the weight of our task sat too heavily in my throat for moment, but I drove on each mile getting us closer to what would be the end of our journey one way or another. I would not mind another roadside attraction before things ended.

Facts

The statistics about word hunger is accurate as of my time of writing this. Source https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/the-hunger-crisis/world-hunger-facts/

The story of the world’s second largest fork is is accurate.

A lot of Missouri’s building are made of brick due to the brick mines as well as because brick is fire resistant. St. Louis is particular had a problem with fire due to how steamboats were prone to spontaneous combustion.

Brickwork can be beautiful if you are a bit creative but corporations are not creative.

There is a surprising amount of discourse about whether or not this is or isn't the largest fork. Missouri’s is the tallest but Colorado's is the largest from what I have seen. Main source https://417local.com/largest-fork-springfield-mo/

Meg and Apollo did fight a famine sprit at Springfield Missouri’s largest fork.

Limos is the greek god of famine.

We do have enough food to feed everyone on the planet. No one needs to starve.

[aralezinspace]

Writeblr Positivity Tag

was tagged by both @chromehoplite and @hangfiretales and haven't really had Brain to write so fingers crossed this helps get the juices flowing again xD Under a cut cuz I kinda went off with the answers xD

1. What motivates you to write?

Rereading my favorite stories, certain movies- I forget what Tolkien called it, but just the urge to create after seeing something beautiful that someone else has created. Also telling stories as a sort of release for the feelings/vibes/sentiments that I just don't have space to experience in my every day life.

2. A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

From one of Megan’s stories I’m starting to rework so it’s one cohesive thing and not a tumblr RP thread xD

The truth… Megan laced her fingers and leaned forward, resting her forearms on her thighs. Her hazel eyes stared without focus into the distance. How much of the truth to tell him, at least at this moment.

3. Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

Guardian Megan Samuels. Both she and her order were created for/in the Doctor Who universe, but I'm tweaking some of the concepts for a potential OW. Writing her adventures got me through a really horrible period of my life.

Megan is the embodiment of one of my favorite tropes, "character is done with x but x isn't done with them (because they're good at it)." She was plucked from her life and remolded into a warrior, yet despite being hundreds of years old and seeing untold horros (time war) she hasn't succumbed to cynicism.

She's kind and self sacrificing almost to the point of martyrdom, very protective of the ones she cares about, "you said pick my battles, I'm picking all of them", the hardened exterior of a warrior hiding the fragile, broken, vulnerable, and somehow still kind and optimistic person underneath.

Fuck I miss writing her. Might be time to dust off her old stories...

4. What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

The semi stressful feeling when the ideas and plot are forming faster than your fingers can type- and when the flow stops, going back and tweaking the whole ass story or scene that just popped into existence like Athena did to Zeus xD just watching the story unfold before you, sometimes in ways you didn't think it would

5. What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

How I write action, specifically fights. Pacing it and varying the language so it's engaging but also realistic within the world of the story, and also the thoughts and feelings of the characters while they're fighting.

Also how I can almost always find the right/specific words to describe the vaguest of vibes and feelings, so that the ephemeral mess in my head is understandable (prob cuz I had to do that a lot to get people in my life to understand how I was experiencing the world)

6. What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

Both the commiseration about how writing is wonderful and awful at the same time, and seeing normally eloquent writers have incoherent unhinged conversations about their blorbos xD

7. A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

Sticky notes and a notebook. I have post-its in the back of my writing notebook with all my ideas/prompts so that if I want to write something but don't know what, I can pick one. also specifically those notebooks with folders in them, they're the unsung heros of writers who just accumulate scrap paper with notes and ideas and want to keep them with their writing notebook (aka me) xD

8. A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

In the Doctor Who universe that Megan was originally created for, the Order of Guardians is formed of soldiers of different species from all over the universe, kind of like the Green Lantern corps but for Time Lords. Each Guardian is assigned a Time Lord to protect, how they go about that is their business (Megan is basically glued to the Doctor's hip, she gotta be xD), but their first loyalty is to Gallifrey. They are all enhanced to live as long as Time Lords but don't regenerate, they go through extensive training and schooling, are the elite fighting force of Gallifrey. Megan was the first human Guardian. I'm working on tweaking this whole concept for a potential OW, we'll see how it goes xD

9. What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

Write what you want to write, no matter what it is. Go to your sources of motivation, whatever makes you want to get lost in the magic of storytelling. and remember, it's okay to step away for a bit and come back to it in a few days or weeks or however long- give your brain the space to rest.

10. Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters.

Both Chrome and Ama who are already tagged (such amazing writers and so supportive of my multi chap that I've been working on for 3 ish years now) but also @griever-bit-my-finger @honeybeezgobzzzzz @7-wonders @just-french-me-up @just-some-random-blogger @roguelov @cuckoo-on-a-string @peachesofteal @undiscovered-horizon @just-some-random-blogger All of these folks have multiple works that I've read multiple times, and I enjoy them just as much every reread as I did the first time (No pressure to do the questions just my undying love)

[druckkugelschreiber]

so I gotta know about "did you sleep with your teacher?"

(also I'm probably not doing the wip ask game myself until tomorrow)

Kel's out here asking the real questions! I'm so glad you asked (also no pressure on when you answer the game :D )

Also TW for underage teacher/student relationship!

So, the title 'Did you sleep with your teacher?' is from my Marvel / School for good and evil crossover fic. It's about Athena Stark, Tony Stark's nonbinary kid and Lady Lesso from the school for good and evil (again I don't think anybody is actually surprised).

Anyway, Athena, being a Stark and all, is in her last years of college being 17 years old and doing their second PhD. They take an advanced psychology class where Lesso is their teacher and the two hit it off.

Coincidentally Lesso is also a SHIELD agent/ recruiter.

The title is from a scene I haven't written yet where Tony finds out and is like "Did you sleep with your teacher?" And Athena is like "uuhhhh... no?" (Yes, she did in fact sleep with her very hot teacher).

Also on a tasty side note they have some fun desk sex that was very fun to write about.

Rather long snippet of them in the flirting stage below!

“What are you doing here?” Professor Lesso’s cool voice travelled down my back like the caress of a finger. 

I didn’t stop the maltreatment of the punching bag. “I’m working out.”

“You’ve never been here before”, her voice got closer, though I couldn’t hear the cadence of her steps over my rhythmic punching. 

“No, you’ve never seen me here before”, I corrected and stopped when she stepped within my field of view. 

So far I had seen her only in her teaching outfits, sharp cut suits, vest and tie and all. It made her look sophisticated and in charge, her wild curls always perfectly styled. But now, now, she wore tight fitting sports gear, that hugged her like a second skin. She had an incredibly athletic figure with lean muscles fitting perfectly with her sharp cut face. 

I wanted to feel her body against mine, those long, long legs wrapped around me. It didn’t help that she had braided back her hair, leaving her stunning face bare. The urge to pepper the line of her cheekbones with kisses was near overwhelming. 

“Stop being a smartass and answer the question.”

“I fear being a smartass is part of my genetic heritage”, I smirked. 

“Don’t make me hurt you, Stark.”

She really was making this easy on me. “Don’t tempt me with a good time.”

I never saw the strike coming. Well, correction, I saw the slight twitch, but didn’t expect her to actually attack me. She grabbed my wrist, whirled me around and nearly had me on the fucking floor before my body remembered hey we could fight too!

I slipped out of her grip for a second, but she readjusted and she was so much better than me. I managed to struggle a bit longer, but she had me on the mats in under a minute. I grunted in anger and pain. One of her knees on my shoulder, the other pressed down on my arm and elbow. Yeah she had me good. 

“Now, little mx sass”, she rasped in my ear, making me shudder despite my best efforts. “What are you doing here?”

“I already told you”, I smirked against the floor, “I’m working out.”

Lesso grumbled in frustration. “Why are you working out here? Instead of your usual gym?”

“Why do you think I have a usual gym?”

She readjusted the weight on my arm and I let out a pained breath, fuck was she hot. “I’m not daft, Stark. You don’t get a body like yours from not working out somewhere.”

My grin returned. “Noticed my body huh?” flirting with your prof? Bad idea. Flirting with your prof while you were still underage for a good three months? An even worse idea. Good thing I was always here for bad ideas. I wanted to wriggle to emphasise the statement but she still had so much pressure on my arm it would only hurt. 

“Hmh, yes”, Lesso purred and fuck me why was her voice so hot? “Now, Athena”, my name from her lips was a siren song. “Why are you here?”

“My usual gym is renovating”, I said, “and also I found out conveniently enough the room here is always empty around this time and I like being able to punch a bag without some guy coming over and trying to give me advice.”

Lesso scoffed in disbelief. No matter how much I turned my head, I couldn’t catch a look at her face. “Do you know why the room is usually empty at this time?”

“Please enlighten me, professor.” 

She readjusted the pressure on my arm, causing me to wince. “I have it booked.”

I held back a smirk that would have betrayed the fact that I knew that. I wasn’t dumb. I hadn’t just come into the college gym at random. Information was my business and I never missed it. Also when you were famous you sort of had to check the places you went to beforehand. 

“Oh, I’m sorry”, I said, “I had no idea.”

“Yes, you did”, Lesso hissed, “and now I have to punish you.”

Please do. I rested my head against the ground. 

She let go of me rather suddenly. 

I remained in the same position for a few seconds longer before I rolled around and carefully moved my arm to get rid of the throbbing. 

Lesso hadn’t stood up, still kneeling next to me so close that her knee rested against my hip. For someone who had just laid on the floor, my breathing was entirely too fast. “So what will it be, Athena? How would you like to be punished?”

“What do you have in mind, professor?” there was a rasp to my voice. 

Lesso smirked and stood up. “I guess I’ll have to teach you what happens when you interrupt my private time.”

Okay? Why had she stood up though?

“Get up. I’ll warm up and then we can spar.”

“Not the reason why I wanted to be unable to walk tomorrow.”

Lesso burst out laughing. The sound caught me entirely off guard. It was too cute for a trained assassin and spy. So open and full of light and with little dimples and oh my god, she shouldn’t be this cute laughing. “If you hadn’t interrupted, maybe I’d have done that.”

Oh fuck me she was mean. I pushed myself off the ground and tore off one of the punching gloves with my teeth, “fine.”

Her eyes got stuck on my teeth and lips. 

I raised an eyebrow, “didn’t you want to warm up?”

[officersnickers]

✨💮🍂 𝐻𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝐵𝒾𝓇𝓉𝒽𝒹𝒶𝓎, 𝒜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓃𝒶❣ 🍂💮✨ 9/30 ✨💮🍂

[bluemoose86]

Piper x Annabeth Snippet

Pairing: Piper McLean/Annabeth Chase

Summary: A fic based off of velinxi’s Young Gods AU. Annabeth meets Nico when Percy and Jason bring him to Olympus for the first time.

I was really inspired by velinxi’s Young Gods/Hades AU when it was coming out. It still has her old designs for Nico and Annabeth, but I’ll change them if I decide to finish this. Also, some things about the characters and their relationships might not fit with the “canon” of the AU since this was written before the zine was released. Check out @velinxi‘s account, and the specific drawing that I referenced in this fic can be found here

Warnings: slight angst? it’s very light, secret(ish) relationship, hurt/comfort? also very light on the hurt, lmk if there’s more

Word Count: 1,929

DISCLAIMER: This is an unfinished fic. I may continue it in the future if the urge hits me, but as of now, I have no plans to do that. Anything written in brackets [like this] is not part of the story itself, but necessary context.

✨Read Below!✨

[Annabeth’s POV. She’s walking and feels a strange, chilling aura when she walks by the garden where this fic starts. She stops and hears Percy and Jason along with an unfamiliar third voice, so she decides to investigate. She finds Percy and Jason in the garden with Nico, who is visiting Olympus for the first time.]

With a start, Annabeth realized the strange presence she had felt belonged to the small boy between them, who was gazing at his surroundings with wide, dark eyes. He was a head shorter than both Jason and Perseus, and his bone-white skin hugged his gaunt frame until it bled into ink from the middle of his calves down to his bare feet. A blood-red cape draped over his left shoulder, pinned to his black chiton by a skull, and a wreath of red and gold laurel leaves adorned his curly black hair—a symbol of godhood, though the aura of death and power emanating from him had told Annabeth that much. “Perseus? Jason?” she called across the courtyard.

All three heads jerked up to look at her. The small boy turned, and Annabeth caught sight of a jagged sword hanging from a chain at his hip: black as the depths of Tartarus and glowing an eerie purple. Just as the boy sucked the life from the grass where he stood, his blade sucked the light from the surrounding air. It was unlike any weapon Annabeth had seen before, and it did little to calm her nerves. 

The boy tilted his head. “Percy?” he asked. “Who is that?”

A familiar laugh lilted through the courtyard before Perseus could answer, and Annabeth’s heart fluttered at the sound. “Don’t you know, little godling?”

Piper’s heady rose perfume enveloped them both as she looped an arm around Annabeth’s waist, drawing her closer until her back pressed against Piper’s front. “Her name is Annabeth!” Piper proclaimed. “Favored daughter of Athena! Warrior-architect of Olympus!” She jabbed a finger at the trio. “And she has never known defeat!”

Annabeth gripped the beak of her mask and tugged it lower on her face. “Gods damn it, Piper,” she muttered through clenched teeth. Her cheeks burned—partly from the grandiose introduction, but mainly because Piper’s hand on her thigh was dangerously close to … well, all of Piper was dangerously close to her. It was best to leave it at that.

From the corner of her eye, Annabeth saw Jason’s face light up. “Pipes!”

Piper lifted her hand from Annabeth’s thigh to wave, mercifully allowing her to breathe again. “Hi, Jason! Hello, Percy!” Piper called. “Who’s your friend?”

The boy raised his hand, a shy half-smile on his lips. “Hello, I’m—“

Perseus slung an arm around the boy’s shoulders and squashed him in a hug, cutting him off. “This is Nico!” Perseus answered as Nico flailed against him. “Me and Jason brought him to visit Olympus for the day.”

Annabeth frowned. Nico was clearly the son of a god—and one who had attained godhood in his own right, it seemed—so he should be living on Olympus just like the rest of them. If that wasn’t the case, where was he from?

Piper didn’t seem bothered by this as she disentangled herself from Annabeth to greet Nico properly, since he had finally managed to free himself from Perseus’s grip. Annabeth’s breath caught in her throat as Piper stepped into the sun. She was always gorgeous, but looking at her now, Annabeth swore she was even more beautiful than her mother (though she knew Lady Aphrodite would curse her if she ever dared to say that out loud). Her russet, reddish-brown skin practically glowed next to Nico’s ghostly pale complexion, and the rose pin in her chestnut hair perfectly complemented her light pink chiton. Her embellished bronze arm cuffs and vambraces glinted when she raised her arms. “Nice to meet you, Nico!” she exclaimed, grasping his hand. The heart-shaped curls at the ends of her hair—a trait she had inherited from her mother—seemed even springier than usual.

Nico shook her hand gingerly. “Nice to meet you too,” he said in a voice as small as his stature. “Piper, right? Percy and Jason told me a lot about you.”

“Likewise,” Piper said, and the sour taste returned to Annabeth’s mouth. If Piper knew about him, why hadn’t she said anything?

She didn’t have time to dwell on it before Piper grabbed her arm and dragged her closer to the group, ignoring her hushed protests. “And as I said before,” Piper continued, “the antisocial one here is Annabeth. She’s practically a genius, but we’re still working on her manners.”

Annabeth threw a glare at her, getting a playful grin in return. She still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in her stomach, but she didn’t have much choice now except to try to be friendly. “I apologize, Nico,” she said, extending her hand. “Your visit caught me by surprise. I hope you’re enjoying Olympus so far.”

Nico’s smile was much more confident as he shook Annabeth’s hand. Despite his icy touch and pallid appearance, his dark eyes were surprisingly lively, bright with the curious innocence of a small child. “I am,” he replied eagerly. “It’s beautiful here. I’ve never seen buildings quite so grand.”

Piper chuckled. “You have our resident architect to thank for that,” she said, slipping her arm out of Annabeth’s to set her hand on her waist—thankfully much higher than it had been before. “Annabeth here designed many parts of Olympus, including this very garden.”

“Hey, I didn’t know that!” Perseus exclaimed, whirling around with an apple in his hand. The branch he had plucked it from snapped back into place, scattering leaves into his messy black hair.

“Come on, how could you not know?” Jason asked. “Annabeth modeled it after Lady Aphrodite herself. She walked around Olympus raving about it for about a month.”

“It’s true,” Piper told Nico. “Mom still likes to tell me how impressed she is by Annabeth’s generous gift.”

Piper winked at her, and Annabeth hoped her mask would cover the blush spreading across her face. Back when they’d only been friends, Annabeth had complained to Piper about not having inspiration, and Piper had replied that she should design something after her. She’d been joking, but Annabeth had taken the idea and ran with it. Unfortunately, Lady Aphrodite had been the first to stumble on the completed garden, and she immediately assumed it was an homage to her. Annabeth felt too guilty and valued her life too much to tell her the truth.

Perseus shrugged. “Guess I just forgot.” He opened his mouth to take a bite of the apple, but a sudden gust blew it into Jason’s outstretched hand instead. “Hey!” 

“You snooze, you lose!” Jason crowed, grinning as he held the apple aloft in one hand and pushed Perseus away with the other.

“I wasn’t snoozing, you ass! I was just about to eat it!” Perseus lunged again, but Jason dodged out of the way.

“Then go get another one.”

“You get another one!”

“Why would I do that when I already have this one?”

“Because that one is mine!”

Nico turned to watch them, laughing, but he winced as soon as he faced the back of the garden. He shielded his eyes with his hand even though the sun was hidden behind the clouds.

Annabeth frowned. “Are you all right?”

Nico’s shy smile was back, tinged with embarrassment. “Yes, sorry. I’m not quite used to how bright it is yet. We don’t get a lot of sunlight where I live.”

Jason scoffed, popping up from his scuffle with Perseus. “That’s an understatement.”

Even Piper seemed intrigued now. “What does that mean?” 

Jason frowned, dodging out of the way as Perseus pounced again. “We didn’t tell you?” he asked. “Nico’s lived in the Underworld most of his life. He’s Lord Hades’s son.”

[Bit of a skip here. Annabeth and Piper process this news. Annabeth isn’t sure whether Nico is trustworthy since he’s from the Underworld, and it’s well known that Lord Hades isn’t exactly a fan of Olympus. Eventually, Percy proposes a sparring match between him and Annabeth so they can show off their skills to Nico. Annabeth is hesitant about it until Piper says it’s a good idea; then she agrees because she’s a simp.]

Annabeth strode towards the arena with Piper at her side. The other three lagged behind, laughing and talking about whatever detail Perseus and Jason pointed out to Nico. She would have much preferred for them to be in front so she could keep Nico in her sights, but she also knew that if those three set the pace, the Titans would reawaken before they reached their destination.

Piper poked her arm. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

“You’re making that face.”

“What face?”

“The ‘I'm-thinking-too-much-again’ face.”

“I’m not making a face, Piper.”

[Small skip again.]

“Piper, when was the last time anyone from Olympus visited the Underworld? Besides Lord Hermes,” she added when Piper opened her mouth. “And until now, when was the last time someone from the Underworld visited Olympus?”

[Percy, Jason, and Nico are busy looking at something, so they’ve stopped walking for now.]

“Why didn’t you tell me about him?” Annabeth asked. She tried to keep her voice from sounding too accusatory, but an edge still slipped past her lips and into her words. 

Piper didn’t seem bothered by it. “Now you just sound jealous,” she teased, a mischievous grin on her lips. “Worried Percy and Jason have replaced you as my favorite?”

Annabeth tried to stay serious even as a hot blush spread across her face. “Piper,” she warned. “Please.” It wasn’t like she was obligated to tell Annabeth everything, but to keep something like this … it stung more than she would like to admit.

Piper’s perfect lips creased into a frown, her ever-changing eyes shifting from hazel to olive green. “All right, all right. Sorry.” She glanced back at where the three boys had stopped, as if checking to see if they were watching, but Annabeth knew they would be too engrossed by their own antics to pay the two of them any attention. “Look, I didn’t know he was Lord Hades’s son,” she continued. “All Percy and Jason told me was that they had found another god who had been born a demigod like us, and they wanted to bring him to visit Olympus. I knew you would be skeptical, so I was going to tell you the day before Nico was supposed to be here. Then, of course, they brought him early.”

Annabeth crossed her arms. “Why wait so long?”

“Because you would have worried, Annabeth. If I’d told you when I first found out, it’s all you would have thought about until he finally got here. Then you probably would have broken his arm as soon as he tried to give you a handshake.” She said the last part with a slight smile, but her eyes were still filled with concern. “I didn’t want to put you through that.”

“That’s not your decision to make, Piper.”

“I know.” Piper gazed into Annabeth’s eyes, grabbing both of her hands and twining their fingers together. “And I’m sorry.”

Annabeth studied her. The earnestness in Piper’s eyes helped ease the barb of pain in her chest, and she knew that Piper only had her best interests at heart. “I know. And I’m sorry, too. For making you think you had to keep this from me. Just ... tell me next time, okay? Please. And I’ll try not to worry as much.”

Piper beamed. “Deal.” She bit her lip shyly, her eyes glowing dusky pink in the light. “Can I kiss you?”

Annabeth’s heart jumped to her throat. She glanced back at the boys, who were still staring at some statue down the hall. In fact, they’d probably forgotten she and Piper were even there. With a small eye roll (though she was grateful for their obliviousness in this particular instance), she nodded to Piper, who pressed their lips together. It was little more than a peck, but it still left Annabeth’s head swimming.

Piper’s cheeks were flushed, and her smile seemed even brighter now. “You’re beautiful,” she murmured, tucking a stray hair behind Annabeth’s ear.

Annabeth was sure her face had to be the same color as Piper’s chiton. “Trying to flatter me into forgiving you?”

“Seems like it’s working,” Piper said with a laugh.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! I really want to finish this at some point, and if I ever do I’ll update it here and post it to AO3 (hopefully). 

[chironshorseass]

Writing prompt #37 with percabeth pre-tlo (where the person saying it might want to keep it a secret…) TYSM <333

(i think…..this is the “i had a dream about you” sentence starter. so i’ll go with that :) ) 

in which the aphrodite kids host a party and regrets happen. tw alcohol and mentions of alcoholism.

read on ao3

if points could be given just by stealing glances, percy would never have failed algebra.

this thought is stupid, maybe—probably a product of being adhd, but he can’t help it, since he did. fail algebra. and also fail everyone else. there’s no point in stealing glances when he wins no points at all, sulking in the farthest corner of the aphrodite cabin like the wall’s shadow as he watches his friends have fun.

as he steals glances. at one girl in particular. she doesn’t return them, however. sounds of laughter and the blasting songs of avril lavigne clatter in his mind like shattering glass. then a cheer. he looks up again, only to find annabeth chug down another drink, handing the cup over to an overly-touchy conner. temptation crawls up his throat, to go to her. but he holds his ground with the grinding of his teeth. there’s no point—fifteen minutes ago, she’d told him to go away, to stop being such a baby.

fine. if she wants it that way.

she doesn’t, of course. he doesn’t. annabeth’s even worse when drunk.

“oh my gods, perce,” comes a voice laced with sweetness. silena is there, standing over him with her hands on her hips. “you’re seriously gonna sit here all broody and shit?”

he finds the strength to shrug.

silena doesn’t buy it. she never does. “come on, pretty boy.”

and he doesn’t respond, even if he hates his most recent nickname with all his being; silena knows it, too.

“ugh, seriously?”

“i’m fine, silena.” he doesn’t mean to snap, but he does anyway. it’s completely in character for him to do so, he supposes—especially these days.

she just raises an eyebrow. whoever said that the aphrodite kids are weak never had a confrontation with one of them. “just because she told you to stop fussing over her doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try. because seriously, she’s gonna need it. that girl has no self control, and i’m actually surprised, for once.”

“who said i was here because of annabeth?”

she scoffs, crouching down to his eye level. this should infuriate him, maybe, but this is also silena. talking to her about a certain daughter of athena has always given him the urge to cry.

“percy, honey…i know these things. you know i know these things. so don’t play dumb with me and actually go to her.”

he looks away, grumbling, “i’m fine like this, thank you very much. besides, i’m not into partying.”

“the first time in like, forever that chiron leaves camp and you won’t enjoy yourself?” she makes a tsk sound. “nope, i don’t buy it. come on.”

“i’m tired, is all,” he manages. it’s not a lie, either. tired. he’s tired of pretending like everything’s okay. “just…go back to your drinking games or whatever. i don’t want to ruin your fun.” he nods over to clarisse, who, as he guessed, is watching them expectantly, waiting for silena.

“come on, percy. for a couple of minutes. please? and then you can go back to your self pity, i don’t care—just…give it a try. for annabeth.”

~

“percy! hi!”

annabeth’s voice isn’t really annabeth’s voice. it’s something else, trapped between euphoria and excitement. it had been so long since she addressed him with such happiness, and maybe this is why she doesn’t sound like her at all—why he might suddenly want to steal one of the red cups that’s being filled to the brim with the mystery drink travis stoll had brought and chug it down in one gulp. why he wants to grab her face and beg her to stop crushing his heart into pieces for at least an hour. just one hour, and he would be alright.

of course, he does none of those things.

he stammers instead: “hey, uh. annabeth. hey. you alright? you, uh, need some water?”

she bites down on her bottom lip, which isn’t distracting at all. “why would i need some water?”

“it helps lower the level of alcohol in your system. especially if it’s sparkling water.”

this time, she frowns. “i’m not drunk, though.”

he wants to argue that yes, you are, and i don’t like seeing you this way; her nose and cheeks are flushed, a shade he recalls seeing on a man who didn’t know how to love so instead he spilled his heart into beer as if that would fix the emptiness inside. percy chastises himself. annabeth is different—she’s annabeth, his best friend who is also his worst enemy. but someone he cares for nonetheless. she’s drunk either way. this is what made him hide in a corner in the first place.

“how much did you drink?”

“a little! i swear! so maybe i’m a bit drunk. just super little!”

“okay, just”—he carefully pries the plastic cup from her hands—“no more, okay? i don’t want you to feel bad tomorrow.”

“but what’s the point in that?” she pouts. “because if i feel bad, you’ll take care of me, but if i don’t, you’ll just go away!”

again, annabeth is so much worse when drunk. and he knows that she doesn’t mean to say this, that she’s not in her right state of mind, but it still feels like all she wants to do is leave him in a frozen mountainside to die.

“i—okay, annabeth—”

“i want to be with you, seaweed brain.” she throws her arms around him, and all of a sudden nothing else matters, as corny as it is. maybe there’s a wolf whistle or two; he doesn’t care, not when she’s got that look on her face as she meets his eyes.

“i thought you said you wanted me to go away,” he says, breathless.

she gives him a small smile, and it sprouts doubt in his chest like weeds—about whether or not she’s sober. “i like to lie when i’m with you.”

no. she’s definitely drunk. a tingle starts from the base of his neck, where annabeth plays with a lock of his hair.

“no more drinking if you’re with me,” he says. “okay?”

her smile widens; her eyes sparkle like stars. “i don’t need anything else.”

in an instant annabeth’s arms tighten around him; she embraces him fully, nose pressed to his shoulder. a few feet away, silena gives him a thumbs up as he helps drew set up the beer pong.

“i missed you.”

he pats her back with the palm of his hand, closes his eyes, drowns his face in her curls. “i missed you, too.”

“i had a dream about you, you know.”

the comment takes him completely by surprise; annabeth is yet to pull away. he recovers quickly, though.

“was it like, a demigod dream?” he asks tentatively.

“no,” she says simply. now is when she draws back, meeting him face to face. but he can’t manage to let her go just yet. “i liked the dream. because you kissed me. like, an actual, good kiss. and everything was perfect.”

“i, um…” his heart stammers, then stops, maybe. he’s not sure, because all he can focus on is how wide her eyes are, how they almost look sky blue in the fairy lights. then reality hits him. “maybe we should go.”

“so we can kiss?” she says hopefully.

“no, ‘beth. you’re drunk. you need to sleep, or, or something.”

her arms pull him closer, close enough for him to fully smell the alcohol coming from her warm breaths. “i want to kiss you, though.”

hands gripping her waist, he separates himself from her, if just a tad. “you’re drunk. you don’t want to kiss me, so just—”

“no, you don’t want to kiss me!” her skin turns a deeper shade of red, traveling from her cheeks all the way to her neck, like a creeping vine.

“yeah, i don’t! not if i’m the only one sober!”

she backs away. her touch lingers, however. like when you’ve placed your hand in the warm, oven glass for too long.

“but he kissed me.” her words come as a confrontation, and with it the dread from watching her all night come in loose strings.

“who?” it’s a shame he has to ask.

she crosses her arms, looks over her shoulder. a second passes before he knows exactly who it is. connor stoll waves at them, then falters once he catches onto percy’s expression.

oh.

“connor? connor fucking stoll? really, annabeth?”

“well, you don’t want me,” she says, a tremor in her voice; her eyes glisten. stars melting. “you clearly don’t want me, but maybe someone else does.”

“for fuck’s sake, you—”

he reaches for her, because he may hate to see her drunk, but it’s worse if she cries, and no no no this can’t be happening because she’s running away from his hands and now all that’s left is a ghostly memory.

“you’re all i want, but damn it, annabeth, you’re drunk; you’re not thinking—”

“but you don’t show that!” she cries, and this is when tears roll down, when people start to notice. “i’m not all you want! all you want is some shitty mortal girl who’s apparently way better than me!”

“is this some competition, then? because last time i checked, you kissed connor, of all people!”

bile rises in him, a hot rod gnawing in his chest that comes every time he argues with her. gods, he’s tired. tired of arguing.

“i can do whatever the fuck i want! i’m sure you kiss plenty of girls, you, with your dumb fucking face—”

“okay, i think you need to rest—”

she pushes him away. “no, fuck you, percy! you are the last fucking person to tell me what i need. because what i need is—”

“hey, girlie,” silena says gently, suddenly behind her. she grasps annabeth by the shoulders. “c’mon, let’s go.”

annabeth’s lip trembles, and the only thing percy can do is watch. do nothing as he’s stomped on, again and again.

“but i don’t want to go—”

silena shushes her. “you two will talk in the morning, okay?”

something about her soothes annabeth; maybe it’s the honey in her voice, because she nods. silena makes eye contact with him just as they turn away. soon they are lost in the crowd of demigods.

percy’s fists clench. he doesn’t move, only looks around. but connor is also gone.

fuck everything, he thinks.

no one notices him leave.

~

they find each other in the dining pavilion, the next morning. her eyes are puffed up and red and glaring as if the sun is too much. perhaps it is. but she’s nothing but beautiful, even if she may look half dead, leaning against a pillar. he’s the one to approach her first.

“i’m sorry.”

she glances up, startled. her expression says it all.

“no i...i shouldn’t have...” she starts, but her throat seems to close up. it must hurt for her to speak, or else why would her voice sound so rough?

“you…you weren’t in your right state of mind—”

“i know.” her lips purse together. “it won’t happen again.”

a million things are left unsaid, and a million more are left in the dark. he’s not sure what they are, anymore.

“but, um, i was just wondering…about what you said.”

“i don’t know what i said.”

it’s half a lie, though. 

because, then, why are you sorry?

maybe she was drunk, but he’s certain that she remembers, at least somewhat. or at least that someone told her. her expression says it all once more.

so he doesn’t give up, not when he’s made it this far.

“you told me…that you wanted to kiss me.” he wrings his hands together as his eyes flicker to their shoes. “something along those lines. did you…” his gaze lands on her like a magnet. he never seems to stop. “did you mean it?”

she’s all hardened stone, and her words are bitter and cold. “i was drunk, percy. what more do you want to hear?”

"nothing, nothing, but..."

but i'll always choose you. forever. i never kissed anyone else, and i don't want to kiss anyone else but you. you are everything to me, and then some.

the words wilt in his throat like the discarded roses on his mom's dining table.

"just forget it," she says. "okay? forget i said anything, because i...didn't mean it."

something lies beneath her eyes, but Percy's too tired to fish it out, explore it with his hands. he just lets it be and continues. he bites his feelings down just as he later bites down on his toast. and watches annabeth.

there’s no point in stealing glances when you win no points at all.

[wlwmarvelenthusiast]

Just Doin’ My Job, Darlin’

Summary: Your job as a Ravager gets you into trouble with the intergalactic hero known as Captain Marvel.

Pairing: Reader x Carol Danvers

Warnings: some blood, light violence

Words: 3,547

"Uh... hey," you practically stuttered out, startled to find someone behind you.

You were a ravager, and you were damn good at your job. That meant knowing your surroundings, especially when you were on a job. Yet, somehow, she'd managed to sneak up on you. If you hadn't been quick enough to shove the ring deep into your pocket, you'd have been caught red-handed.

You were damn good at your job, and you composed yourself in seconds. The ring slipped out from where it was clutched between your fingers and you withdrew your hands from within your pockets. You plastered a confident smile on your face as you crossed your arms across your chest.

"Hey there," the blonde offered, an equally confident smile on her face. "What's up?"

"Nothin'," you shrugged, uncrossing your arms and looping your thumbs through the belt loops on your pants. "Taking a walk. Beautiful night, isn't it, Beautiful?"

The blonde's eyes sparkled in amusement. She took a few steps closer. Confidence still coursing through your veins, you let her. You didn't make any move to back down. She noticed that. When she stopped, she was only a few feet away from you. Another step and she could have reached out and touched you.

The blonde's lips crept into a cocky expression. "Beautiful night indeed."

You didn't dare make it obvious how you were checking out the area for the second time. When you'd entered, you'd made note of every entrance and exit to the area. The blonde was blocking the one that lay directly ahead, but not the one behind you. That was free for you to turn and run to. You just needed to wait. If you went now, she'd be right behind you and able to catch up to you in mere seconds.

"Headed somewhere? I could walk you?" She offered. "You know, Fennal isn't always safe at night."

"I'm just going up the street. I'm good thanks."

You could feel the ring pressed against your leg in your pocket. You knew she knew you were up to no good. You also knew that she knew you knew she knew. Neither of you would say that aloud, though. It was a bit of a game, at this point. She wanted that little piece of jewelry in your pocket. You wanted it too. No, you wanted the pay you were promised for stealing it.

"You sure? I'm probably headed in the same direction."

"I doubt it," you laughed.

The blonde smirked a little. You kept your eyes with hers, unable to ignore just how beautiful her light brown irises really were. But you wouldn't tell her that. You wouldn't tell her jack shit. You were waiting for her to get distracted for one brief moment so that you could turn and sprint down that alley. It seemed your wishes were heard.

"Hey, Carol!" A voice called.

The blonde, Carol, let her gaze flicker toward the voice for a mere millisecond and you took the opportunity to turn and dart as fast as you could down the alley behind you. Your ears strained to hear over the sound of your own shoes hitting the gravel beneath your feet. Unmistakably, though, you heard the set of footsteps chasing after you. You pushed even harder.

You ducked through a backyard, pushing out of your way a jacket that was hanging on a clothesline. At the other side of the yard, you hopped over the fence and landed smoothly on the ground on the other side. But now, you didn't hear Carol's steps. You didn't risk slowing down. You kept onward in the direction of your pod.

As you ran, you became aware of your shadow growing in front of you. It was surrounded by a glowing orange light. Even as your lungs struggled to get enough oxygen, your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. When your shadow began to spin around your body until it was behind you, you realized why. You could have huffed aloud at the complete unfairness of the situation.

Carol was fifteen feet off the ground, surrounded by a bright orange glow. She still had that same smirk on her face as she looked down on you. You were hesitating in your step, now, not sure you could outrun her. You knew one thing, though. Despite these powers the blonde had, you weren't about to give up. You turned on your heel.

You watched your own shadow to keep track of Carol. She was following you. Your shadow shrunk and indicated she was getting closer. When your shadow began to shrink faster, you made a sharp turn to the left. The shadow grew a little as she fell behind a few feet, not prepared for the sudden change in direction. Your chest was rising and falling rapidly, but you weren't a stranger to chases. You'd had more than a few run-ins with guards from many planets throughout the galaxy.

You smirked at the sight in front of you. One of the planet's natives had just inserted the keys into a hover bike but hadn't yet gotten on. You struggled to go faster than you thought you could. You pushed him to the ground, hopped on, and immediately pushed the bike as fast as it would go. You had to grip the handles tight as your inertia tried to hold you back.

The bike seemed to rival Carol's speed. The size of your shadow in front of you stayed constant and you managed to take a quick glance behind you. Carol was high in the air, hands down by her hips, moving more quickly than a person should be able to in order to keep up with the bike you were on. Then your pod came into view and you let a small smirk come over your face. You turned to the bike made to move past the ship, then jumped off.

Pain raced through your body. You ignored it, rolling a couple times to take the impact, racing up the ramp as quick as you possibly could, and slamming your hand down on the red button to shut the hatch. Carol wasn't thirty feet away. You took the last of your energy to roll onto your back.

"Athena, max speed!" You shouted.

The AI heard. She ignored every protocol about seatbelts and closed doors as the captain's voice override her programming. The pod had a max speed of 50,000 kilometers per hour. It was nothing compared to the main ship, but it was sure faster than Carol. The ship's acceleration got the best of her, and soon enough you were barreling through space and leaving her far behind.

As it had sped up faster than physics should have allowed, though, your body had slammed into the wall behind you. You groaned as you rolled away from it, every bone, organ, and tissue in your body aching from the speed. Your organs seemed to have caught up to the ship, finally. You resisted the urge to puke as you pulled yourself to your feet, rubbing a sore shoulder and swiping your fingers over the blood dripping down your forehead.

"Thanks, Athena. Take us home."

"Roger that, Boss."

You let yourself drop into your chair. You took the black mask off from where it had rested over the top half of your face, rubbing the pad of your index finger over the spot where it had pushed into the bridge of your nose, grumbling in frustration. You could feel the indent in your skin.

"ETA?"

"Twenty-seven minutes."

Those twenty-seven minutes seemed to take forever. The pod was small. There wasn't anywhere you could lay your head back. There wasn't a damn bathroom, a fact you couldn't seem to get your mind off. When the pod had secured itself to the mothership, you practically sprinted out and to the nearest toilet.

Your red jacket was undone as you stepped onto the bridge of The Athena. It was the middle of the night based on your home planet, the time that you and your crew followed to at least keep a semblance of a schedule. Because of the time, though, most of the crew had retreated to their quarters for the night and were fast asleep.  

"Hey, Cap."

The greeting caught your attention. You turned toward the voice, smiling when you met the gaze of your first mate. He wasn't much younger than you were. He was from a planet called Dervius, having retreated from the planet to live a life with the Ravagers after living a life of poverty there for ten years, having been cast out by his family at only eight. It was your third day as the leader of your clan when you picked him up and took him in, giving him a spot in your crew. That was already five years ago and the Dervion had worked his way all the way up to first mate.

"Vyn," you greeted.

"How'd it go?"

You pulled the sparkling ring from your pocket. Vyn grinned at the sight of it. He pulled a device out of his pocket, tapping on the screen a few times and then humming quietly as he scrolled. He let out a soft exclamation of victory as he found what he had been searching for.

"Three hundred thousand. Damn, Cap. That thing can't be worth 100k."

"Well, we charge for the stealing part too, Vyn."

Vyn shrugged. "Fair enough. Why don't you go catch some shuteye? We should be back to the buyer in a few hours. Who's doing the delivery?"

"I will," you said, sticking the ring back into your pocket.

Vyn chuckled. "You know, Cap, that most clan leaders aren't so hands on with the dirty work."

"I'm not most clan leaders, Vyn," you winked. "I'm heading down to my quarters. Call for me when we get there."

︽✵︽

You straightened out your red jacket as you stepped out of your pod. You nodded at the landing strip attendant as you ventured onto the familiar planet. You whistled merrily on your way, flashing wide smiles at whoever you happened to make eye contact with. You glanced at your phone as it directed you where to go. You could have caught a ride, but you were up for a bit of a walk.

It was a half hour walk to the place you were looking for. You stepped in quietly. It was a bar, and not exactly a very nice looking one. You wouldn't be surprised if half the people in there were criminals. In fact, you wouldn't be surprised if you weren't the only Ravager in there. When you entered you pulled the mask over your face again, clipping the flames of the Ravagers over your chest.

You stepped up to the bar and ordered a drink. You took it when it came and slid into one of the booths. You'd arrived early, and knew it'd be a while before the client arrived. You scanned the area as you waited, sipping quietly as you watched the planet natives, finding entertainment in two particularly large guys fighting over who had made the illegal move in a game of darts.

"Captain Red?"

Of course, that wasn't your real name. You'd never give your real name to a client. You only nodded, gesturing to the seat across from you. He sat down and fumbled with his hands a little, clearly nervous. It wasn't an uncommon reaction. He was meeting with a thief for hire and paying a good sum of money for stolen goods.

"I have the money."

"Straight to business, I see," you hummed, sipping from your glass. "That's alright with me."

You reached into your pocket, pulling out the ring. His eyes immediately locked to it. He reached out and you pulled away, keeping the piece out of his reach. You raised a single eyebrow as his eyes moved back up to yours. You clicked your tongue as a small smile of amusement played over your lips.

"Units first."

He nodded. He pulled out a device from his pocket, pressing some buttons on it. Yours, which sat out on the table in front of you, beeped. You glanced at it to find the transfer complete. Then you nodded, placing the ring flat in your palm, and holding it out in front of you.

"Pleasure doing business with you, sir."

He grabbed the ring, nodded, and scampered out without another word. You chuckled lightly to yourself, draining what was left in your glass. You pulled the mask off again and took the pin off your chest. Everyone else in the room was too drunk to notice the change. You stepped up to the bar once more.

"I'll take another."

The bartender nodded. He filled your glass as you put a finger to the comm in your ear and let Vyn know you were going to stick around for a little fun, should anyone want to join. But the Ravagers had made their own fun the previous night and were far too hungover to think of joining you in the bar. You rolled her eyes as you lowered your hand.

"Prettiest girl in the bar, aren't ya?" A voice slurred to your left.

You turned just in time to see the man flashed you a wide grin. You nodded and tilted your head a little. "I'd expect."

"So why don't ya come sit a little closer?"

You laughed. "I'm alright just where I am."

He sneered. "Listen here-"

But a shadow appeared between you and he, cast upon the bar top. It distracted the both of you. You turned to see who had stepped up to the two of you, and your jaw could have hit the ground. But your face stayed blank as the blonde's gaze met you for just a brief second before turning back to the man who had been hitting on you. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Everything alright here?"

"'Course."

"I'd hope," she hummed. "Because I seem to remember you and I having a nice, long talk about good manners."

"We did," he coughed. He stood up, nodding at you and retreating back across the room to where his friends were all jesting and shouting, spilling their drinks on the tabletops, the floor, and themselves.

You turned your attention back to the woman who had stepped up next to you. She was taking the seat beside yours, ordering a drink for herself and another for you. You smirked a little when she turned to you. Despite your lack of a mask and the absence of the flames upon your chest, she recognized you immediately.

"Long time no see," she offered.

You chuckled. "Very. What's a Fenarian guard like you hangin' out in a place like this for, Carol?"

"Caught my name, I see," she said, accepting the drink that was slid toward her. "But the guard thing isn't quite accurate."

"Oh, no?"

That didn't get a reply. You sipped your drink, watching her the entire time. She only shrugged her shoulders, drinking from her own glass. It stayed like that for a long while. Your egos were both too big to dare be the one to break the silence that had fallen upon you. So, you drank in silence. In fact, you'd both drained your glasses before Carol finally took it upon herself to be the one to speak the first words.

"You know my name, and I don't know yours."

"That's intentional," you told her. "But if you must call me something, I usually just go by Captain. Cap works."

"That's a title, not a name."

"A fact I am well aware of, Carol."

When she didn't reply, you smirked a little. You weren't shy about the way you were eyeing her up and down. She was, to be frank, one of the most attractive women you'd ever met. She was smirking too, once your eyes had finally made their way back up to hers. You only offered a small tilt of your head in acknowledgement.

Carol stood. She placed a few coins down on the bar, enough to cover her own tab, yours, and a little more. She offered you a hand. You were confident, cocky even. You weren't one bit afraid of this woman. You put your hand into hers and let her pull you to your feet. She led you away from your stool, out the door, and into the bright sunlight of the planet. Then she kept going, moving away from the bar and leading you down the streets. At some point your fingers had intertwined with hers and now you were walking hand in hand down the streets.

"You know I didn't need anyone to save me from that guy, right?"

"A thanks might have sufficed," she replied.

"It might have," you agreed.

Finally, you both arrived back at the landing strips. She led you right back to your own pod. You hadn't yet paid the fee for having kept it parked there for the last hour and a half but, judging from the look on Carol's face, you weren't going anywhere just yet. This time it was you leading as you pulled her on board, closing the hatch behind you. Once it was closed you moved.

Your hands moved and took Carol's waist, pulling her close to you. Her body was flush against yours, her hands in your hair, as she kissed you back. She let out a soft noise as you pushed her against the wall behind her. You smirked against her lips. It was a long moment before Carol pushed you away breathlessly. But you weren't done.

Your lips moved down to her neck, bringing the skin between your lips as you sucked roughly at it. It was a full moan that tumbled from her lips this time. You wanted to laugh in victory, but instead you released the skin, running your tongue softly over the mark you'd left on her. You moved back up to her lips and pecked them once, pulling back to glance into those light brown irises.

"That all you got then, Y/N?"

"I thought you didn't know my name."

Carol rolled her eyes. "Sorry, love. I could call you Captain if you wanted."

You put a hand against her cheek. "That would be extraordinarily hot."

Carol laughed. She put her lips against yours again, kissing you once more. She spun the both of you so that you traded places. This time it was your back against the wall. You leaned into it without much fight, letting her take her turn controlling the pace of the kiss. When you finally separated, she rest her forehead against yours.

"I love you."

You laughed. "We just met."

"Oh, fuck off," she laughed too.

You brought her hand into yours, thumb gliding across the ring you'd put on her finger five years ago. Her eyes darted to the identical one on yours. Her smirk faded into a smile and she brought you hand up to her lips, kissing your knuckles softly. You leaned a little further into her touch, pecking her lips once more.

"I love you, too," you muttered against her.

She laughed. She put two fingers beneath your chin, tilting your gaze up to meet hers. You loved those eyes with that cunning sparkle in light brown irises that you'd fallen so hard for all those years ago. Just as she was about to kiss you once again, there was a banging on the outside of the pod. You huffed in frustration.

You didn't even bother going out. You quickly transferred the fee you owed electronically. The banging stopped, and so you assumed everything had gone through without a problem. You shoved the small device back into your pocket and then turned your attention back to Carol. She was watching you with amusement sparking in her eyes.

"You're cute when you're angry," she commented.

"Yeah, yeah," you rolled your eyes. "We should get out of here before someone, you know, chases me off the planet."

Carol laughed, she put her arms around your waist. "I'm Captain Marvel. I can't let some thief get away with stealing valuables. Maybe they shouldn't have run."

"Just doin' my job, darlin'," you chuckled, arms resting on her shoulders and hands linking loosely behind her neck.

She hummed softly at that, kissing you again. It had been five years and her touch still made you melt. You were sure another five years could pass and that still wouldn't have changed. Your eyes fluttered shut and your lips moved with hers and the world could have disappeared around you and you wouldn't have noticed. But it didn't. There was banging on the door again.

"I need this spot!" The attendant shouted from the other side of the door.

You huffed. You forced yourself to peel away from Carol's body. You took a seat in front of the controls, and Carol took the one next to you. You started everything up, checking that they'd recharged the battery while you'd been there. Once you were sure of everything, you lay a hand on Carol's thigh and glanced out the front window.

"Take us away, Athena," you said.

"Roger that, Captain Danvers." 

[choerrypuffs]

my best friend wants to be abducted by aliens.

pairing: son of athena!renjun x daughter of aphrodite!reader

genre: fluff, angst

word count: 14.6k (this was supposed to be 5k 😌)

author’s note: hi so here is renjun’s chapter to my 00 line x camp half-blood series (i’m sorry, i know it took forever)! thank you so much for all of the support, and i hope you enjoy 💞

warning: one (1) makeout session

You are currently crouched behind a cluster of bushes, trying to get a glimpse of your targets through binoculars. 

Does that sound stalkerish? Perhaps. 

Are you actually a stalker? Debatable. 

However, no matter how suspicious it looks, your motive is pure—for the most part. 

You’re spying on Kang Daniel (son of Hermes) and Park Jihyo (daughter of Apollo), both of whom are at the Archery Range. Jihyo is showing Daniel how to shoot, encasing him with her arms as she nocks the arrow for him. The tips of his ears are so red that they could practically be a flare; you can see how flamboyant they are all the way from your hiding spot. 

You start grinning like a maniac, excited that your plan is finally unfolding. 

You had noticed how awful Daniel was at archery during a training session a couple weeks ago, and you casually suggested to him that he should ask Jihyo for some lessons. You’ve always known that Daniel has been hopelessly in love with Jihyo since the moment he saw her (it’s a child of Aphrodite thing—you can just sense it), but she’s been oblivious to it this entire time. 

Well, until now. 

Just as you guessed, sparks flew immediately. You could cut the sexual tension between them with a knife. You give them a couple more passionately-charged archery lessons before they inevitably surrender to their emotions and begin to date—and your predictions are never wrong. 

“Another job well done, Y/N,” you mumble proudly to yourself, “Mom would be so proud.”

“Excuse me, ma’am. I’m going to have to ask you to stop loitering by these bushes and stalking those two campers over there, or else I’ll have to report you to the camp director,” a sudden voice from behind you says. 

Letting out a loud yelp, you drop your binoculars in surprise and whip your head around to see who it is. You turn so fast that you almost fall backwards into said bushes, quickly using your palms to balance yourself. 

“Renjun, you asshole!” 

Huang Renjun, your long-time best friend and professional asshole, is standing in front of you. He’s wearing the iconic orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt with black jeans, his hands tucked inside his pockets. His dark hair is parted to one side, with a single lock of hair falling perfectly into one eye, giving him the I-wake-up-and-my-hair-is-naturally-like-this look (even though it’s most definitely not true). No doubt that he’s the best-looking person in the entire camp, but his brusque personality makes him a rose with thorns. Sharp thorns.

You often wonder how the two of you even became as close as you are. Children of Athena and Aphrodite notoriously clash due to their mothers’ history with each other. 

You met Renjun four years ago at Arts and Crafts Center, which is a hotspot for children of Athena. It was your first time at the camp, and you wanted to try making a ceramic (maybe a bowl or vase) to bring back to your family as a souvenir. Of course, you failed miserably and got snickered at by other Athena kids. Renjun, who had been sitting beside you, was the only one who didn’t laugh. He even gruffly gave you some pointers. Grateful, you complimented his painting—a mix of pink, yellow, blue, and purple watercolors that meshed together to resemble a galaxy. In return, he gave it to you.

“It’s not my best work, so you can have it,” he had said nonchalantly.

Even though it was the most beautiful piece of art you’ve ever seen, and it’s remained one of your most prized possessions to this day. 

After that incident, you basically attached yourself at the hip with him. He would constantly complain about you following him around, but he also didn’t do anything to stop it. He’s been complaining for four, going on five, years now, yet he’s become your closest friend. Renjun likes act like you’re a pain in the ass (which isn’t untrue), but you know he cares about you. Even if he doesn’t verbalize it, you can tell by his actions; it’s all about the small things with him. Despite being rough around the edges, Huang Renjun is actually just a big softie on the inside. 

“—could you stop snooping around like a weirdo?” Renjun asks, cutting your trip down memory lane short.

You rise to your feet, dusting your palms off and glaring at him. “I’m not snooping around like a weirdo. I’m just snooping around on one of my projects, like a good matchmaker.”

“Sure,” he says, rolling his eyes. He leans down and picks up your binoculars, handing them to you. 

You take them and hang them around your neck. “Why are you here anyway?”

“Aren’t you the one who asked me to meet you at the Dining Pavilion for lunch?” He raises an eyebrow. 

“Oh, sorry! I lost track of time,” you exclaim. “How’d you find me?”

Renjun gives you a pointed look. “Well, seeing as how Daniel and Jihyo are your current quote-unquote project, all I had to do was figure out where they were because I knew you’d be somewhere close.”

You give him a sheepish smile. “You know me so well, Junnie.”

“The hell? Don’t call me that, it’s gross,” he snaps, pretending like he’s about to gag.

“You’re not cute at all,” you huff. 

“Neither are you,” he replies.

“You are so rude! You’ll never get a girlfriend with an attitude like that!” You place your hands on your hips.

“I’ll live,” he says, shrugging. 

You don’t know much about Renjun’s love life because he refuses to tell you anything; he’s like a stubborn clam that won’t open up. However, he’s made it very clear that he does not want your assistance when it comes to finding romance. Obviously, it hasn’t stopped you from trying, but this is one of the few things you can’t seem to make him give in to. 

Yet.

“Whatever,” you sigh. “Let’s go eat.”

The two of you walk to the Dining Pavilion, which is a relatively long walk from the Archery Range, but you make enough conversation that it feels short. When you arrive, you see that they’re serving chicken curry and rice. Your stomach growls embarrassingly loudly when the mouthwatering scent hits you, which prompts Renjun to laugh at you. You give him the middle finger and then turn around to grab a lunch tray. Once you get your food, you two sit at a table in the back. 

Before you begin to eat, you notice that your curry has chunks of potatoes and slices of carrots on it—you abhor carrots more than anything in this world. Noticing your disgusted expression, Renjun slides his plate over without even batting an eyelash, so you can pick out the carrot slices and give them to him. It’s a routine thing for the two of you, since you’re an extremely picky eater and he’s not.

After you take out all of the carrots, you begin to devour your food. You’re wolfing it down so fast that you’re basically asking to choke, in which you immediately do. A piece of chicken lodges itself in your throat, and you begin to cough violently. Renjun sighs, patting your back before handing you your cup of water. 

“I feel like I’m babysitting a toddler every time I eat with you,” he points out as you gulp down your water. 

“Thanks,” you say after you recover.

“For dislodging the food in your esophagus or calling you a toddler?” 

“Both!” you say cheerfully. 

Renjun shakes his head at you, but he’s smiling. You take advantage of his good mood by quickly reaching over and swiping a couple of grapes from the fruit bowl on his tray. He rolls his eyes when you pop them into your mouth and wink at him. 

“Um, Renjun?” A small, different voice cuts in. Both of you turn around to see who it is. 

Hwang Yeji, daughter of Iris and one of the most popular girls at the camp, is standing there. She’s fidgeting, and you can see pink dusting her cheeks. Her friends are at the table right behind her, giving her supportive looks. She smiles shyly at Renjun. 

“Can I help you?” Renjun asks, deadpanning. He isn’t rude per se, but it’s also not a friendly tone. 

Yeji slightly falters at his lackluster response. “Oh, um, I’m going to be performing at the amphitheater tonight...and I was wondering if you could come watch?”

“Why?” 

You know Renjun is asking because he’s genuinely baffled, but it doesn’t lessen your urge to want to slap him upside the head.

“N-No particular reason! O-Okay, bye!” Yeji turns on her heel and runs away. You watch her go back to her table, head hung low in defeat.

“What was that all about?” Renjun is still bewildered. 

No longer able to control yourself, you punch him in the arm. “You moron!”

“Ow! What the hell, Y/N?” he hisses, rubbing his arm.

“She invited you to watch her perform because she likes you!” you hiss. 

“What? No, she doesn’t.” He furrows his eyebrows. 

“Yes, she does! I should know of all people, you dingus. Even without powers, literally anyone else would be able to see that Yeji likes you!” You’re trying your best to keep your voice down, but he’s making it difficult for you. “You are the densest person on the planet!”

“Look who’s talking,” Renjun mutters underneath his breath. 

“I can’t believe you just blew her off like that,” you continue, not hearing what he said.

“How was I supposed to know she liked me? I’ve never even spoken to her,” he protests.

You stare at him in disbelief. “Couldn’t you tell by the context clues?” 

“What context clues?”

“Oh my gods,” you groan, covering your face with your hands.

“What do you want me to do then?” he asks tiredly. 

“Go to her performance tonight,” you say immediately, uncovering your face and whipping your head to look at him with a hopeful expression.

“I don’t really want to though. There’s no point in getting her hopes up if I don’t like her back,” Renjun states matter-of-factly.

“How do you not even have a little bit of interest in her? Look at her! She’s stunning!” You feel like your eyes are about to pop out of your head.

“I’m not saying she isn’t, but I just don’t feel anything special towards her,” he explains. 

“You’re actually insane,” you say incredulously. “There’s no way someone can look at Hwang Yeji and say they don’t feel anything special.”

“If you feel so strongly about it, you could date her,” he suggests.

“No, I’ve decided,” you cut him off, slamming your hand on the table with determination. “I’m going to find you a girlfriend.”

“I’ll have to respectfully decline your services,” he answers, sighing.

“Give me one week,” you plead, “all of my matches have worked out within a week. Please, Renjun? The worst thing that can happen is that you actually like someone and you two become a couple.” 

“And what if it doesn’t work out?” He tilts his head.

“Then, I’ll drop the girlfriend topic for good. I swear on River Styx. And I’ll also give up my title as Camp Half-Blood’s official matchmaker,” you promise.

“You gave yourself that title.”

“Shut up.”

“Why are you so adamant on finding me a girlfriend anyway?” he asks.

“Because you’re so set on not getting a girlfriend, and that drives me crazy. I want to know just who on this Earth can make you feel something special, if even Yeji can’t do it. I want to crack you, like a walnut,” you admit.

“Bad analogy.”

“Yeah, it sounded better in my head.”

Renjun falls quiet, and you can practically see the gears turning in his head as he weighs the pros and cons of your proposition. Athena kids think way too much and way too loudly; they need to let loose and follow their hearts more.

You sit in anticipation for just a little longer before you see the tension on his face begin to dissipate and his features begin to droop. It’s an expression you know well; he’s going to let you have your way, like he always does. 

He pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing. “You get five days. That’s it.”

You squeal loudly, launching yourself at him so you can envelop him in a big bear hug. He grunts as he catches you, saving the both of you from toppling backwards onto the floor. “You’re the best, Renjun!”

Even when he’s irritated or annoyed, Renjun never pushes you away when you hug him. He isn’t exactly the affectionate type, yet his embrace is always so warm and calming. His words may be cutthroat, but his actions are always gentle.

He circles his arms around your waist loosely as he sighs into your hair, seemingly waiting for you to pull back to face him before he says anything. When you do, he flicks you on the forehead instead.

Okay, so you take the his actions are always gentle part back.

“Ouch!” You shrug yourself out of his hold, rubbing the probably reddening spot on your forehead.

“Payback for punching me earlier,” Renjun says, crossing his arms. “But are you sure about this?”

“What do you mean?” 

“You have a perfect record when it comes to your matches. Plus, you’re losing two out of your usual seven days. Are you sure you want to risk breaking your streak?” he asks. 

“What makes you think it’ll get broken?” you shoot back.

“I don’t just think; I know it will,” he smirks arrogantly. “That’s why I’m asking.”

You feel your left eye twitch. Riled up by his cocky demeanor, you grab your cup and chug the rest of your water, wincing like you just downed a shot. Wiping your mouth, you point your finger at him.

“Huang Renjun, just you wait. I’ll make you fall in love so hard that you’ll forget your own name.”

ও DAY ONE.

The Athena Cabin is a marvel to you every time you enter it. Rather than a cabin, it’s a workshop and a library in one on the inside. There are beds pushed haphazardly against the walls, and if you didn’t know that this was the official Athena Cabin, you would’ve thought that the Athena children had simply just crashed at a random facility at the camp and decided to call it their place of residence. 

Renjun is still asleep, despite the commotion of his brothers and sisters running around in the library and/or constructing something in the workshop. His bed is located in the very back, hidden by a bookshelf that’s not frequented often. He’s curled up into a ball, with the blanket covering his head but you can still see tufts of his hair sticking out from under it. 

“Rise and shine!” you sing, lifting blanket off his face. 

His peaceful expression twists with discomfort as its exposed to light, and he immediately rips the pillow out from under his head and puts it over his face. He says something to you, but his words are muffled. You just assume it’s some sort of profanity. 

“Come on, Sleeping Beauty! We have business to attend to,” you say cheerfully, taking the pillow away and tossing it to the foot of his bed.

“And what exactly is this supposed business?” Renjun asks dryly, opening his eyes and squinting up at you. 

“We’re going to scout for potential candidates for you,” you answer as you grab his arm and pull him up. He reluctantly lets you, slumping forward like a limp puppet. 

“Isn’t that your job?” He raises an eyebrow, running a hand through his messy bedhead. Renjun always looks particularly adorable when he wakes up. His pajamas consist of a pair of basketball shorts and an extremely stretched-out t-shirt. The shirt is so big that it’s slipping off his shoulder, which makes him look like a little kid. His hair is sticking up in all sorts of directions, and you can’t help but grin at how cute it is. 

“Yes, but you’re a special case.” You talk to him like he’s five, running your hands through his hair and messing it up even more. Renjun scowls at you, but he sits there and lets you do it.

“Geez, who peed in your cornflakes?” you tease, seeing his stormy look. 

“You.”

“Okay, fine! I’ll wait for you outside, but don’t take too long to get ready,” you say, finally retracting your hands. “No more than thirty minutes or else I’m gonna come find you!” 

He gives you another nasty look, and you blow him a kiss before skipping away. As you head back to the entrance, you greet a couple of Athena kids who pass by. Normally, Aphrodite and Athena children stick their noses up in the air and ignore each other, but you’re such a frequent visitor that they have had no choice but to accept you. It also helps that Renjun is quite popular, so the campers that don’t like you are forced to tolerate you anyway because you’re his best friend. 

That’s another thing you don’t understand—why Renjun hangs out with you when everyone around him is practically foaming at the mouth at the prospect of being his friend (or something more). But for reasons unknown to you, he chooses to ice them out and spend time with you instead.

It’s not that you’re inherently unpopular or someone that would “tarnish” his reputation, but he could probably find someone that annoyed him less and didn’t cause as much trouble as you do. However, you’re glad that he’s choosing to stay by your side in spite of how crazy you can get, because you’re not really sure what you would do without him. 

Not that you would ever admit that because Renjun would roast you to high Olympus.  

As if on cue, you spot Renjun trudging toward you. True to your request, he got ready within thirty minutes. In fact, it only took him about fifteen. He doesn’t look very happy, but he’s always had a resting bitch face (though you’re pretty sure he’s just pissed at you right now).

Strangely, you’re a little embarrassed to see him. You’re not sure why you suddenly thought of your friendship with him and got all sappy. You’ve never really been good at handling the mushy-gushy stuff—only helping others find it.

“Let’s get this over with,” Renjun says begrudgingly when he reaches you, crossing his arms.

“Okay, well, first thing’s first,” you respond, trying to get back on track. You loop your arm through his, which prompts him to instantly uncross his own so you can cling onto his bicep. It’s such a natural action for you that you don’t even think about how quickly he accommodates you. “What’s your type?”

“Where are we going?” he asks, furrowing his eyebrows as he lets you lead him around.

“That depends on your answer to my question,” you reply breezily.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the one who figures that out? You know, with your whole Aphrodite-love-sense-tingle thing.” 

You ignore his dig at your ability. “Normally, yes. But seeing as you’re incapable of feeling any emotion other than bitterness, I have to directly ask you.” 

He laughs at your comeback. “I see. But even if I do tell you my type, what makes you think she will like me too?” 

“If she doesn’t, then just woo her with your irresistible charm,” you say sarcastically. 

“My irresistible charm has a tendency to make people hate my guts, actually,” Renjun says, shrugging. “Wouldn’t want that, would we?” 

“Renjun, you are fully capable of making a girl fall for you,” you chide, huffing at his negative attitude. “I’m not concerned with that. My main issue right now is finding someone that will make you care enough to want her to like you back.”

“You think so?” he asks quietly, looking down at where your hand is resting on his arm.

“Hm?” 

“I hope you’re right,” he says a little louder, dragging his gaze away from your hand and giving you a small smile. “About being capable.”

When Renjun looks into your eyes, you feel him for the first time. Your heart wrenches with his, like a knife was driven into it and something keeps twisting it. It’s an excruciating pain that makes your lungs want to cave in, a pain so unbearably sad that it makes you want to assume fetal position and bawl your eyes out, an exhausting pain that drains you of all your energy until you want to collapse, a pain that makes you hate yourself—but it’s a pain you never want to get rid of. It’s a pain that makes you happy. It’s a pain you’re willing to endure for...for...for what? 

But the pain only lasts for a moment, flashing by like lightning. As you try to reach deeper, it slips through your fingers. Just as suddenly as it hit you, it vanishes. What remains in its place is the metaphorical iron wall that you always seem to run into every time you try to look into Renjun’s heart.

You can already feel your body starting to forget the pain. It’s so fast that you begin questioning if you even truly felt it in the first place, or if it was all some fever dream. You could also be having a stroke, so there’s that.

All jokes aside, you’re not sure what you’re more surprised by: the fact that Renjun has been feeling like this or how well he’s managed to hide it. 

And you’re not sure what you’re more hurt by: the fact that Renjun didn’t tell you or if you’re the one he’s trying to hide it from.

“—hello? Y/N? Earth to Y/N?” Renjun waves his hand in front of your face. 

You jolt, blinking several times as you detach yourself from your whirlwind of thoughts. “S-Sorry! What were you saying?”

“What’s wrong?” he asks, brows furrowing in concern. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

“Ghosts don’t exist,” you retort automatically.

“Yes, they do! How many times have I told you there’s no way that my glass bottle could’ve fallen from my bed without shattering, yet it was underneath my bed, completely and totally unsc—” He begins to protest. 

You cut him off by wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him in for a hug. Thankfully, Renjun stops rambling about his ghost story that you’ve heard about a million times and trails off. His hands slowly come to rest on the small of your back, giving you soothing pats. It makes you sad that he’s always ready to comfort you when he’s the one that needs it. Your vision gets blurry with tears, but you hurriedly blink them away.

“How can you be so smart yet so dumb?” you whisper into his shoulder, clutching him tighter.

“You know, you’re sending me mixed signals here,” he says wryly. 

You hug him for a couple more seconds before pulling back. Reaching your hands up, you cup his face. Unfortunately, you do it a little too enthusiastically and basically slap both of his cheeks. “Shit! I’m so sorry, Renjun!” 

“Ow! What is wrong with you?” he demands, wincing. His lips are adorably jutted out and his words probably aren’t as angry as he wants them to be because you’re squishing his cheeks way too hard. 

“I just wanted to tell you that I will definitely find you a girlfriend. No matter what,” you declare with determination in your eyes.

Because I don’t want you to be in pain anymore. Because you deserve to be happy. Because you should have someone to lean on too, you want to say.

Renjun is staring at you like you’ve grown another head. “Y/N, you’re scaring me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” you dismiss. “Now, hurry up and tell me your ideal type.”

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” 

“Oh my gods, I’m fine. Stop with all the questions and just answer me!” you say, placing your hands on your hips.

“I think I’m starting to reconsider my ideal type right now,” he replies, eyeing you suspiciously. 

You sigh loudly. “Could you tell me one character trait that you would like in a girlfriend? Just one. Pretty please with a cherry on top?”

He snorts, and you begin to grow frustrated. “Renjun—”

“Stubborn,” he answers. 

You raise an eyebrow. “Of all the things you could’ve chosen, you went with that?”

“I finally answer your question and now you’re shaming me for it?” he shoots back. 

You put your hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, sorry. Anything else you can think of?”

“Unpredictable. Hotheaded. Infuriating. Nosy. Reckless. Unable to take anything seriously. No concept of personal space,” he lists them off like he’s has it memorized.

“These are all terrible traits,” you point out, frowning. 

“Tell me about it.”

“Stop messing around,” you snap, giving him a small shove. “Some positive ones, please.”

Renjun pauses. “This might take a second.”

You give him a pointed look, crossing your arms and tapping your foot impatiently. At this point, you’re not even sure if he’s just joking or if he actually means it. However, it’s the only thing you’ve gotten out of him so far, so you have to work with it. 

“Dedicated,” he finally says after some intense pondering.

You exhale in relief. “Thank gods. What else?”

“Kind. Cheerful. Carefree. Funny. Always makes me smile. Marches to her own beat. An open book when it comes to her feelings. Says whatever is on her mind without thinking twice. Gets excited about things that don’t matter. Has a wonderful laugh. Able to see the good in me, even though I’m an asshole—”

As he continues, you eventually stop paying attention to his words and watch his expression. All of his features have softened, and there’s a warmth in his eyes that you’ve never seen before. He has the gentlest smile on his face as he talks, but you’re not even sure that he’s aware of it. 

You wouldn’t be a child of Aphrodite if you couldn’t recognize a boy in love, and Renjun certainly fits the bill. 

Suddenly, you feel an ugly sensation twisting in the pit of your stomach, coiling like a poisonous snake. It’s an awful feeling, and it makes you ashamed because it resembles jealousy way too closely for your comfort. You hate feeling like this, but you don’t know how to stop it. In fact, you don’t even know why you’re feeling this way. It’s foreign to you, but you know it’s not coming from Renjun. This is all coming from inside you.

“Stunning in every way,” Renjun finishes quietly. His voice is barely a whisper, but you can hear it clearly, as if it’s right in your ear. 

Digging your nails into your palms, you let out a low whistle. “That was very...specific.”

“Afraid of a challenge?” he counters, smirking. 

His banter makes you grin. It’s almost enough to make you forget the feeling in your stomach. You wonder why you keep getting worked up by yourself. Maybe the summer heat is getting to you, and you really are on the verge of having a stroke. 

“It’s like you don’t even know me,” you retort dramatically, clinging onto his arm again. “Alright, let’s go!” 

“Where?” 

“The Training Grounds!” 

“Why there?” His nose crinkles. 

“Your ideal type is as Ares kid as it can get,” you say, snorting. “So, obviously, we’re going to their turf.” 

“Ares children are obnoxious and arrogant,” Renjun scoffs. 

“And you’re a smartass, so it’ll be fine,” you say breezily. 

He rolls his eyes, muttering under his breath. 

“You’re such a drama queen. Besides, it won’t be only Ares kids there,” you point out.

He shrugs in a noncommittal manner but ultimately lets you lead him to the Training Grounds. When you arrive, as expected, it’s mainly Ares kids there. For people who aren’t used to it, the Training Grounds could be mistaken for a battle royale, judging by how vicious it can get at times. Even though it’s just a bunch of sweaty young adults angrily swinging swords at dummies and each other. 

Stroking your chin, you begin to scan the area. It’s only when your eyes fall onto Park Sooyoung, the daughter of Ares that’s infamous for making men cower to their knees, that the lightbulb goes off in your head. 

“What about Sooyoung?” you ask excitedly, tugging on Renjun’s shirt. 

He frowns. “She hates me.”

“You don’t know that,” you say.

“She tried to throw a dagger at my head once,” he states flatly. 

“She does that to everyone,” you dismiss. “I think you two would work well together.”

“Please, enlighten me.” 

“She could be the brawn to your brain. She’s super rambunctious, while you’re more reserved and can keep her in check. But she’ll be able to teach you how to live a little, and you’ll just perfectly balance each other out. You know, that whole opposites attract and enemies to lovers trope,” you explain. 

“Enemies to lovers?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Yes,” you say dreamily, “You two start off absolutely despising each other, but neither of you can fight the tension building and eventually just get entangled in the throes of your passion!”

“Okay, Fifty Shades of Grey, calm down,” Renjun says, scrunching up his features in disgust. “Stop writing fanfiction in your head and come back to the real world.”

You glare at him for killing your vibe. “Just go and try to talk to her.”

“I don’t want to be mauled.” There’s actually a small glimmer of fear in his eyes. 

“Don’t be ridiculous. She’s not gonna kill you. At least not in front of everyone like this,” you reassure him. 

“So you’re admitting that there is a possibility she would kill me.”

Fed up, you snatch his wrist and begin dragging him. He makes noises of protest, but you keep a vice-like grip on him. Sooyoung is sparring with some of her brothers (and frankly, handing their asses to them). You’re envious of how beautiful she is even with sweat dripping from her chin and tendrils of hair stuck to her neck. Her face is flushed with effort, but it makes her look like a peach. 

However, don’t ever judge a book by its cover because she proceeds to lift one of her brothers, as if she’s bench pressing him, and tosses him aside like a rag doll. He comes flying directly toward you, but Renjun wraps an arm around your shoulders and yanks you aside with his surprisingly quick reflexes. Sooyoung’s brother lands with a hard thud, right beside your feet.

Renjun holds you tightly against him as he scowls at Sooyoung, who is smirking at him. Your heart is pounding wildly, though you’re not sure if it’s from the adrenaline rush of one of Sooyoung’s brothers hurling towards you like a projectile or the way Renjun is cradling you to him.

“Are you out of your mind?” Renjun demands, livid. 

“Sorry about that,” Sooyoung says, trying to hide her amusement. 

“No, you’re not. You did it on purpose,” Renjun snaps. 

“Remove head from ass, Huang. If I didn’t think you’d be able to get her out of the way in time, I wouldn’t have done it,” Sooyoung responds, sounding bored.

“What if I hadn’t? Your tank of a brother would’ve knocked Y/N out,” Renjun says angrily, gritting his teeth. “And trust me, she doesn’t need any more screws loose than she already has.”

“Hey!” you chime in, offended. His arm falls from your shoulders and back to his side when you give him a dirty look. He seems a little surprised, whether the reason be from your sudden protest or how long his arm’s been around you. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sooyoung says, rolling her eyes. “Anyways, what do you want? You’re here to see me, right?” 

Renjun opens his mouth to say something, but you slap a hand over his mouth. “Renjun thinks you’re really pretty and wants to train with you.”

Perhaps you could have delivered it in a smoother manner.

“Mm?” He stares at you with wide, horrified eyes. He’s trying to speak, but it’s all muffled by your palm. 

Sooyoung snorts, crossing her arms and tilting her head. “Does he now?” 

“Yes. He’s just too shy to admit it,” you lie through your teeth. 

“Mhm, I’m sure he is,” she laughs. “What’s the actual reason you’re here?”

“Whatever are you talking about? That is the reason,” you answer sweetly. “So, what do you say? Wanna spar him?”

“Mmmmmm!” Renjun has you by the wrist, trying to remove your hand from his mouth, but you won’t budge. 

“You must think I was born yesterday,” Sooyoung sighs. “You’re trying to set us up together, right? Glad to see you’re sticking to your whole matchmaking schtick.”

“Maybe,” you admit sheepishly. “Also, it is not a schtick! I have a natural affinity for finding people that are compatible with each other, like all Aphrodite children, and it is my duty to use that ability in order to help others.”

Despite how proud you look, Sooyoung and Renjun exchange knowing glances, and she reaches forward and gives him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “Stray strong, soldier.”

“Mm,” he responds, sounding tired.

You watch the interaction with a baffled expression. Neither one of them seems intent on providing any context for you. You’re hit with another pang of jealousy. 

“While it would be my utmost honor to be Renjun’s girlfriend, I will have to decline. Firstly, because I would definitely murder him by our third date tops. And secondly, because I already have a girlfriend,” Sooyoung says nonchalantly. 

Your hand goes limp and falls off of Renjun’s mouth, finally freeing him. Your jaw is hanging wide open, a direct invitation for flies. The both of you just stand there and gawk at her. 

“What?” you exclaim, grabbing her by the shoulders. “You have a girlfriend?”

Most Aphrodite kids are just naturally aware of all the couples at Camp Half-Blood whenever they see them, but you make it a point to keep tabs on them so you can avoid incidents like this while you’re trying to find matches for others. Clearly, you’ve missed one. 

“Ye—”

“Who is it?” you demand, resisting the urge to shake her until her bones rattle. “How could I not know about it?”

“Well, that was the goal,” Sooyoung explains, “we want it to be a secret.”

You’re gripping her so tightly that the tips of your fingers have turned white, though you’re sure it doesn’t bother her since she’s pure muscle. You want to know who it is so badly, but you respect her privacy, so you decide to let it go. Even if you really don’t want to.

“I understand,” you say solemnly, begrudgingly releasing her. Your body is slightly twitchy as you fight to control your need to snoop. 

“You look like you’re about to pass out,” Renjun cuts in, half-joking and half-concerned. 

“Today has not gone well for me,” you sigh, spirit crushed by the sudden news and exhausted because of your weird mood swings that have been happening. “I’m hot, and I just want a nice, cold shower, followed by some nice, cold ice cream, and then followed by a nice, warm nap. We’ll try this again tomorrow.” 

“Want me to walk you back to your cabin?” Renjun asks. 

You nod, shoulders slumped in defeat. “Sorry to bother you, Sooyoung.”

“No problem. You’ll get ‘em next time,” Sooyoung says, trying to sound encouraging. 

As you turn to pitifully walk away, you notice Sooyoung and Renjun exchange another look in your peripheral. She gives him a thumbs up and he smiles wryly before he also turns to follow you.

It’s just the icing on the cake for your awful day. 

The walk back to your cabin is pretty quiet; Renjun sensing your foul mood and making the wise decision of letting you pout all by your lonesome (not that he’s much of a chatterbox anyway). You’re looking down at your feet as you walk, and he kindly navigates you through crowds and moves you out of the way when campers run by. This is something Renjun does often, since you have a tendency to not pay much attention to your surroundings on a regular basis, so you don’t even think twice about it. 

When you finally arrive, Renjun gives you a comforting pat on the back. “See you tomorrow. I’ll meet you here. Do not barge into my cabin and give me another rude awakening like you did today.”

You give him a strained smile and wink. “No promises.”

Of course, your act doesn’t fool him. He sighs. “Did it really bother you that much that Sooyoung managed to hide her relationship from you? It’s not like you to be so down after one failure.”

Honestly, that’s the least of your concerns right now. Did it hurt your pride? Yes, but you’ve recovered from a wounded pride countless times. 

What bothers you the most right now is the vile jealousy that you’ve stored in your heart. How shitty you felt when he was describing his ideal type (and how absolutely lovestruck he looked), or how bitter you were when you saw that Sooyoung and Renjun were in on something you weren’t. It eats away at you, seemingly within moments, before you even know what’s happening. But why? Where is it all coming from?

This is Renjun you’re talking about. Renjun, your best friend. Renjun, the one who’s always there for you. Renjun, the closest person to you other than your bloodline. 

Or so you thought. 

The pain that you felt from him earlier still haunts you, even if it’s faint. You’ve always seen Renjun as someone you can confide in, no matter what, yet it doesn’t appear like he feels the same towards you. In fact, an irrational part of you thinks you may be the one he’s trying to keep it from. 

And the paranoid part of you thinks Sooyoung knows about it too.

You know it’s horrible to think that, but you can’t control it. Renjun isn’t required to tell you everything he feels just because you do, not that it doesn’t hurt any less. It just bugs you that there could be someone closer to him than even you, which is an incredibly toxic mindset to have. You’re upset by the fact that you’re so possessive of him, yet you can’t seem to let him go either. 

I guess it’s alright if it’s Sooyoung, you admit to yourself, since she has a girlfriend.

You blink.

Wait, what? 

Before you can figure out what the hell your brain meant by that, you feel Renjun place his hand on your forehead. It jars you from your thoughts and you come back to reality, where Renjun is staring at you with furrowed brows as he checks your temperature. 

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright? You’ve been spacing out all day,” he says, clearly worried.

“F-Fine!” you answer way too enthusiastically. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he dismisses. “Just go get some rest.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” you nod hurriedly, giving him a two-finger salute. “I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early! Don’t oversleep!” 

“Yeah, yeah,” he waves you off, smiling. You can tell he’s still concerned, but your brighter attitude relieves him just a tad. “Oh, and Y/N?” 

“Mhm?”

“I forgot to mention one more trait for my ideal type.”

“What is it?” You wish you had never asked him in the first place. Just when your mood was getting a little better, it sours just as quickly. 

“Dense,” he adds. 

You give him a puzzled look. “Huh?”

“I want her to be dense,” he states simply. 

“No way,” you argue, when his words finally register. “How is it gonna work out if both of you are dense as hell?”

“Who knows? Maybe our denseness will cancel each other out, and we’ll fall in love instantly,” he shrugs.

“Of course. PEMDAS and shit,” you jokingly agree.

“Exactly,” he says, nodding with a deadpan expression. 

You laugh loudly—a big belly laugh that makes Renjun beam. The tension eases off his features, and he seems much more reassured. Your heart swells at how hard he’s trying to make sure you’re okay, not that he would ever admit that.

“Okay, for real now. Bye, Y/N.” He gives you a lazy wave before walking away, shattering your touching moment. 

You huff at how he turned around without even letting you respond, though you still wave back (even if he can’t see it), and go back into your cabin. The moment the door closes behind you, you make a beeline for the shower. Peeling off your sweat-soaked clothes, you close your eyes in bliss when the cold water hits you. 

As you let the water run down your body, you begin to feel more and more like a petulant child that just threw the biggest tantrum ever. You’re embarrassed that you overreacted like that and got so emotional for no reason. You chide yourself for being selfish. Just because you’re upset that Renjun doesn’t confide in you the way you do him, it doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t have someone. You should be happy for him when he finds a person he can fully open up to, even more so than you. Isn’t that what you’re trying to do for him right now? 

You shut the water off before slapping your cheeks hard, giving yourself a wake up call. Resolving to be more composed tomorrow, you decide to just take a nap for now as you change into comfortable clothes and dry your hair off. 

When you get to your bed, you see a small bowl of ice cream on your nightstand. Luckily, your shower didn’t take too long, so it’s still relatively frozen. It’s two scoops of chocolate, which is your favorite. You’re so excited that you almost miss the note tucked underneath the bowl. 

don’t know when you’re going to get out of the shower, so this might just be soup by the time you’re out. if that’s the case, drink it anyways since i went through the trouble of getting it. 

You snort. It’s so like Renjun to write a tactless note like this and not even bother signing off on it. If he’s going to be sweet, he shouldn’t ruin the moment by doing what he always does—opening his mouth (figuratively, in this case). 

But it’s not enough to wipe that big grin off your face, as you carefully fold up the note and put it in your drawer. 

He’s not cute at all.

ও DAY TWO.

The next day is about as successful as the first one, if not worse.

You had woken up with a game plan. Before you went to meet Renjun, you drafted up a list of campers that matched his ideal type (for the most part, since he was a little too specific). The goal was to narrow it down to a couple names before trying to march in head first, since that went disastrously yesterday. 

Unfortunately, instead of things going smoothly like you had hoped, you find yourself banging your head against a tabletop repeatedly.

You and Renjun are currently sitting in the library of the Athena Cabin, having been there for almost an hour now. He’s nearly eliminated your entire list that you so meticulously curated this morning. You’re starting to wonder if he’s purposefully being difficult just to see you riled up.

Renjun watches you hit your head a couple more times before outstretching his hand, catching your forehead in his palm and blocking you from hitting it against the table again. “Stop before you bleed all over the table, and I get stuck scrubbing it out later.”

You raise your head to glare at him. “I’ll show you bleeding all over the table.”

He doesn’t even blink at your threat, infuriatingly unfazed. “Are you done with your list already?”

“No,” you grumble, “I still have some left.”

“So, if I’m not interested in the rest, does that mean we’re done for the day?” he asks.

“Haha,” you say wryly, “you wish. If you don’t pick one, then I’ll just go through the list myself and pick one that I think is the most compatible with you.”

“Damn it.”

“Okay, what about Hyun Seunghee? She’s an Apollo kid. Super talented and sweet, one of the most adorable people on the planet, and loves art just like you,” you suggest.

“Seunghee is a very sweet girl,” Renjun agrees. “But I don’t think I have the energy to keep up with her. She’s even bubblier and more hyperactive than you, and I can barely manage dealing with you.” 

Sighing, you cross out Seunghee’s name on your list while simultaneously flipping off Renjun with your other hand. “Okay, what about Lee Mijoo? She’s one of my sisters, and honestly, she’s way out of your league but I’ll keep her in the running for now.” 

You figure it’s best to not mention that, despite being way out of his league, Mijoo has expressed some very...explicit interest in Renjun before. It’ll make things awkward if they do end up talking, and you aren’t one to expose your own sister like that.

“Ew, no way, that’s weird,” Renjun says, scrunching up his nose.

“What, why?”

“I don’t want to date anyone related to you. That would make us sort of related too, and the last thing I want is to be your brother.” He spits out the word like it’s a stale piece of gum that he’s been chewing for four hours.

“First of all, slow down, tiger. You would have to marry her for us to be related. This is just a casual thing. No one said anything about marriage. Second of all, that is so mean! Why wouldn’t you want to be in-laws with me?” you demand, offended.

“Don’t most people enter relationships with the intention of spending the rest of their lives with each other?” he asks, skillfully dodging your question. “I won’t date someone if I think we’re just going to breakup down the road.”

There’s a beat of silence as you stare at him with wonder. Your lips curl into a gentle smile, and you can’t hide the adoration in your expression. Renjun truly is all bark and no bite. Who would’ve guessed there’s such a lovely and pure person behind his sharp tongue?

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks warily. You swear you can see a little pink dusting the shells of his ears and the tip of his nose.

“It’s just...you’re much more of a hopeless romantic than I initially thought, Huang Renjun,” you say teasingly. 

Now, you can definitely tell he’s embarrassed. He mumbles a “shut up” under his breath, but you can barely hear it.

“Don’t put so much pressure on yourself,” you advise, “it’s totally natural to date and breakup. You can love someone with all of your heart, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be your life partner. Loosen up, my friend, and just have fun! Fall in love recklessly, and don’t think about anything else! That’s what youth is all about!”

You expect him to make fun of you for lecturing him like you’re centuries old, when the both of you can barely label yourselves as adults, but he doesn’t. 

Instead, he’s gazing at you with a deep melancholy in his eyes. You’re sitting right across from him, but the way he looks at you makes it seem like you’re galaxies away. Your gut wrenches at how hurt and helpless he seems, like he’s yearning for something that is out of his reach. 

Time seems to slow down as the two of you stare into each other’s eyes, as if you’re both entranced. It’s hard to tell how long you stay like that, but it feels like you’ve woken up in the middle of a sweet dream when Renjun finally breaks eye contact. You’re slightly disoriented, even though it’s probably only been a few seconds.

Clearing his throat, Renjun mutters, “Anyways, don’t put anymore of your siblings on the list.”

You take a moment to gather your thoughts before sighing. “Fine. But now I’ve run out of names on my list.”

“Well, gosh darn it, what a shame,” he says in a terrible Southern accent while attempting to get up. “Look’s like that’s a wrap for today!” 

“Not so fast,” you cut in, snapping your fingers at him to sit back down. “We’re not done yet.” 

He groans but reluctantly obeys, dramatically throwing his head into his arms when he does.

“Behave while I go through this list again,” you order, putting stars next to names that you’re going to force Renjun to reconsider with. 

“Now, you’re making me want to hit my head against the table,” he complains, voice muffled by his arms.

You ignore his whining, focusing on your current task at hand. Just as you finish narrowing it down to a select few, someone brushes past you and it’s like you hear angels singing. Seo Soojin, daughter of Nemesis and actual hotness personified, walks by. 

Soojin is relatively new to Camp Half-Blood, having arrived for the first time last year. You don’t know much about her personality because she keeps to herself and her tight-knit circle of friends for the most part. You know for a fact that she’s a far cry from Renjun’s type, but you’re starting to think he doesn’t really know what he wants—seeing that he shot down every single person on your list already. She will be a nice change of pace for him.

“What about Soojin?” you ask in a hushed whisper, leaning forward. 

“Who?” Renjun looks around, not lowering his voice or trying to be subtle in the slightest.

“Shhh!” you hiss, grabbing him by his shirt and yanking him forward. You pull a little too hard and end up knocking your foreheads together. 

“Ow! Why is your head made out of cast iron?” Renjun winces. He tries to lean back, but you don’t let him escape. 

“Shut up! You’re the blockhead, asshole,” you protest, getting offended for the second time. “Anyways, Seo Soojin. The girl over there. The one with the bangs, big lips, and is hot as fuck?” 

He squints, finally zeroing in on her. “What about her?”

“That’s what I’m asking you, dipshit!” 

Renjun shrugs noncommittally—an action that you’ve grown extremely accustomed to during these past two days, an action that makes you want to rip your own hair out. “She seems nice.” 

“Well, try and talk to her then,” you say, spelling it out for him. “You know, so you can see if the two of you will hit it off or not.”

He gives you a look. It’s the same look that a twelve-year-old kid gives his mother when she makes him take a picture in front of a national monument that he doesn’t know anything about, nor does he care to. However, she insists, so he reluctantly trudges over to it and takes the picture—hands firmly balled up by his sides and his lips pressed into a hard line, no matter how much his mom tells him to smile.

So, in other words, Renjun looks like he wants to crawl into a hole and die.

“Are you sure that you’re human?” you ask incredulously. You’re not even being sarcastic at this point; you genuinely want to know how he is able to feel absolutely nothing for women that could rival the goddesses themselves.

“Technically—”

“If you say that you’re only half-human because we’re demigods, you’re going to get a pen through the jugular,” you warn, pointing your pen at him. 

“Am I wrong, though?” 

“You know what I mean, you smartass. Are you or are you not capable of feeling romantic attraction towards another person?” you demand.

“I am,” he simply says.

“That’s it? That was the most robotic answer I’ve ever heard in my life!” you exclaim. 

“What else am I supposed to say?” he asks, throwing his arms up. 

“Have you experienced any blackouts recently, like woken up without memory of the past twenty-four hours? Have you checked your body for any chip implants under your skin?” You eye him suspiciously. “Been beamed up by any UFOs? Gone somewhere haunted?” 

Renjun gives you a pointed look, sighing. “While it is touching to know that you do, in fact, listen to me whenever I talk about topics I’m interested in, this is not how I wanted you to apply your knowledge.”

“You know, now that I think about it, you sure talked about alien abductions a lot,” you say, stroking a fake beard on your chin. “Could it be because you were actually abducted by aliens and got brainwashed into gathering information about us demigods, but they took away your ability to feel emotions so they wouldn’t get in the way of your mission?” 

You pause, waiting for his reaction. Renjun is very obviously trying not to smile, with his chin being propped up by his palm and his fingers covering his mouth. “Please, continue.” 

“But ultimately, that will be your fatal flaw and the downfall of your mission because you can’t empathize like humans can,” you finish dramatically. 

“Alright, let’s say I was brainwashed by aliens. Why would I then draw more attention to myself by talking about the very thing that happened to me? Wouldn’t that be counterproductive?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Reverse psychology,” you explain, “you talk about them, so you won’t seem suspicious.” 

Renjun exhales sharply before looking down at his feet. You can see his lips twitching as he tries not to laugh, though you’re pretty sure that exhale from before was a small laugh. You’re grinning, despite the fact that you’re also trying to keep up your detective act.

“I’m kind of wish I had been abducted by aliens right about now. Maybe brainwashed me would be a little more courageous,” he mutters under his breath. You’re not sure if you were meant to hear that, but you do anyways. 

“That sounds exactly like something someone abducted by an alien would say!” you say in an accusatory tone, pointing a finger at him. He rolls his eyes, but a tiny smile eventually makes its way to his lips. 

You gasp loudly, grabbing his face and pulling it towards your own. He makes a small noise of surprise, eyes as wide as UFO saucers. Your faces are so close that your noses are slightly brushing up against one another, but you’re not paying attention to that right now. 

“Or you could be a lizard person,” you whisper, “you know, the ones that people think take the place of government officials.”

“They’re called reptilian humanoids,” Renjun corrects. His breath (which smells like the blueberry muffin he had this morning) rustles your baby hairs. 

“Your eyes are glowing yellow, and your pupils are turning into slits,” you tease.

“Are they, now?” 

No, they aren’t. His eyes are a cool, icy gray, like most Athena children. It’s always been a trait you’ve been jealous of. They sparkle like stars, or freshly fallen snow. They change according to his mood too. For example, when he gets angry, there are no stars. Instead of twinkling, they flash like lightning. His eyes are truly the window to his soul; they’re one of your favorite things about him.

Renjun slightly leans into your touch, and it finally hits you how close he is. You’re cupping his face with both hands, tilting his chin up, and it looks like you’re about to...kiss him.

 It seems you’re not the only one who thinks so, because almost the entire library is gawking at you. Including Seo Soojin. She looks surprised, and slightly disgusted, by the two of you.

Oh.

You feel heat rise from your neck to your entire face.

Oh gods, they all think we’re a couple.

You recoil away from him, withdrawing your hands like your just burned yourself. “We have to get out of here.”

“What?” As always, Renjun doesn’t know what’s going on.

“Just come on,” you say quickly, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the library. 

Your face burns for a long time after that, and you can no longer focus on anything else. In the end, you decide to call it a day after a few more half-hearted attempts to find more candidates for Renjun. When you come back to your cabin, you take another cold shower. 

You’re not sure what you’re so flustered by: the fact that you didn’t realize what you were doing or the fact that everyone in the library saw it.

Or the fact that you didn’t mind the notion of being mistaken for a couple with Renjun.

ও DAY THREE.

You don’t meet bright and early with Renjun today. He demanded to sleep in this time, since he’s not an early riser to begin with and the past two days have sucked all the energy out of him. 

Which means you’re free until noon. You check the time—10 AM. 

Two hours to kill. 

You don’t feel like getting all sweaty and hot, so any activity outside is out. You really don’t want to be judged by more Athena kids in the Arts and Crafts Center without Renjun. So, you decide to head back to the library, despite how yesterday went.

You check out a book that goes into depth about some of the most believable conspiracy theories; Renjun actually read it a while ago (and totally geeked out about it to you), but who would have thought that you would end up reading it too? Past you definitely would’ve laughed in your face if you told her that. 

Once you get back to your cabin, you curl up in your covers and begin to read. You get about two chapters in when you hear the door open and Jeong Jaehyun, one of your brothers, walks in. He’s wearing his orange t-shirt that’s soaked with sweat, and his hair is dripping from perspiration too. His pale skin glistens, and he looks like a sweaty and sparkly vampire. 

“Hey, kid,” Jaehyun says, nodding at you. He isn’t that much older than you, but he’s gotten into the habit of calling you kid for some reason.

“This is a surprise. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you come back from training before 5 PM,” you tease.

He lets out a low whistle. “Way too hot out there. I needed to get some A/C before I had a heatstroke—is that a book in your hand?”

“What about it?” you ask, raising an eyebrow.

Jaehyun snorts. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you near a book, much less read one.”

“Rude. I am expanding my horizons,” you retort. 

“It seems so. What was up with you and Renjun at the library yesterday?” Jaehyun plops down on the edge of your bed. 

“How do you even know about that?” you ask, wrinkling your nose. “And go take a shower first before you sit on my bed! You stink!” 

“Do I?” He waggles his eyebrows and throws his arms around you in a bear hug. You try your best to shove him off, but he has a hold on your like a python. 

“I hate you,” you say when he finally pulls back, sniffing your shirt to make sure you still smelled like your fabric softener. “Anyways, how’d you find out about the library thing?”

“Rumors spread fast around here, dear sister. But, seriously, what’s the deal?”

“There is no deal, Jaehyun,” you sigh, closing your book. “It’s all just a misunderstanding. We were joking around while I was trying to find a potential girlfriend for him there—which, by the way, is going horribly. I don’t think he feels romantic attraction properly like everybody else.”

“Oh right. I forgot you roped Renjun into your matchmaking thing,” Jaehyun says, disappointed. “Damn, and here I thought he finally made a move.”

Your head snaps up to give him a quizzical look. “What?”

“What?” He tilts his head.

“What did you mean by that, the part where you said you thought Renjun finally made a move?” you ask. 

Jaehyun stares at you for a couple of seconds, an astonished expression on his face. “Do you really not know?” 

“Would I be asking if I didn’t know?” you shoot back, annoyed that he still hasn’t answered you. 

“Gods, all this time, I thought you were just pretending like you didn’t know because you didn’t want to make things awkward,” he continues, shaking his head.

“Jaehyun, what are you talking about?” you demand.

“Renjun is in love with you, Y/N.”

You gape at him. It’s a good thing you’re already sitting down because you definitely would have fallen on your ass if you had been standing.

“Th-Th-That’s impossible,” you stammer, like an absolute idiot. “There’s n-n-no way.”

“Oh, come on, lil’ sis. He’s never even tried to hide it. He’s so obvious about it that I seriously don’t understand how you didn’t know,” Jaehyun snorts. “You don’t even need to have powers to see that he’s head over heels for you.”

“But—but how? I would’ve sensed it!” you exclaim.

“You’re so sharp when it comes to other people, but you’re dense as hell when it comes to yourself,” Jaehyun points out, shrugging. “You just never paid attention, Y/N.”

You don’t respond. Your mind is a mess, a jumbled mishmash of emotions. You’re feeling so many things right now, and you can’t pinpoint any of it.. You wouldn’t be surprised if you passed out.

“Do you like him back?” Jaehyun asks softly. 

“I—no! Of course not. Renjun’s my best friend. If I liked him, why would I be trying to find him a girlfriend right now? That’d be stupid of me. Yeah, that’d be so dumb. Why would I do that?” You’re rambling now, and it’s glaringly obvious that you’re trying to convince yourself rather than Jaehyun (and you know he can see it too).

“It doesn’t seem like you’re trying that hard, though.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” you ask defensively. 

“The Y/N I know spends all hours of the day gathering information on her potential matches and making sure even the tiniest detail goes according to her master plan that she’s already drafted inside her head. She wouldn’t be sitting here, leisurely reading a book, especially if it’s going horribly. She would be doing everything in her power to get things back on track,” Jaehyun notes. “Ask yourself. Do you really want Renjun to get a girlfriend?” 

“Wh-Why wouldn’t I?” You ask him, hoping he knows the answer, because you sure as hell don’t know. 

“Because he won’t always be there anymore. He won’t have time to let you constantly drag him into your antics anymore. You won’t be his number one anymore. His girlfriend will be his first priority, of course, as she should. Think long and hard about that, Y/N. Will you be okay with that?”

“I—” The words seem to die inside your throat as you come to realization that you might not be okay with that at all. You’ve always gone to Renjun for everything and knowing that he may not always be there makes you feel lost, like a compass without it’s True North. You’re being selfish again, but it seems like you’ve gotten into the habit of acting selfish whenever it comes to Renjun. You’ve let yourself grow too reliant on him. 

“Why do you care so much anyways?” Now, you’re deflecting. “Why did you tell me all of this?”

“Because you’re my little sister and I care about you. I want you to be one hundred percent sure of your own feelings, so your heart doesn’t get broken. The only reason I didn’t say anything sooner was because I thought you were already sure. Take some time and think about it, Y/N. It’ll be better for your friendship with Renjun if everything is crystal clear between the two of you,” Jaehyun advises, giving you a pat on the shoulder. He gets up, presumably to take a shower, and leaves.

You barely notice him go.

You sit in your bed, staring blankly at the wall, until Renjun finally arrives. He’s still a little groggy, probably having woken up ten minutes ago before coming. His clothes are a little rumpled and his hair isn’t styled, with his bangs flopping in his eyes. Normally, you would have made fun of him and mussed it up, but you have other things on your mind as of the moment. 

Like always, he can tell something is up. He gets that concerned look on his face—the one where he has a deep crease between his brows and his rosy lips are turned downwards. 

“What’s wrong?” He places a hand on your arm, lowering his head so he can’t get a better look at your face. 

Physical contact with Renjun has always been something normal for you, but suddenly, you’re now acutely aware of everything about him. You can feel the pad of every one of his fingertips on your bare skin, the warmth of his palm, and just how easily his touch makes your body relax. Even when your brain is a whirlwind of thoughts, your muscles, like clockwork, instantly loosen up with just a brush of his hand.

“We need to talk,” you say shakily, moving away from him. There’s a flash of hurt in his eyes as his hand falls to his side. You feel bad, but the longer he’s touching you, the more confused you get. 

You lead him a secluded area behind the Dining Pavilion, and he follows wordlessly. He waits for you to speak as the two of you stand there. Now that you’re here, you don’t really know what to say anymore. 

“Are you in love with me?” you blurt before you can stop yourself. “Jaehyun said—”

“Yes,” Renjun answers. If he’s surprised or taken aback whatosever, he doesn’t show it. In fact, it seems like he knew this was coming. There’s no fear or hesitation in his eyes. He’s unwavering in his answer, and you wonder how he can always be so certain of his feelings. 

“How long?” you ask tentatively. 

“Probably when we first met,” he says. 

“Why?” 

“Are you asking me why I’m in love with you?” He raises an eyebrow. 

You’re not sure. You’re not sure of anything anymore.

When you don’t answer, Renjun looks at you for a very long time. “You make me happy, Y/N. No matter how shitty things get, no matter how much I want to ram my fist through a wall, I see you and it’s like I can finally take a breath again. When you smile at me, I forget about everything that was bothering me. You and your daily shenanigans are the best part of my day. You’re obnoxious and frustrating and exhausting, but I fucking love you for it. I’m at your beck and call; I’d do anything for you. Whenever you’re happy, I become happy too. Nothing else matters to me anymore. That’s why.”

“You should have told me,” you say, voice cracking. Your heart is singing with joy, and you want to cry with relief. He talks about you like you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him, and you so desperately want to be exactly that for him. You’re not confused anymore. Everything has finally become clear for you now. You truly wonder how you managed not to notice anything at all—whether it be your own feelings or his. 

“I knew it would upset you,” he murmurs. 

But then it hits you. 

You can’t even fathom how much Renjun has had to endure throughout the years. He’s loved you all this time, yet he hasn’t said a word—out of consideration for you. In everything he’s ever done during the course of your friendship, he has always put you first. Even if it hurts him, he was willing to withstand it for your sake.

Yet all you’ve done for him is force him into letting you try to find a him a girlfriend, despite the fact that he was against it, and he had to pretend like he was okay as he watched you parade around like a fool telling him to love someone else. 

You don’t deserve to be loved by someone like Huang Renjun.

You don’t deserve to love someone like Huang Renjun.

Suddenly, you begin to feel nauseous—probably sickened by guilt. Black spots dot your vision, and your legs start wobbling. Your body collapses only moments after, but luckily, Renjun manages to catch you before you can hit the pavement. 

“Y/N? Y/N? Hey, talk to me,” you can hear him say very faintly. He’s cradling you against his chest, and you bury your face in it. Your head is spinning, but you feel surprisingly grounded in his arms.

Has he always smelled this nice? His scent is a mixture of books and sandalwood, and you’re basically crushing your nose against his chest like an absolute pervert. You don’t feel embarrassed because you know you can blame it on being sick later. 

Speaking of sick, even though Renjun smells so good, you proceed to lean forward and vomit all over him and yourself.

Once again, you don’t feel that embarrassed because you black out soon after.

ও DAY FOUR.

You wake up tucked nicely under your covers. Much to your relief, you’re also in clean clothes—your favorite set of heart pajamas. Unfortunately, that’s the only bright side to your current state.

It feels like you haven’t had a sip of water in ten years, and your lips feel like they’ve been glued together. Even the tiniest movement makes your head feel like someone is drilling into your skull. Your body feels twenty times heavier, and not to mention, you just generally feel like shit because of what happened with Renjun.

“Oh my gods, you look so creepy right now. Who just lays there with their eyes wide open? If you’re awake, you should say something,” a voice chides. Turning your head just a smidgen (and wincing because of the pain), you see your sister, Lee Mijoo. She has a glass of water in her hand, setting it on your nightstand.

“How long have I been asleep?” you ask hoarsely. 

“Let’s see. Renjun brought you back at like 2 PM yesterday, and it’s now 8 PM, so...thirty hours?” Mijoo counts on her fingers. 

“Fuck,” you groan.

“Heatstroke will do that to ya,” she says, making a clicking noise with her tongue.

“I had a heatstroke?”

“Yep. It was a pretty nasty one too. You really did a number all over Renjun’s shirt. It was like a vomit Picasso,” Mijoo says, sounding kind of impressed.

Your face burns from humiliation. 

“Here, sit up and drink this water,” she orders, helping you get up. Your head is screaming in pain, like a million little jabs to your brain. You down the water in one big gulp, not realizing just how dehydrated you were until your lips hit the water. 

“So, you and Renjun, huh?” Mijoo asks sheepishly.

If you still had water in your mouth, you would’ve spat it out. “What?”

“Jaehyun told me everything,” she explains.

Traitor, you think to yourself.

“Don’t be mad at him. Renjun looked like a kicked puppy when we saw him. There’s no way I wouldn’t have asked questions,” she says. “Did you break his heart, little sister?”

You sigh, putting the cup back on your nightstand. “I hope not. His heart shouldn’t be broken by someone like me.”

“And what does that mean?”

“It means that he shouldn’t concern himself with me,” you sigh.

“Well, he does. He came to check up on you like a billion times. I had to ban him from coming back until tomorrow,” Mijoo snorts. “He’s a really good guy, you know.”

“Trust me,” you say, rubbing your temples. “I know that better than anyone.”

“So, what’s stopping you? I would be all over that.”

You glare at her before letting out another sigh. “He’s too good for me, Mijoo.” 

“That’s for him to decide, no?” She raises an eyebrow.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m just saying the truth,” you say. 

“So, you won’t mind if I date him?” she asks seriously.

Your face falls instantly, and Mijoo doubles over laughing. 

“Geez, Y/N, you looked like you were about to claw my eyes out!” She wipes away a tear.

“Very funny,” you say dryly. 

“But what if I had been serious? What would you have done then?”

You don’t answer.

“I think you really, really like Renjun, Y/N,” Mijoo whispers loudly.

“I think I love him,” you whisper back.

“Then, you should probably tell him.”

“Yeah, I should,” you echo.

Ignoring the major migraine you have and the fact that you’re still a little sluggish, you throw your covers off of you. You don’t change out of your pajamas, simply throwing a thin cardigan over it. 

“Uh, Y/N, maybe you should wait until you feel be—”

“No, I have do it now before I change my mind,” you cut her off, slipping on your tennis shoes.

You hear Mijoo call after you, but you’re already out of the door. The Athena Cabin isn’t too far from the Aphrodite Cabin, so the walk is short. Much to your surprise once you’re inside, he isn’t there.

Grabbing the nearest Athena kid you see, you ask, “Where’s Renjun?”

“Um, I think he went to the amphitheater?” 

The amphitheater is a bit further, so you promptly release and thank the kid, before taking off. You’re not sure if running is recommended right after a heatstroke, but you do it anyways. By the time you get there, your cardigan is slipping off and you’re dripping with sweat from the humid summer heat. 

The amphitheater is extremely crowded, since there was probably a performance tonight. It’s actually a little hard to see over all the people. However, you find Renjun pretty quickly.

You see him standing off to the side, away from everyone else. He’s staring emptily at the stage, hands tucked inside his pockets. He looks so tired and dejected. His entire body slumps as if it’s too exhausting to stand up straight anymore. 

All because of you.

You wait until you finally catch your breath, opening your mouth to call out to him. But you don’t ever get the chance to because a girl walks up to him. You can’t tell who she is because the back of her head is facing you, and you see Renjun give her a small smile before saying something.

The girl laughs and turns her head, giving you a view of her side profile.

Hwang Yeji.

All of the courage you had inside you withers away like a dying flower.

You take a step back, accidentally bumping into someone behind you. They say something to you, but you don’t hear it at all. Instead, you turn on your heel and run. You run wildly and blindly, nearly whizzing right past your cabin. You’re barely able get back inside, eyes so blurry with tears that you can’t even see where you’re going. 

When Mijoo sees you, she doesn’t ask any questions. She just turns on the shower for you, extra hot. You step in without a word, letting the water mix with the tears running down your face. 

It’s not that you think Renjun is in love with Yeji now. In fact, you know he’s not. It’s just that they would be much better together. 

Yeji is one of the sweetest girls you know. She would treat Renjun with the kindness he deserves. She would consider his feelings first before making him do anything. She would make him happier than you ever could. They would be so compatible, and if you weren’t in love with Renjun yourself, you would definitely be trying to set the two up. 

After your shower, you change into the clothes Mijoo set out for you—an oversized sweater with cotton shorts—and miserably crawl back in bed. You’re so drained that you don’t even have the energy to drink the fresh glass of water on your nightstand. 

Everything hurt—mentally and physically. 

Your heart aches most of all. You’ve dated here and there, gone through some breakups, but nothing has ever been as painful as this. 

It’s a pain that consumes you whole. A pain that makes you want to scream but no sound will come out. A pain that makes you want to tear your heart out. A pain that makes you wish a bunch of aliens abducted you and brainwashed you into not feeling any emotions anymore.

It’s the same pain that you thought you felt from Renjun on the first day of when this all began.

And then the last puzzle piece finally falls into place.

That pain was never his.

It has always been your own.

You love Renjun too, and you’ve loved him for a very long time.

ও DAY FIVE. 

“Come on, Y/N. At least get up to wash your face and brush your teeth,” Mijoo pleads.

You ignore her, pulling your covers over your head and turning away. It’s already well into the afternoon, but you’ve been feigning sick so you didn’t have to get up. The rest of the Aphrodite children have left and gone about their various activities throughout the camp, but Mijoo was tasked by Jaehyun to take care of you.

“If you just do that, I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the day,” she bargains. 

You think about it for a second before sighing, begrudgingly sitting up. You can see the pity dripping out of her eyes when you brush past her to head to the bathroom. When you see yourself in the mirror, you can understand why.

Puffy eyes, matted hair, tear-stained cheeks, and chapped lips. It’s too bad you hadn’t been wearing mascara last night because the only thing you’re missing in your hot mess look right now are those dark smudges right under your eyes.

You brush you teeth, which takes a lot more effort than you realize, and splash water on your face. Not even bothering to brush your hair, you head straight back to bed. True to her word, Mijoo doesn’t say anything else after that.

That is, until a couple hours later.

“Um, so I know I said I would leave you alone, but I think you might want to get up for this one, Y/N,” she whispers. You can’t see her because you back is turned to her, but you can tell by the tone of her voice that it’s important.

Irritated, you yank the covers off you and sit back up once again. “Mijoo, I—”

You almost choke on air when you realize Mijoo isn’t alone. Renjun is right beside her, looking not much better than you. He’s in a wrinkled t-shirt and sweatpants, his hair looks like he just ran his fingers through it and called it a day, and he has purple bags under his eyes.

“Can we talk?” Renjun asks. 

You hesitantly nod. 

“I’ll, uh, give you two some privacy,” Mijoo says awkwardly before turning around and running out of the cabin. 

You don’t know what to do now, staring down at your clasped hands. You hear Renjun take a step forward, and you feel the edge of your bed dip under his weight. There’s a sizable gap between you and where he’s sitting, but he’s still close enough for his scent to waft over to you. He smells wonderful like usual, and you hope you don’t stink in return.

“How are you feeling?” Renjun asks quietly.

“Like shit,” you answer honestly.

He laughs under his breath. “I know what you mean.” 

Your heart skips a beat, and you feel giddy all of a sudden when you see him smile. How did you manage to turn into a lovesick little schoolgirl over night? 

“I talked to Yeji last night at the amphitheater,” Renjun says after a moment. 

“I know,” you mutter. 

He blinks. “You do? How?” 

You’re not sure how to answer that.

“Well, that doesn’t matter right now,” he dismisses, taking in a deep breath. “I just wanted to tell you that I ran into her after I checked up on you, and she invited me to watch her performance. I wasn’t going to say yes at first, but I thought it would make you happy if I did. I tried, Y/N, I really tried. Yeji’s a nice girl, but I can’t help how I feel. I love you, Y/N. It’s always been you, and it always will be. I’m not asking you to love me back. I just want to stay by your side, as your friend, if you’ll allow it. I—”

“Stop,” you interrupt, scooting closer to him and putting a hand over his mouth. “I have to tell you something.” 

Renjun gives you a bewildered expression but nods nonetheless. 

You remove your hand from his mouth, before taking in a deep breath of your own. “You’re my best friend, Renjun, and I’ve always confided in you for everything. I took you for granted, and I only thought about myself. Deep down, I think I’ve always known about your feelings and my own, but I was afraid to dig for it. I was comfortable, and I didn’t want to ruin that, even though you were hurting. I’m truly sorry for treating you that way, Renjun. From now on, I want you to tell me everything—the good, the bad, the ugly. Don’t bottle things up for my sake.”

He goes to say something, but you hold up your hand to stop him.

“The reason why I knew you were with Yeji at the amphitheater last night is because I was there too. I went to look for you,” you finally confess. “When I decided I was going to find a girlfriend for you, I thought I would be able to step aside when you did find someone. But once I saw you with Yeji, I realized that I couldn’t do it. What I want with you isn’t a friendship anymore. I’m in love with you, Renjun. I have been for a long time, and it took me four, almost five, years to see that because I never thought to listen to my own heart until now. I don’t think I will ever deserve you in his lifetime, but I love you. I’m selfish and I’m a mess and I always cause trouble for you, but I—”

Renjun wraps an arm around your waist and tugs your body flush against his. His hand comes up to cradle your cheek as his thumb lightly runs across your cheekbone. You’re clutching his shirt like a lifeline, holding your breath, as you stare into those gray eyes.

“You,” he whispers, his lips barely brushing against yours, “are more than I deserve.”

He leans in and closes the infinitesimal gap between your mouths. He kisses you desperately, like you’ll disappear any moment, and you can feel all of the emotions he’s been locking away. His arms are wound tightly around you as he pulls you into his lap. You weave your hands through his hair, and he deepens the kiss. Your shirt rides up as you shift, and you feel his hand slip up your shirt and rest against your back. It ignites a fire within you and you want to tell him to take it off completely, but your lungs are screaming for air, so you have no choice but to pull away.

“Sorry,” Renjun says breathlessly, his chest heaving up and down, as he takes his hand out from under your shirt.

“No, I liked it,” you say, shaking your head and placing your forehead against his. “I just ran out of air.”

“No,” he disagrees, “I didn’t mean for it to go that far. It was supposed to be a sweet kiss, but I lost control.” 

He tugs your shirt back down and gently sets you back down next to him. You can’t help but giggle at how flustered he is. It’s not often that Athena children, especially Huang Renjun, loses control of their emotions like that. 

“I’m glad you find this amusing,” he says wryly, rolling his eyes. 

“You know,” you say in a sing-song voice, “I still technically never broke my streak. I found you a girlfriend within five days.”

“Does it really count if you ended up being my girlfriend?” He raises an eyebrow. “Seems a little unprofessional to me.” 

“Don’t be a sore loser,” you taunt.

“You also said you were going to make me fall in love so hard that I’d forget my own name,” he points out. “And I didn’t, so that’s false advertising. Unprofessional and unethical? I could sue you.” 

“You are so petty,” you squint. “And come on! That kiss didn’t make your forget? It made me forget!”

“I don’t like you that much.” He deadpans.

“Huang Renjun, you are so not cute!” 

4 YEARS AGO.

“It’s not my best work, so you can have it,” Renjun says, trying to act casual about it.

You look so happy that Renjun would have painted a thousand more if you asked him to. You have a smile that could make the goddesses envious, and he can barely hear what you’re saying over the thumping of his own heart. He hopes his expression looks somewhat elusive because he’s not sure how to handle himself right now. 

You’re the prettiest girl he’s ever seen in his life. 

Renjun feels like he’s been shot by Eros’ arrow. He used to never understand why everyone was so wary of Eros; he’s basically just a mascot for corny Valentine’s Day cards. Apollo and his children avoid Eros and his children like the plague. Though granted, Eros did force Apollo to fall in love with Daphne and then she ended up turning into a tree. So, there is a little bit of history there. Point being, Renjun just didn’t get it.

But he think he does now.

“Thank you so much!” you say excitedly, extending your hand. “I’m Y/N!”

Renjun just stupidly stares at you. He’s not even sure if he’s worthy to touch your hand, but he also doesn’t want to be rude. He carefully shakes your hand, unable to say a word.

“What’s your name?” you ask, tilting your head. 

Is it possible for a person to be this adorable? he thinks to himself.

“I’m...” 

You’re looking at him, waiting expectantly.

“I’m...”

You’re still smiling, but he can see the slight confusion in your eyes. He’s never felt like more of a moron in his life. 

“Ren...jun,” he finally says after an extreme amount of concentration. 

You beam at him, and he wonders if he’s the only one seeing the ring of light surrounding you. There’s no way you aren’t Aphrodite’s favorite child.

“Nice to meet you, Renjun! Let’s be friends.” 

Renjun isn’t sure he wants to be just friends, but he finds himself nodding along anyways. 

Fuck, he thinks, I’m in trouble.

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: I'm looking forward to read what you guys think of this one -Danny Words: 1,533 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'Haunted' -by Taylor Swift

XXIV: I Use the Power of Love (Goes Wrong Too)

When they reach the bottom, Annabeth is staring down a ridge in the middle of the cave. Percy pulls her away from it and hugs her. Annabeth sobs against his chest. 

"It's okay, we're together," he eases her.

"Annie," Ara reaches for her T-Rex. "Your leg..."

Ara gets to work quickly while Leo follows her instructions and takes the Athena Parthenos. Hazel and Piper come down with Nico as well, and Ara wants to yell at them to go back, but she keeps it quiet, they're trying to help them get out of there faster.

"Your leg," Piper crouches next to Ara. "Oh, Annabeth, what happened?"

Annabeth starts telling them about her quest, and Ara half-listens, her heartbeat so loud she can barely focus on fixing up Annabeth's ankle. Jason joins them while Leo lifts the statue into the ship.

"Gods of Olympus," he says, listening to the final parts of Annabeth's story. "You did all that alone. With a broken ankle."

"Well... some of it with a broken ankle."

"You made Arachne weave her own trap?" Percy smirks. "I knew you were good, but Holy Hera—Annabeth, you did it. Generations of Athena kids tried and failed. You found the Athena Parthenos!"

"Yeah, good job—now eat," Ara places a piece of ambrosia in Annabeth's mouth. "How're you feeling?"

"My ankle isn't throbbing anymore," she gives Ara a teary but grateful look. "Mike would be proud."

"You have no idea..." Ara strokes Annabeth's cheek, pulling most of the anguish out with her empath touch. "Percy, help me get her out of here."

"On it."

"We have to take her with us to Greece," Annabeth points at the Athena. "The statue is powerful. Something about it will help us stop the giants."

"The giants' bane stands gold and pale," Hazel hums. "Won with pain from a woven jail... It was Arachne's jail. You tricked her into weaving it."

"What about you guys?" Annabeth looks around, still covered in cobwebs that she doesn't seem to mind at the moment. "What happened with the giants?"

"You can talk about that on the ship," Ara urges them. "Get up!"

Percy pulls Annabeth to her feet. "Maybe you can talk some sense into Ara, she's been—"

The floor cracks, reminding the group they're not in a safe place. Jason takes Piper back to the ship, and Hazel holds Nico. "This floor won't last! The rest of us should get to the ladder."

"Great idea," Ara replies. "Nico and you first. Percy—take Annabeth."

"What about you?" He frowns.

"I'll be right behind you," she lies.

"Do you promise?" Her brother presses.

Ara can't, of course, and she doesn't get the chance to, because Annabeth gets yanked away from them screaming. 

"Annabeth!"

The cobwebs are dragging her down, probably stuck to some debris that's fallen into the pit. Ara pulls Almighty out of her pocket and runs to her friend.

"You catch her!" She yells at Percy.

The boy throws himself and grabs Annabeth's hand, Ara slashes across the floor and cuts the cobwebs, but her sword cuts through the ground as well, making it more unstable. The girls lock eyes, and Annabeth sees right through her just like Lily would. Her expression shifts into one of pure panic. 

"Ara—"

"Leave." Ara sprints towards the pit and Annabeth, charged with adrenaline, gets up and runs, seemingly not in pain as she quickly catches up to Ara. Both girls hear Percy scream at them to come back.

It happens extremely fast. Annabeth seizes Ara's backpack and yanks her back, the girl falls sideways and her elbow explodes in pain, leaving her unable to move for a second... and a second is all it takes for things to go south, quite literally. Annabeth screams, and Ara rolls over just in time to see her and Percy slip out of sight. 

"NO!" She rashly crawls to the edge.

Percy and Annabeth had always been there to protect her, and she'd always been thankful for that... but she should've never let them get used to it, cause it has led to this: her brother holding onto a ledge, where Ara cannot save him. 

The boy is holding Annabeth with his other hand, and Ara realizes the girl is hugging the T-Rex, the strap must've broken when Annabeth pulled her out of danger.

"You should've left!" Ara desperately tries to reach her brother even though Percy is more than ten feet below. "You never listen to me!"

Percy screams back, sounding as scared as her. "Why didn't you listen?"

Deep down, she believed Annabeth and Percy's love had limits, she convinced herself that even if they cared about her, their resolve would break and they would back off just like Lily did. This is not how she wanted to find out she was wrong.

Nico speaks next to her, sounding shaken. "What did you do?"

Ara whimpers with frustration, none of them should've been there.

"Percy, let me go," Annabeth speaks hoarsely. "You can't pull me up."

"Never," Percy growls. His eyes go back to Ara and Nico. "The other side! We'll see you there. Understand?" 

Nico's face gets even paler than it already was. "But—"

"Lead them there!" Percy urges him. "Promise me!"

"I—I will," Nico gulps.

Ara's knuckles are white from holding onto the edge. This is not how it was supposed to go. It was her sacrifice to make... "No." Nemesis speaks in her head. "You don't value yourself, which makes you a poor sacrifice. These two, they are your offerings."

Ara's commitment to the cause runs deep, she's willing to give up her life with Leo, but only because it's her the one stepping out. She doesn't want others to be taken so she can remain. Percy and Annabeth should have never been hers to give away like this. It's unfair, as all her life has been.

Percy starts to slip, and the chamber crumbles down faster, none of them is going to survive if they stay there. "The T-Rex!" Ara shouts. "It's got supplies and my blessing! Love will keep you safe!"

Those words saved Percy's life once, they can do it again. Her brother's eyes burn with anger and something else she doesn't recognize, he realizes Ara had prepared for the fall and it doesn't make him feel better. 

That look being the last one he will ever give her is not an option, it would haunt her more than Mike's words.

Her brother's hand loses its grip, and Ara lets out something like a scream and a sob, but so broken it doesn't even sound human.

"GET UP!" Nico yells, pulling her to her feet and dragging her away with the last bit of strength he's got in him.

I always thought having a real family was better than having half-siblings. I imagined it'd be an unbreakable bond, affection with no limits. I feel that way about Percy most times, but right now, I want to trip him down the amphitheater steps.

"Ara!"

I give a start. Mike's sweating profusely, and he does not appreciate it when I ignore training. I look at him, then back at my brother.

"What is it?" He follows my line of vision.

I speak without tearing my eyes away from Percy, currently taking a break from climbing the lava wall. "Five minutes."

"What?"

"Takes him five minutes to climb the whole thing."

Michael rolls his eyes. "Well, it's Percy."

That's the response I get whenever I say my brother can do something better. "It's Percy". I know he's strong and skilled, but I've been in this camp for longer than him, I train more, so why are my efforts still not enough to compare to him?

"Age, gender, godly parent," I pout. "Why do those things set us apart? We have similar experiences, and he might have control over water, but—"

"It's more than that," Mike interrupts me. "There are things that big-three kids get since birth because they get targeted more than us. He heals faster, he moves faster—"

"I don't heal slowly," I argue.

"Percy could get stabbed and keep going for an entire hour before he even starts to feel dizzy. You'd be out of the fight in five minutes. Lily and I know you can be sneaky, but Percy doesn't even need to."

That last sentence irritates me. I don't want to hide and run, I've been hiding and running from every monster for the last three years.

Beckendorf joins Percy while I think of this, both look like all demigods should: Athletic, handsome, and powerful. I'll be fourteen in a week, and I'm bruised, calloused, sweaty, and tired. I'm not like them at all, nowhere near their level.

"Whatever," I mutter, picking up my sword.

Mike sighs. "Don't dwell on it, bug. One day you'll be the daughter of Olympus and you'll be stronger than all of us. It won't matter if you were born with power or not, you'll have it either way."

"I know," I reply, adopting a fighting stance.

I don't know if my friend can tell, but I mimic Percy's movements when I fight. I try not to because they don't work for me, but I can't help it. 

I keep saying that. "I try not to", whenever I think about Percy. I try, but I can't stop. Being close to someone like him, and knowing what a great hero he is, it's easy to flick the switch and resent him for the reasons I liked him at the start.

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

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[plague-of-insomnia]

Ch 185 - The Final Countdown, My Translation

This chapter is about 90% of just Ada talking, explaining how she became involved with the Aurora Society.

I’m gonna post small versions of the pages, and I ask that you be respectful of the time and effort I put into this transition.

As always, I’m human, and I make mistakes, so apologies in advance for any errors.

I will say ahead of time that the final page I am not 100% exactly sure what is happening, bc it’s a little ambiguous, so please check my notes at the end for some clarifications on that.

Page 1

SFX: ザァァァ(Rain falling)

SFX: パラ… (Page flip)

Page 2

Ada: After returning from the front, I went to work as a nurse at a hospital in the outskirts, but nursing in my home country was no different than it was on the battlefield.

In the smoking room, I heard tales of an Angel named Nightingale from a distant land.

Page 3

SFX: ぐっ… (clenching teeth)

Ada: The hospital was out of date.

Ada, boxes: I fought with my colleagues and doctors. I urged them to follow the nursing practices Nightingale preached.

But… But they just wouldn’t listen.

After that, I moved from one facility to another.

Page 4

Ada, boxes: At that point, someone from the Aurora Society approached me, saying “Why don’t we make healthy nursing a reality?”

Bard: !!

Ada: Finally, someone was willing to talk about this. I jumped at the opportunity. At last, my dream of ideal nursing could become reality.

Page 5

Boxes, Ada telling her story: They presented me with this: Athena Veterans of Foreign Wars [Sanatorium]. The only condition was that we collect patients’ blood as samples for “new medical research.”

That’s what they said. I had my doubts, but I was on the verge of realizing my dream, so I… I pushed my doubts out of my mind.

But…

Then I read about the music hall murders in the newspaper.

I was certain this place was connected somehow… “what’s going on?,” I thought.

Page 6

Boxes, Ada telling her story: And yet, I… I pretended not to see the connection. I turned a blind eye to it, for the sake of Athena Veterans Sanatorium.

But…

Not long ago, they increased the amount of blood required. It was a lot of blood. If I took that much from my patients, I couldn’t assure their safety. So I complained to [the Aurora Society].

“Then we’ll terminate your support,” they told me.

SFX: グッ… (clenching fist)

Page 7

Boxes, Ada telling her story: I refused to hurt anyone in this sanatorium. But… but without support [from Aurora], I couldn’t help my patients.

Ada: I… I… What can I possibly do?

Bard: I have decided to live the only life I have. “If there is any evidence of blood collection, destroy those facilities.”

Page 8

Bard: As it stands, I’ll have to slit your throat and hunt down every patient like buffalo.

Bard: But if you stop collecting blood right now, I’ll become your ally instead.

Ada: Huh…?

Bard: Your dream, your efforts—they’re not wrong. Here, look, you can see what you’ve accomplished, understand?

Page 9

Bard: Promise me. Can you do that? That you’ll never again violate your principles, your beliefs. That you won’t hand over any [more] blood to the Aurora Society.

SFX: ぎゃっ (press lips together**)

Ada: ……Yes! [I promise]

SFX: チァッ (kachak; metal sound of gun uncocking)

Bard: Good answer. Now let’s get moving. When’s the next blood collection?

Ada: ………

Page 10

Ada: ……Tomorrow.

Bard: What?! Tsk…

Bard: Anyway, I’ll handle it. You just act normal, stick to your usual routine, understand?

SFX: だっ (dash/run)

Narration (Bard’s thoughts): I don’t have time to ask the young master for instructions. I need to buy us some time.

SFX: ヒュッ (swoosh)

Page 11

SFX: ドドド ッ(bang bang bang*)

SFX: ヒタ… (smoothly/swiftly)

Lau: Is that your answer? Such a shame, Mr. Chef…

~#~

**I’m not entirely sure what this sound effect means here, honestly. It usually means a scream or grabbing something, and I’m sure it’s intended to show hesitation/resolve, so that’s why I translated it the way I did, but take it with a grain of salt

*This last page was hell. When I first read it, I assumed that Bard was being shot at, based on the way it was drawn and that dododo often means a bang or loud repetitive thumping sound. However, some people think it’s not gunfire but perhaps could be needles Lau is throwing at him (though I think that would be a slightly different sound effect). “Dododo” can also refer to rapid, heavy footsteps, or even something like “dun dun dunnn” in English, as in something bad (and surprising) is happening/about to happen…. So I’ll let you decide for yourself what’s going on there.

[thisissirius]

spoilers for 4x04.

five people who love buck unconditionally and the one to whom love can’t describe everything buck is firefam + buck (buck/eddie)

. protection

“I wanted her to tell you.”

Buck’s tried being mad at Chim. He’s been mad at Maddie and his parents, Chim, Eddie. Everyone and everything, even when they didn’t deserve it. “I know.”

If Buck remembers anything from the past few days it’s this; Chim batting for him, a solid barrier doing his best to stand by his girlfriend and Buck all at once.

“Can I ask you a question?” At Chim’s nod, Buck stares at his hands. “How did it feel when—Albert arrived and you knew your father loved him in ways he never could you?”

It’s an unfair question and Buck knows it. Chims expression shifts into discomfort and then something that Buck doesn’t wanna name.

“I’m sorry. That’s not fair.”

“Hey, no,” Chim says, reaching over and taking Buck’s arm. “I’m not offended that you asked. I can’t imagine—okay maybe I can a bit. It’s not a great feeling. I felt unloved. So not so different.”

Buck smiles, but there’s no humour in it. “Yeah. It sucks.”

“Except,” Chim continues, catching Buck’s eye and holding it. “That I’m not unloved. And neither are you.”

.buckaroo

Hen keeps watching him.

It’s fair. Buck keeps scaring everyone; not that he means to. Maybe he’s just that fucked that things will keep happening to him. Buck hopes not. He’s not sure there’s much left of him to take.

“You can ask.”

Hen raises her eyebrows. “Ask what?”

Buck waves a hand. “Whatever it is you wanna ask.”

“Buckaroo,” Hen says, and that name hurts. He ducks his head, feels an invisible hand squeeze his heart. Hen touches his thigh, squeezes. “Is it the name?”

“My mom doesn’t like nicknames,” Buck says, looking away. “She’s never liked that I call myself Buck. Chim had to call himself Howard just because he didn’t wanna put them out!”

Hen nods. She doesn’t move her hand. “I heard. Do you like the nickname?”

Buck nods. “I wouldn’t tell people that’s my name otherwise. I just feel—if I let everyone call me Evan, maybe she’d look at me for once and—“

“Love you?” Hen asks, her voice quiet.

Throat tight, Buck doesn’t know how to answer. He nods, feels his eyes burn with tears.

Hen shifts, sits on the couch next to him. “You’re my Buckaroo.”

Buck cries then, feels like it’s bursting out of him and through it all, Hen holds him.

.parental

Going into Bobby’s office never means anything good, but Buck finds some measure of comfort in it this time as he knocks on the door.

“Buck,” Bobby says with a smile. “I thought your first shift back wasn’t until—“

“It’s not,” Buck says, dropping into the chair opposite Bobby. “I wanted to talk to you. Well you and Athena but I didn’t wanna just turn up on your doorstep—“

Bobby raises an eyebrow. “That’s never bothered you before.”

“I haven’t doubted myself so much more,” Buck says before he can stop himself. At Bobby’s expression, he wipes a hand over his face. “Sorry that wasn’t meant to come out.”

“I’m glad it did.” Bobby pulls out his phone and Buck freezes, holds out a hand to stop him calling. The last thing Buck needs is to worry Eddie some more.

“You can’t call—“

“I’m calling Athena,” Bobby explains, but he smiles, amused. “Should I call someone else?”

Buck flushes, stares out of the glass to where he knows Hen and Chim are somewhere. To where Eddie is. “No.”

“Hmm.” Thankfully Bobby doesn’t say anything else. Buck waits, not even sure what Bobby’s calling Athena for, when the phone rings.

“Hey Baby,” Athena says.

“I have company,” Bobby says quickly, and Buck’s glad because no. He doesn’t wanna think about that.

“Oh?”

“Hey Athena,” Buck says, waving a hand even though she can’t see.

A pause. “Buckaroo! Where have you been?”

“Uh,” Buck starts.

“Bobby and I haven’t disappeared and I know you know where I live.”

Buck finds himself smiling, dropping his head. “I do.”

“Then I expect you on Saturday, you hear me?”

“I can’t,” Buck says. Before she can object, he continues, “I’m having dinner with Eddie and Chris.”

Athena makes a noise that Bobby shares. Buck deliberately doesn’t think about it. “Friday then. No objections.”

Buck meets Bobby’s eyes and smiles. “I don’t have any. I’ll see you Friday.”

“You better.” Athena’s tone is softer when she adds, “we love you, Buck, you know that right?”

Bobby holds his eyes and Buck feels warmth blossom up through him.

“I know.”

And he does.

.united

Buck takes a deep breath and knocks on the door. It takes a while, but then Maddie’s pulling it open. She looks upset, tired, and Buck feels awful. “I’m sorry.”

Maddie’s face crumples and Buck pushes into the apartment, taking her into his arms even as he shuts the door.

“I’m so sorry,” he says again, kissing the top of her head. “I said united front and left.”

Maddie shakes her head, pulling back. “You had every right.”

“Maybe,” Buck allows. “But I should have talked to you instead of ghosting you. I know how that feels after all.”

There’s a hint of a smile on Maddie’s face as they sit down. Neither of them knows quite what to say, but Buck reaches out, takes Maddie’s hand in his.

“You were nine,” he says slowly, squeezing her fingers. “What they asked you to do—you didn’t do anything wrong.” It’s taken a long time for him to be aware of that; a long time and people talking to him, letting him get everything out. Buck’s learning his support network is bigger than he thought.

Maddie nods, pressing a hand to her mouth.

“You’ve always had my back. You left,” he says, but shakes his head when she tries to talk. “I don’t mean—you left because you had to and I won’t hold that against you. I wish you had come to me sooner but I know why you didn’t, why you were scared.”

Looking hopeful, Maddie says, “if I could have taken you with me.”

“I know.” Buck smiles, less sadness in him than he’s had since their parents showed up. “You’ve always done what’s best for me, Maddie. I believe that. I love you.”

Again, Maddie starts to cry. “I do love you,” she says, pushing forward. The hug is awkward but Buck hangs on, kisses Maddie’s head. “I love you so much.”

.the gift

The Diaz kitchen is a mess when Buck enters. “Is this the right house?”

“No!” Chris pokes his head around the door. “You’re early!”

Over Chris’ head, Eddie looks—Buck wants to laugh. He’s got flour on one cheek, mixture on the other, and his hair is slick with—is that milk?

“Eddie,” Buck says around a laugh. Then, to Chris, he says, “what’s this for?”

Chris looks at his dad, then back to Buck. “You were sad the other day. I heard you crying but Dad was helping.” Buck’s chest seizes. Oh god. He never meant— “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I don’t know why your parents didn’t get you birthday cakes, Bucky! I asked Dad to help me make one.”

Buck’s speechless. He looks up at Eddie, who’s smiling softly at Chris—and at Buck? Buck nods, reaches out for Chris’ shoulder. “That makes me really happy.”

“Good,” Chris says. “Because Dad says you have to show people you love them when they can’t hear it. Or don’t want to.”

Buck feels burning behind his eyes. How many times is he gonna cry this week? “Thanks, Christopher.”

His voice breaks, but he doesn’t have time to hide because Chris hugs him tightly. “I love you, Buck.”

Buck squeezes his eyes shut, breathes in Chris and says, “I love you too.”

Later, when they’re full of dinner and cake, Buck’s got a Diaz boy either side. Eddie’s been asleep for about a half hour, tipping closer to Buck with every movie scene. Chris is still wide awake, tucked under Buck’s arm.

“Did the cake make you happy?”

Buck smiles. “It did. Your dad can bake!”

“Abuela had to talk to him because he was going crazy!”

Buck can imagine it. Eddie flitting about the kitchen in a mood because he fails at anything oven related. “Well I’m glad she did.”

Chris laughs, hugs himself closer to Buck. “Were you sad because your parents are mean?”

Buck closes his eyes. To see the world through a child’s lens. “Yeah. They just—didn’t love me as much as your mom and dad loved you.”

Chris looks up at him and Buck hates that he’s gonna find out things that can hurt. Things like absence and disinterest. That he already has. “I can share Dad.”

“Chris,” Buck says, overcome., and kisses the top of his head. “You’re such a good kid, you know that?”

“Not always,” Chris complains, and Buck laughs.

“Most of the time.”

Eddie’s raised a good kid. Kindness that Eddie’s got buried deep, and despite his own parental issues, manages to bring his kid up that way. When he turns, Eddie’s looking at him. Buck’s stomach swoops. Eddie leans in, hugs Buck awkwardly. “We’ll talk when he’s in bed.”

It should be terrifying; Buck’s never liked those words, but while Eddie’s expression is intense, there’s more love and affection staring him in the face than he knows what to do with.

.mine

Buck feels calm despite what he knows is coming. Chris begs for a story from both of them, then Buck needs to leave the room. He tells them he needs the toilet but really he’s overwhelmed. Calm, but overwhelmed. Can you be both?

“Hey,” Eddie says, hovering in the doorway. “How was dinner with Bobby and Athena?”

Buck thinks back to the meal, to Bobby and Athena being themselves while still showing Buck he’s not alone. It’s a tough thing they’ve all decided to do, convincing Buck he’s loved. It’ll take time, but he doesn’t doubt them. He trusts them. “It was a lot. But I’m glad I went.”

Eddie nods, crosses the room to sit next to him. “And you? Any urge to punch things?”

Buck laughs, tips his head back against the couch. “No. Your advice was taken with enthusiasm.”

“Good.” Eddie’s quiet. He sits back, stares at his hands. “And you? What’s going on in that head?”

“Too much,” Buck admits. He sighs. “I feel better? Everyone’s being great. I know I’m loved.”

“But?”

Buck huffs. “Sometimes I hate that you know me so well.”

“No you don’t,” Eddie says, certain of himself.

Buck shakes his head, smiling. “No, I guess I don’t.” He looks at Eddie’s who’s staring back at him, closer than he was. “My whole life they’ve lied to me. Had me for one reason and then—forgot about me when I wasn’t what they wanted.”

“I know.”

“I just wanted them to love me,” Buck says.

“I know.”

They’ve had this conversation before and Buck hates that he’s still going over it, but he can’t make the thoughts stop. “How do I stop thinking about it?”

Eddie sighs, shifts closer so their arms are touching. “I don’t think you can. Maybe you try,” he amends. “But it’s always there, ready to take hold when you don’t want it to.”

“So what do I do?” Buck doesn’t know why he’s so desperate for Eddie to tell him.

“You deal with it,” Eddie says. “But you also give yourself other things; surround yourself with people who care, who love you. Find things you enjoy. Just—realise you’re more than your parents’ child.”

Buck nods, even though it’s hard to imagine he can ever do that. Eddie touches his face, bringing Buck’s head up.

“You’re so much more. The kindness you think I gave Chris? You have to know so much of it is from you as well. You have so much goodness in you, Buck, and I know it didn’t come from them. Which means it’s all you. Down to here.” Eddie presses a hand to his heart.

“It doesn’t feel like it,” Buck says, voice tight. “Sometimes I don’t know what I’m doing. Or who I am.”

“You’re Buck. A friend. A brother. An uncle,” Buck smiles. “A father.”

Buck freezes. “What?”

Eddie looks serious. “You’re everything I could hope for in anyone I choose to love, Buck. For Chris, I mean.” There’s a touch of red to Eddie’s face and ears. “If they could give him everything you give him, I’d be lucky.”

Buck swallows, suddenly nervous, and presses into Eddie’s hand against his cheek. “I’m messed up.”

“Yeah,” Eddie breathes. “But you’ve always been this,” he says, tapping Buck’s chest. “And I love you anyway.”

Oh. Buck hardly dares breathe. “I love you too.”

“The forever kind,” Eddie admits quietly. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop.”

“Okay,” Buck says. “Because I’d really like not to be alone.”

“Never,” Eddie promises.

Buck wonders later why they didn’t kiss, but in the moment, as Eddie holds him, nose nestled in his curls, everything feels as it should.

Right, for the first time—ever.