#my brother and I both have it but I think my mom got braces when she moved to canada | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

fictionallystable · 8 months ago

Text

Rating: Mature

Fandom: Call of Duty (Video Games)

Relationship: Phillip Graves (Call of Duty)/Reader

Characters: Reader, Phillip Graves (Call of Duty), Original Male Character(s)

Additional Tags: Author Has Played Call of Duty, Childhood Friends, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining, Civilian!Reader, Pre-Canon, Jealousy, Angst, Kissing, Mild Smut, Time Skips, Brother's Best Friend, Toxic Family Dynamics, Eventual Smut, Drama, Misunderstandings, Getting Together, Minor Age Gap

Words: 9,080| Chapters: 4/5

Authors: @orphancains & @collinnmckinley

Chapter 4: The Engagement Party

Chapter Summary: You're invited to Matty's engagement party and run into a familiar face—only for everything to seemingly fall apart.

A/N: agian we are extremely apologetic for the late update. life got hectic for both of us and hit us like a bus. and we were too exahsted from everything to even think about writing. but here we are!!! with a longer chapter to make it up to yall!! we really hope you enjoy this one c: only one chapter left to go ;) (likes and reblogs are appreciated <3)

the fic can also be found on AO3

tags will be updated!!

You felt nauseous at the thought of returning home for Matty’s engagement party. You’d been living out of town, happy with your job as an architect even if it meant you sometimes went months without seeing family. But you preferred it that way, with less judgment from your parents for choosing to postpone your own engagement yet again.

With your boyfriend Richard’s arm around your waist, you braced yourself for the booming cheers from your mother and father when they saw you. Immediately, they enveloped you in hugs and shook you with delight.

“[Y/N], oh, it’s so good to see you! We’ve missed you so much.”

“The drive must’ve been tiring, huh? How’s work been, Richard?”

“[Y/N], your figure looks great! And that skirt is gorgeous!”

Ah, yes. The skirt Richard picked out for me.

Your mother’s wrinkled, smiling eyes rubbed your back as you made your way to the living room for a drink, while Richard stayed in the hall with your father, enraptured in more dull small talk. The stiff smile you had kept carved on your face all this time suddenly melted into a real one when you saw Bear, your dog, laying on the ground.

You knelt down immediately to pet him, forgetting the drink your mom was getting you. You rubbed your hands through his long, brown fur as he wagged his tail back and forth. He panted excitedly, leaning up trying to lick your cheek. You laughed. “I’m glad you’re looking good, Bear,” you said to the dog. He had been staying comfortably with your mother for the past 6 months, enjoying her leftovers but far away from you. Every night, you wished you could cuddle up with the dog. But Richard insisted that no dogs be allowed in your apartment.

“ I can’t handle all the hair, especially with it sticking to my suits. And I doubt you’ll have the time to clean up after a German Shepherd’s furballs with your workload ,” you remembered he sourly sneered while he unpacked your boxes all those months ago.

“And Matty?” you asked your mom when she handed you a cup of soda and ice in a red plastic solo, while Bear rolled over on his back elatedly.

“He’s outside entertaining the guests with Elaine.” Your mom grinned. “Her parents seem to be very happy with our arrangement.”

You tried to smile, but a grimace cracked through instead. Ever since you graduated high school, your mother and father had insisted you get married quickly. Matty seemed to have no issue finding the right girl to propose to. You, on the other hand, well… you couldn’t see yourself with Richard. He was protective, he remembered your anniversaries, and he always made the time to take you on dates, to remember your favorite flowers, and always paraded you with pride at his own work parties. But the thought of saying “I do” to the man made your chest bubble with anxiety. And maybe even dread. Sometimes he was too protective, interrupted you too much, and sometimes took his sarcastic jokes too far to the point of cruelty. You were sensitive, ever since your adolescence. But… you could get used to it, right?

“Oh, that’s great news,” you muttered in reply to your mother.

Your mother leered at you from the corner of her eye. A mischievous but scrutinizing twinkle in her eyes. “Yes, it’s just a matter of time before you and Richard have your very own—”

“I should go say hi to Matty, yes?” You got up quickly and brushed the wrinkles from your skirt. “And of course, to my future sister-in-law…” you sputtered out as you scurried past your mother.

When you stepped out onto the back garden, you were hit once again with the warm, thick heat of the Texas night. You saw your brother from behind, with his arm around Elaine, whose long, pin-straight hung like a curtain from behind her, and a cold beer in his hand. You saw they were laughing while they chatted to an older man and woman you didn’t recognize, crinkled skin and silvery but pin-straight thin hair that Elaine had. From what you could guess, they must’ve been Elaine’s parents.

It was hard to hide your joy at seeing your brother. You sauntered up to your brother, wanting to catch up with him. Last time you’d seen him, he’d been arguing with your dad about the very idea of proposing to Elaine. He wanted to wait another couple of months, but your father insisted Elaine would start to get impatient and would find another husband, another arrangement. Your brother had stormed off that day, driven away in his car, uttering nothing more than a “Not now!” at you when you had asked if he was okay.

“Matty!” you called out to your brother from where you stood. Your smile couldn’t get any wider. Yes you spoke with your brother every week when work let you, but it's been a long while since you last saw your brother in person.

So when he heard your voice calling his name, he turned to see you standing there, at your parents backyard porch, waving to him excitedly, he couldn’t help but let out an airy laugh and immediately started to make his way to you. You did the same and both met in the middle as you scooped you in a hug lifting your feet off the ground. Oh how he missed his baby sister. Although all grown up.

Seeing how excitedly Matty basically ran towards you, it made Elaine chuckle and shake her head. She knew how strong the sibling bond you and your brother shared, and she found it extremely endearing and adorable in a way she can never experience, as she was the only child.

As Matty let you down on the ground again, Elaine made her way to greet you. When you saw her you couldn’t help but hug her too. You liked Elaine, she was like a sister you never had, and you couldn’t be happier for both of them.

“It’s so good to see you [Y/N]! We missed you so much” Elaine told you, her smile was bright and contagious. You couldn’t help but to mirror her excitement and feeling.

“It’s good to see you both too! I’m so sorry I couldn’t get earlier work got in the way, and we packed at the last minute-” you expressed how regretful you were about how late you arrived. You truly meant to arrive earlier, to help your brother and his wife-to-be with the arrangement of the party, but the universe had other plans for you.

Before you went on a tangent, Matty cut you off with his usual reassuring demeanor.

“Nonsense! You’re here and that's what matters.” Elaine nodded, as Matty’s hand came around her shoulder. They truly looked like a couple made for each other.

“Oh! Before you go or do anything, I gotta show you who’s here!” Matty said, his excitement meant trouble. For some reason you were worried.

“Oh there he is! Just the man I was looking for hah!” Matty was looking over your shoulder when he spoke.

As you turned around like any normal person would do to see who your brother was talking about, the air was knocked out of you immediately as your eyes landed on him.

“Phil…” you sputtered out, quiet enough for it to be a whisper.

Phillip Graves stood a few feet away from you, far enough to reach in a couple of steps. And that's what he did when your brother called him over. The Phillip Graves was standing in front of you now, except now he was older. His hair was still the light brown, almost blonde hair that had as a teen. His tan skin now was littered with a few scars, on accenting his cheek bone. You remembered he was tall, always athletic, as a kid from playing varsity football and soccer. But now, he had filled out muscles under his burgundy t-shirt and light-wash jeans. And he still towered over you just enough that you had to peer up to meet his blue eyes.

With a surprised, almost confused smile, he repeated your name back to you.

“Phillip... Phil…” you breathed out, still in disbelief. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Of course he’s gonna be here, silly! He’s my best friend, I couldn’t have a wedding without him being my best man can I?” you’re brother jokes. Before you could say anything to him, you heard a distant voice calling his name. He answers “coming!”, but not before bidding you both to have a good time and catch up.

He knows how much Phil meant to you, and he knows for sure for the past fifteen years how much you tried to forget him.

You watched as your brother and his fiancee in his arms went to tend to the other guests, before turning to Phillip, who’s smile grew into one of his beaming ones that you’d grown familiar with as a teen. “Hopefully seeing me ain’t a bad surprise.” He winks at you teasingly before smiling softly. He gestured to the plastic, white porch table nearby. “D’ya wanna sit?”

Tentatively, you took a seat across from him at the table. He looked around, almost looking bored, as he took a drink of his own beer bottle. But you knew Phil. He wasn’t disinterested. You could tell from the way he was bouncing his left leg in slight nervousness.

“So, how have you been [Y/N]? I heard you became a big shot architect in Seattle! Not gonna lie, I thought that you’d become a famous artist with her own exhibit all across the country.” Phillip genuinely sounded happy and surprised, leaning back in his chair, hands intertwining on his torso. A habit he picked up during his time away from home in the Marine Corps.

You smiled at him. He recognized that as the one your mother trained you to show new people. It only got sweeter—and prettier—as you grew older, he thought. It suited you even as you were no longer a little girl and now a beautiful, grown woman. Graves’ heart strings tugged, and for a split second, and only for that tiny moment, he was taken off guard.

“Yeah.” You paused but only for a second. “Things turned out differently. But I can't complain.” That sweet smile still plastered on your face. Phil couldn’t believe it, how much you’ve changed, how much you’ve grown. How beautiful you’ve become-

“Things… didn’t end well the last time we saw each other.” He was lost in thought again but your voice brought him back.

“Or rather didn’t see.” You murmured.

He knitted his brows in confusion. “I’m not following.”

Annoyance began to stir inside you. You huffed and looked away.

He nearly stammered his words. “From what I last remember; we had a blast at your birthday party, Matty gave you a puppy, the one that he’d been planning months to get for you. And I—”

“And you left.” Your eyes, returning to him and now darker with hurt, pierced straight into his eyes, and your silky voice cut him like a sharp knife. “Practically the next day.” “Without saying a single word to me about your enlistment that day.” A sad, but bitter, smile adorned your face, eyes cast downward. As the memories of that day continued to unfurl for you, a dormant resentment continued to bubble in the depths of your viscera.

“You didn’t even bother to say goodbye to Matty properly let alone me.” Your voice was softer now, but he could still see the hurt behind your eyes. “Much less to my parents who—”

“Listen, [Y/N], I didn’t—” He clenched his jaw and dragged his chair closer, hoping to keep his voice low. He felt embarrassed to be having this conversation with you in the first place in your parents’ backyard. And he especially didn’t want Matty to know you were talking about this with him. Still, he felt he owed you an explanation. “I didn’t want to scare you….” he stops and looks at you, in his eyes an emotion you have never seen before swims, you can't decipher it, but it somehow looks familiar. “Or hurt you for that matter.”

He shook his head, crossing his arms across his chest. He scoffed, just barely audible to you. “But be realistic for a moment. What did you expect me to say to you? ‘Hey, kiddo, I’m off to join the Marine Corps. Might die or get a limb or two blown off. Make sure you do your homework and don’t stay up too late playing video games with Matty! Bye!”

Phil couldn’t help being defensive of his actions that summer, a bit too defensive even to his liking. He sighs and continues with a bit of a calmer voice. Phil knew that his answer wasn’t half-assed, but he still knew they could be biting. Although he didn’t want to reopen old wounds, he also didn’t want to lie to you. Especially not now that you were no longer a child, and not just Matty’s kid sister. “I did what I thought was right, for you… and me. And I wouldn’t change it if I had to do it again. That’s the truth.”

You blinked. You couldn’t help but hear something alien in his voice, a tone so unfamiliar in your memories of him as kids. Was it sorrow? Remorse? Pain? You couldn’t figure it out. But you know it was something not to be pushed any further. As a kid you never understood why he did what he did, but as you grew older, somehow you knew that as a child everyone’s decisions were outside your range of understanding. You had accepted what happened. Or at least you thought you did. But today that young girl returned, took back control your body and mind, and you found yourself spluttering these words to Phil.

Sitting with his own answers, you sat in silence. You watched as he leaned back and eyed you carefully. His eyes were still the same baby blue ones that always gazed at you with brotherly affection all those years, the ones that sparkled when the Texan summer sun’s rays cast on them. But now you felt a hardness radiating from behind them, one that would make anyone else cower and feel smaller. Years in military combat had definitely changed him and his gaze. Indeed, you did feel like he was studying every inch of your face and body, scanning you as if trying to profile you, maybe like he did with the captured combatants in whatever war in which he fought. You tried your hardest to return the intensity of his stare, but it was hard to compete with the icy look in his eyes.

But behind his colder eyes was a burning curiosity that he was successful in concealing from you. It was a curiosity he didn’t expect to experience tonight, because he never expected to see you, Matty’s beloved little sister, again. In all his memories, some more faded and fuzzier than others, you remained a little girl whose clothes were stained with paint and fingers sometimes still smudged from soft pastels or even charcoal from your art. In his mind, you still had baby cheeks and wore Matty’s old hand-me-down clothes and hoodies. But before him, he never expected Matty’s little sister, now a woman, to be sitting before him. He almost wanted to curse himself for immediately noticing when you walked to the table how your curves fit the skirt you wore. And when you sat across from him, he caught himself glancing more than once at your chest when your arms folded just beneath it.

He clenched his jaw. God, if Matty even caught the places his eyes were traveling when he saw you, he was sure he was going to get his ass kicked and his face pounded in by Matty’s notorious fist. Grown up or not, you were still his sister. And this was also still Matty’s engagement party, and he couldn’t ruin it. And you were clearly still torn up about his sudden, unannounced enlistment all those years ago. This was not the place or time to be thinking of… other things.

What disrupted his curious gaze from roaming over you was a sole tear that began to trickle down the corner of your eye. Just one, and one that you quickly wiped away with your hand before it could ruin much of your makeup. But it was enough to know that, once again, Phil had made you upset. He internally wanted to bang a fist against the table. He was hoping you would lash out at him, he would let you burn off some of the steam that you couldn’t when you were both kids, he knew how much you controlled your rage, and he wished you would finally let it out even if it was on him. Let you both make fools of yourselves that night, so he could feel less remorse. But instead, the silence from you that he was me with was damning him more than he could expect.

When you refused to say anything, Phil anxiously whirled the cold glass bottle in his hands. “But, I was also an idiot,” Phil spat out suddenly.

Your furrowed brows softened, noticing how Phil’s eyes melted into what you couldn’t intercept at first. But you soon realized it was a miserable mixture of hurt and regret. “I just wanted to get away from my folks, you know. Even though they were hardly ever home, I still felt like they controlled every aspect of my life. So…” He breathed out. “So, I’m sorry.”

“I get that,” was all you said as you mindlessly twirled the bracelet around your wrist. As you did so, his eyes glanced down at your hand on the table, the same ones that were always covered in stubborn faded blue and yellow hues of paint. He swallowed when he noticed that, unlike Matty whom he’d spoken to earlier, you had no ring on your left hand. Before you could notice, Phil quickly glanced back up at your face, and was relieved to see that your harsh scowl from before had melted away. “I just wish you could’ve told me that then. But I… I get that I was too young. We were both pretty stubborn when it came to talking about anything serious, but we cared—”

Before you could finish, you heard a booming voice call out your name. You turned and saw Richard beckoning you to where he stood, while your parents stood to the side and grinned giddily together. Suddenly the whole party had grown strangely quiet. Beside the ice cooler, you noticed a bluetooth speaker playing a familiar soft rock song. One that you distinctly remember as the one Richard played in the car after your first date together at the theme park, and the same one you two danced to in his old apartment when you both were tipsy one night.

You got up from your seat. Next to you Phil also suddenly wondered why so many eyes were on you and this unfamiliar man. You started walking toward him and your parents, wondering what in the world was happening, and why your boyfriend was standing in the middle of the backyard like he was about to give a speech. Oh no, I've seen this scenario happening in public one too many times. This does not look good…. Your internal monologue was put in a pause when you looked around to find your brother, and when your eyes landed on his and his fiance, you knew with one look they did not seem pleased of what was going on.

“[Y/N],” he started. “We’ve only known each other for a few months…”

“I can’t fucking believe this,” Matty muttered from a few feet away from where Phil sat.

Phil blinked a couple of times. His gut was telling him he knew exactly what was going on, but he himself couldn’t believe it. Not after he just reunited with Y/N a few minutes earlier.

Elaine tried to calm Matty down silently, but Matty was furious. “I specifically told them not to pull this shit, not on this occasion. Jesus fucking Christ.” Elaine didn’t need to hear him say it, but she knew who he was referring to when he said ‘they’.

Richard continued. “But you’ve made me a better man, a man with bigger, better ambitions, a man who can see himself becoming a family man. Beyond just a businessman, a partner, a rock to lean on, someone who could build a home with you and raise a family together.”

When he got down on one knee, you felt your heart stop and all the muscles in your body seize. You tightened your jaw, dormant rage igniting all over again. You didn’t know if you wanted to run away and flee the scene or smash Richard’s head with the beer bottle from a nearby table, but you felt as though your shoes were glued to the dry grass. “Y/N,” he said as he took a ring out of his jacket pocket.

You looked up frantically and saw your mother on the verge of happy tears and your father with a proud grin but his hands tucked in his suit jacket’s pockets, much like when he is negotiating a business deal at work. You knew immediately that this was not simply Richard’s doing. No, you had told Richard as recently as last night at bedtime that you would rather wait at least when you hit 30 before even considering marriage. This was your parents handing you off to Richard, hoping and desperately trying to have their wealth merge with Richard’s own family wealth. Just like you feared in every conversation you had with your mom and dad, you feared you represented nothing more than a simple pawn in another one of your dad’s business deals.

You glanced back down at Richard, the sour sneer on your face growing harder and harder for you to conceal. You could feel your hands trembling now by your side, and the cup of soda in your hand threatening to get crushed.

“Will you do me the honor of letting me call you my wife?”

You heard murmurs and all around you from the backyard. The night’s spotlight was now on you, no longer on Matty and Elaine, and that made you grind your teeth even more. You didn’t want extra attention. It was bad enough that suddenly your childhood crush crashed the party and made you relive your teenage hormones and heartbreak. Richard and your parents both knew how uncomfortable you felt coming back home, and suddenly they decided to make you have to answer a marriage proposal in front of all your relatives, friends, and neighbors.

You glared down at Richard, who was oblivious to the storm raging in your mind. “You’re out of your fucking mind,” you spat out, with a low and harsh voice, but still loud enough for everyone to hear. You whipped your head up furiously to glare directly at your mom and dad. “And you two! You two are unbelievable. You should be ashamed of yourselves!” Your throat ached from how harshly you growled at them.

Without another word, not even a “no” to dignify Richard’s proposal, you threw your cup of soda at Richard’s face. The half-melted ice-cubes and cold Sprite made him flinch and get back up to his feet quickly. A chorus of gasps erupted from behind and around you.

“You spoiled brat!” your mother shrieked. The disdain and disappointment on her face was one so familiar, but one that still brought your heart racing anxiously and your lips to quiver. Your father stood frozen in shock beside her. He himself didn’t expect you to react in such a way. He thought tonight would be another business success for him. “Do you know how much we had sacrificed for you? And you decide to act like a child? When will you grow up?l!”

“THIS IS INSANE!”

Your eyes snapped to the source of outburst and landed on Matty standing near where Phil and you had been sitting. Phil remained at his seat watching all of this unfold with amusement, as Matty was walking towards where your parents had been standing, with determination of giving an earful to them most likely, but before he could start what he had to say your voice decided to come out on its own accord.

“Oh mother… How can you still be so stubborn about this? How could you pull this stunt at Matty’s engagement party, your own son's engagement party? Do you have no shame? Either of you?” Your voice determined and harsh. Even your mother was taken aback by your bold retort. Her speechlessness only allowed you to continue your tirade. “I told you at least a hundred times that I don’t have any plans to get married anytime soon. But you didn’t listen! That doesn’t surprise me; you hardly ever listen to me. But at least have some respect for your own goddamn son! Who has been nothing but an obedient child to you! Both of you! And this is how you treat him?! The least that you could have done was ask him and Elaine if this was okay with them!”

Your mother was stunned, the blood having drained from her face and her hand clutching her handbag tightly as she gawked at you. You’ve never been this brave with your words. You never talked back to either of your parents in all your youth. And if your father wasn’t just as speechless, he would’ve given you an earful, and even threatened you to remove you from inheritance. But you didn’t care, your patience ran thinner and thinner each year and this new stunt made all that remained evaporate in a matter of seconds.

You knew you couldn’t come back from this. The realization that there was a chance you’ll probably be shunned and even maybe disowned after this. You had run out of words, so you simply ran from the scene. Your spilled red cup of coke laid on the grass, something the ants in the yard would later indulge in. You bolted into your family’s house, your childhood home, which was mainly empty with everyone mingling in the evening out in the yard. You went into your room on instinct, but noticed your mom and dad had converted it into an office space for their work. Your jaw dropped as you realized they never kept your room the same way they had adoringly preserved Matty’s. You tightened your grip around the door knob. You wanted nothing more than to trash the room, break the desk that sat where your bed once did, and stomp on bookshelves that once held your comics and artbooks but now held folders of boring white paperwork.

But instead you fled to your brother’s room across the hall. You knelt down beside his bed, kicked off your shoes, and buried your face in a pillow. You let out a muffled scream. After a few seconds, your scream morphed into pathetic sobs. You knew you were surely staining Matty’s old pillows with your makeup, but you didn’t care at that moment. At that moment, it felt as though you time-traveled back fifteen years in your old home, crying your eyes out into your beloved brother’s pillow.

‿︵‿︵‿୨ ୧‿︵‿︵‿

Phil watched as Matty slouched on the plastic lounging chair outside. Almost everyone had left. Your mother and father stood near the backyard fence, arguing desperately about what to do next after you had ruined their evening. Richard stood next to them but remained mostly silent and merely listened to them. Elaine, Matty’s fiancée, trudged into the house in search of you. Meanwhile, Phil took a seat across from Matty, who ran his hands through his beard and squeezed his eyes shut momentarily out of frustration.

“Cannot believe they would fucking do that on tonight of all nights,” Matty groaned out.

Phil let out a low whistle. “Yeah definitely didn’t expect to see [Y/N] throw a cup of soda at some random guy.” It would almost be laughable if it weren’t for the fact that he had seen tears once again streaming down your face when you darted inside. “So, that was actually [Y/N]’s boyfriend or—”

“Unfortunately,” Matty spat out. “I can’t stand the guy. But our parents love Richard even though he’s a huge asshole to her half the time.”

“Huh…”

Phil tried to recall the man. He was tall and athletic. He seemed like the type to weight lift, worry about trends in luxury suits, and track his meals’ calories to keep up with his appearance and health everyday. His dark hair was slicked back with some gel, and his jaw was sharp and pronounced. His sharp, aquiline facial features reminded Phil of some of the college guys who would apply for internships to work for his dad’s firm during summers back when he was a kid. But something about him made Phil’s skin crawl. He wasn’t sure if it was the fact that his entire personality seemed like a masquerade of wealth and opulence, or the fact that he was dating you , had the gall to propose to you , while also being an asshole to you, according to Matty at least.

“I can’t say I blame her for throwing the soda at him,” Phil snickered quietly.

Matty almost cracked a smile at this. Suddenly, he remembered why he called Phil his best friend for so many years of his life. “Trust me, if I could’ve thrown one too, I would’ve.”

Your father suddenly bellowed your name. “Come out! We need to have a talk!”

Phil and Matty quickly glanced at each other, worry coating both of their faces. They expected Elaine and you to come out together, Elaine probably holding a box of tissues and your eyes still swollen from crying. But instead, no one came out of the backyard door. They waited several seconds, until your father stormed toward the door to head inside himself. Richard trailed behind him, not nearly as full of energy. It seemed the would-be fiancé was still feeling dejected, even if the soda from early had already dried.

“Unbelievable,” your father growled, the door of the house slamming open violently with a bang.

Phil and Matty both got up quickly, following the man. They found you and Elaine sitting in the kitchen, you nursing a cup of warm tea and Elaine sitting next to you still attempting to console you. Your father rushed toward you, grabbing you by your shoulders, forcing your gaze away from your cup of tea and to his own red-beet face. The force of his grasp made your elbow knock into the mug, tumbling it to the ground with a sharp crash.

Elaine gasped sharply before stepping back in shock. Meanwhile, Bear emerged from the living room, his bushy tail stiff in the air in alert and his pointed ears slicked back against his head. He growled and barked furiously at the sight of your father grabbing you. Agape, you stared back at your father in horror, feeling all the muscles in your body suddenly become paralyzed in fear.

“How can you throw away your future just because of your own stubborn self-righteousness?! Didn’t we raise you better than to act so selfishly?!” your father yelled into your face.

Matty quickly grabbed your father’s arm, grabbing him by his gray blazer’s stiff fabric, and pulled him off of you. “Your dumb plan for the night was botched from the start, dad,” he sneered out. “She clearly doesn’t want to marry Richard and this was supposed to be our engagement party to begin with!” he looked at Elaine for a second saying that.

The graying wisps of hair on your fathers were now disheveled and sticking up, his sagging and wrinkled face now flushed with a furious red. He balled his fists as he spoke back to your brother. “What she did, regardless of what day it was, to Richard was unacceptable. Would you ever imagine Elaine treating you in such a way? No, of course not! Because [Y/N] is acting like a child, and an insolent one at that!”

He turned back to glare at you, taking one step further forward. “Richard, come here,” he said, his glower locked on you not wavering.

The tall, dark-haired man strode beside your father. You couldn’t read the expression on his face. You had wounded your ego and in public in front of your friends and family, something he would seldomly allow without biting back. But he remained quiet ever since his botched proposal. Usually he would yell back, make a scene, demand he stay in a hotel for the night, after arguing with you over nonsense. But his silent, narrow-eyed stare bore down on you and made you feel uneasy. There was nothing calm or passive about it.

“So, why don’t we start over, hm? Why don’t the two of you go to the living room to discuss and… reconsider Richard’s proposal once again, yes?” Your father’s gritted teeth betrayed the false air of diplomacy he was trying to prop up.

“I don’t think—” Your brother was caught off.

“[Y/N],” your father said more sternly this time. “Now.”

Your brother wanted to continue to protest, but he knew your father would not take no for an answer right now. Not with his fists balled up and his face as red as it was. So Matty, Phil, and Elaine watched breathlessly as you and Richard walked to the living room by yourselves. Phil noticed how your hands shook ever so slightly, even while you kept your lips pursed and tried to straighten your blouse, desperately clinging onto any semblance of composure before talking to your boyfriend.

Breathing out an exasperated sigh, your father, the man Phil used to revere so much as a child, began to step outside back to the yard. “There better still be some drinks in the cooler. I need one right now,” he muttered. Your mother followed him, obediently, to avoid the thick air of tension that was suffocating everyone in the kitchen.

Phil couldn’t help but let curiosity get the best of him. While Elaine consoled Matty in hushed voices and picked up the broken glass on the kitchen tile, Phil drifted away from them. He could hear Elaine telling Matty that it was okay, that they could hold a smaller, more intimate engagement party next week with just close friends. He knew that he, too, should be trying to console Phil. But he was worried about you. He just couldn’t believe your family was pressuring you to marry.

Phil stood just outside the living room beside its entrance, leaning on his side against the wall and focusing on the little he could hear. Bear padded up to Phil. Much calmer now, the German Shepherd sat down and looked up at Phil with a panting smile. Phil wanted to smile and pet the dog, but instead brought his finger up to his own lips, hoping the dog wouldn’t alert everyone to what Phil was doing.

“—how embarrassed I was left feeling! In front of everybody!” It sounded to Phil like Richard was still furious, still left with his pride injured. He was on the verge of yelling, but kept his voice somewhat hushed. Maybe to avoid drawing even more humiliation to himself tonight.

Your voice was less hushed, a little bolder. “We’ve barely been dating long enough to begin even thinking about marriage, Richard! I told you I wanted to wait!”

Phil carefully peeked into the room just enough to see that the two of you were standing and you had refused to sit on the couch. Richard towered over you, clearly trying to intimidate you. You were trapped between him and the untouched couch. You nervously ran your hand through your hair as Richard continued roughly gripping one of your shoulders with one of his hands. The sight of his hands on you like that made Phil’s skin crawl and stomach lurch. He tried his best to control himself.

“[Y/N],” Richard began again, clearly still annoyed. “You already made a scene with the first proposal. But I’m not giving up on you . And so is your father—”

You scoffed at this and rolled your eyes.

“So, please. Just stop being so stupid and stubborn for a second, and just say yes so we can both move on ”

You stayed quiet. And Phil’s mind was racing in the midst of your silence. Was it possible you were actually considering it? He remembered you when you were younger, as a kid. You were stubborn, yes, and very outspoken. It’s what stopped any kids from picking on you or your art. But you also never betrayed your own goals, your own ideas and feelings, for the sake of someone else’s preferences. Even if that meant getting into ugly fights with others and giving your mom and dad the silent treatment for weeks. It was one of many qualities in you that Phil remembered admiring, and he hoped that it was a quality that had never diminished during these last fifteen years.

Phil didn’t want to admit it, but he also felt sick to the thought of you getting engaged just when he had finally reunited with you. He felt a nauseating feeling in his gut at the idea of you marrying this, clearly, arrogant guy. Phillip Graves himself was arrogant at times—sassy even, but when it came to the people he cared about, he was never arrogant. When it came to you, he could never be arrogant.

Finally, you did answer. “I already said my thoughts on the subject, Richard,” you said firmly. At that moment, you hoped Richard and your father would respect your wishes more than anything. Once again, you felt like nothing more than a pawn. “I already said no to you once. And now I’m saying it twice. Do I have to say it a third time?”

“Well, neither of us are getting any younger, [Y/N]. If you’re as serious about this relationship as I am, then you should at least be considering marriage with me. If not, then what’s the goddamn point of this? Of any of this with you?” He placed both his hands now on your shoulders, shaking you just a little. “What do you even want out of this?”

Your face seemed almost serene. You didn’t frown, nor did you nervously smile or even produce a grimace. You placed your hands on his that were squeezing your shoulders, gently sliding them off of you and placing them back to his sides. “After tonight, Richard. I can’t give you a straight answer. I don’t know. After this scene you tried to pull despite everything I told you, I can’t say I see a future with you anymore.”

Richard leaned away, almost repulsed by your answer. He scoffed in disbelief, shaking his head furiously. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Are you breaking up with me? ”

Phil would’ve started laughing if he didn’t give away the fact he was spying on you and Richard. But he also wanted to beam with pride at seeing you stand up for yourself despite Richard and your dad not ceasing in urging you two to get married. He was glad to see that you never lost your fiery side as you’ve grown.

“I guess that’s what it is,” you mustered out. “If you can’t stay in a relationship with me without getting married immediately just to make our parents happy, then maybe we just shouldn’t be in a relationship.”

Any shock was replaced with fury. Richard began seething. “You can’t be so goddamn dumb, [Y/N],” he growled out. “Why are you throwing all of this away? We could’ve had a future together, a built home, a nice family. And you’re throwing it all away just because you wanted to make a point about waiting ?!”

You scoffed. “A nice home where you’re calling me an idiot for sticking to my values. Yeah, sure.” You tried to step beside him to walk away, to finally leave this conversation behind and head back to the family that cares about you.

But instead Richard grabbed you by your forearm, whipping you back toward him and forcing you to face him again. His eyes were now no longer narrow with disdain but wide and dilated with rage. It was a look you only saw on rare occasions, mostly when you had screaming matches after you would “ruin the mood” when he’d try to have sex with you, drunk out of his mind, after one of his work parties.

“Let me go,” you muttered, your annoyance desperately trying to mask any fear that could be detected in your voice.

Suddenly, Richard grabbed your face with a hand, squeezing your jaw and cheeks as he did. He forced you to look at him, even while you desperately tried to pull his hand off you, scratching his forearms and trying to push him away. Phil’s heart began racing and he could feel the blood coursing through his body grow hotter. He couldn’t believe his eyes, but all he could focus on was how the solemn look in your eyes was now replaced with one of terror and shining with wet tears beginning to form.

Richard’s fury continued. “I never thought you could be this stupid. Do you even realize what you’re doing to your—”

Phil had enough. He rushed into the room and in what felt like a flash he pushed Richard away from you. You fell onto the couch, watching in horror as Richard tried to fight back against Phil. Sure, Richard was strong and big. But Phil’s hand-to-hand combat had been refined over the years in the Marine Corps. With little struggle, he managed to subdue him, and within seconds, Richard was pinned to the ground. Phil was successful in knocking the air out of Richard, leaving the man breathless and writhing on the floor.

“What the fuck ! Get off me!! ” Richard growled through gritted teeth.

Phil smirked for a split second before ignoring him. He let Richard crumble to the ground before he went over and tentatively kneeled in front of Y/N. He saw once again furious tears pooling in your eyes threatening to fall . He placed a gentle hand on her knee and gazed up at her. “You okay [Y/N] ? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

You shook your head, your own hand traveling to your jaw where Richard had roughly grabbed you. “No, I’m fine.”

He nodded in understanding, still looking at you carefully. While he watched you, he felt Matty and Elaine rush into the room, confusion written on their faces. They saw your small form still sitting on the couch with Phil crouching in front of you while Richard was still getting up from the ground, catching his breath.

“Th-thanks, Phil,” you said quietly. “I… didn’t know he was gonna lash out like that.”

“ He what ?!” Matty demanded. “Richard, what the hell did you do to my sister?!”

Richard was now back on his feet, he breathed out deeply and glared at Matty. Then he straightened his shirt and painted on his usual smug look of contempt he carried. “I broke up with her. If she’s not taking this relationship seriously, then neither will I.”

“What a load of bullshit,” Matty practically spat the words in Richard's face before grabbing him by his collar. Elaine watched in horror too, scurrying away to the side. Matty dragged him out of the room until both you and Phil lost sight of the two of them. Knowing Matty and his long-lasting hatred for Richard, you were sure he was kicking him out of your parents’ home.

“Dad is going to be furious,” you mumbled to yourself, but Phil could hear you loud and clear.

He took a seat next to you on the couch, deciding not to touch you further. He had to remind himself that you were no longer a 12 year old girl, he had to restrain himself from holding you . Yes, you two were very close when both of you were mere teens . But it had been years since you last spoke. Fifteen years to be exact, he didn’t know if you ever counted the days but he did, for some reason that even he couldn’t explain it to himself. He couldn’t overstep his boundaries. So he just pulled his hands back to his lap and sat there, trying to console you as best as he could.

“He’s not always like that… but when he is it gets too much ” you breathed out. Phil tried to listen but he was also acutely aware of how your hand, albeit sweaty from your nerves, felt on his much rougher, larger one. “Matty never liked him. But mom and dad adored him for some reason.”

Phil sighed out. He wished he could say something comforting, something that would chase all your anxieties and fears away. But all he could do was sit there and listen to nothing and everything all at once . Feeling your heat radiate from your side, and he sits besides you only a hair of a touch away. He could lean in and hold you close, and the thought made his heart flutter with nervousness. From here, he could smell how your hair smelled like roses and coconuts—

Before he could drift further away he had to snap back to reality with you still sitting next to him solemnly. How could he think that about you? You were his best friend’s sister for goodness sake… but was he in the wrong to think of you as the pretty woman that you have become? Yes he considered you as a little sister back in the day, but that was a decade and half ago. But now? His heart told him one thing but his brain said something else.

You always carried your emotions on your sleeves. If you were happy, your face would be brighter than the sun. But then if sad, a cloud would particularly be looming over your head. When you were flustered, your face would be brighter than the fresh tomato that his parents would have the cooks pick up from the farmers market And if you were angry, oh man that was something to witness. That was why he always loved teasing you and making you laugh, to get that reaction and to see those emotions. He admired them. But in your grown-up state, he noticed that trait in you lessened. It was as if you were trained to wear a mask that would hide all your emotions. Even now, watching you sit there waiting for the unknown, you try to mask your emotions, hide them in a box and lock it. And discard the keys somewhere where no one can find it. And it hurt Phill to see you in this state. He couldn’t decide which one was worse; having you go through the trauma of facing your now abusive ex boyfriend, or that you were forced to masquerade your emotions.

“I knew the guy for like half an hour, but… yeah, I can say he seems like a dick.” He pursed his lips, but raised his eyebrows when he heard and felt you start to chuckle. “Pun intended” Phil smirked as he looked at you.

“He reminds me of a guy I met back when I first joined MARSOC,” Phil continued. You tore your teary eyes away from your hands and looked at him, listening intently. “He was big and burly too, but he actually was much more considerate. Hated bullies. Always lending the rest of us a hand if he could see we were struggling.”

You held back a snort. You couldn’t imagine Richard enduring something like Marines training, much less being generous and looking out for others if his skin was on the line. But as a child so many years back, you also couldn’t imagine Phil joining an elite fighting team. Not because he couldn’t work in a team, but because you only saw him as your brother’s best friend who just seemed to play football and video games—not shoot guns and hunt down dangerous men. So, you asked him more. While your mother was off trying to calm your father down, and your brother was getting fresh air to cool down with Elaine, the two of you stayed on the couch. While he did, Bear padded over to both of you, laying down at your feet and surely feeling sleepy already. Phil finally had a chance to reminisce out loud on some of his training days and some missions with the MARSOC Raiders—at least the parts of them he was allowed to tell others about. He even remarked how he had left the Raiders, now working with others to form a new PMC, hence why he was back in Texas.

While you sat listening and while your tears dried, you couldn’t help but feel admiration bloom inside your chest for him. Admiration and… something familiar you still couldn’t put your finger on. Yes, you were thrilled to have him back in your life, someone you might’ve called your best friend as a young girl. You felt some nostalgia, of course. You felt like you were truly back home for the first time, even after visiting home a few times already after moving in with Richard. Still, while he spoke and you listened intently, you couldn’t help but admire how his lips moved when he smirked as he remembered something cheeky he did, or how his brows furrowed tightly and his jaw clenched when a difficult memory flashed for him. Or how he’d sometimes run his hand across the side of his head, his light brown hair getting disheveled for just a few moments without his knowing. It made you smile for a few seconds before returning your focus to his words. But even while you concentrated on him and his stories, you couldn’t ignore the fluttering of butterflies in your stomach and the way your palms sweat when you noticed him gazing at you several times.

For a moment, it felt good to disconnect from your world, from the drama and yelling of your parents and Richard. Delving into Phil’s past several years away from your hometown felt like finding an oasis in a harsh, unforgiving desert. Your racing heart that you felt when Richard had glowered down at you in furious disbelief moments ago had diminished, now a comforting lull in your chest as you listened to Phil’s familiar voice. But it was short-lived, and it made you realize, yes, this was just one night, when your parents both walked in.

Your father’s face was less red, but the tired look in his eyes made you know that he was still disappointed. “Your mother and I are heading to bed.” He pursed his lips into a thin line when he looked at you. He had so much he wanted to say to you, so much he wanted to yell too. But your mother next to him nudged him with her elbow and cleared her throat. He shook himself out of his death stare and instead looked at the man beside you. “It was, uh… good to see you, Phillip. Please give your father my regards when you see him. It’s been a while since we’ve emailed each other.”

Phil nodded curtly but said nothing in response. Next to you, he could feel how tense you still were. He didn’t want this conversation to drag on any longer. Without another word, your parents left the living room, finally retiring to their bedroom up upstairs. But replacing your parents’ spot in the living room’s entrance came Matty and Elaine.

Elaine yawned. “How are y’all not tired yet?”

“We’re going to be heading to the guest room in a bit. But by all means, let me know if you need anything. Just knock on our door or give me a call. I’m here.” Matty gave you a reassuring smile.

Phil glanced down at his watch—you remember it as the same rolex that his dad had given him for his sixteenth birthday and that Phil only begrudgingly accepted.

“Jesus, time sure flies. It’s already one in the morning.” He huffed, feigning sleepiness, and looked at you with pursed lips. He placed an earnest hand over his chest. “I’m sorry to have kept you awake so long, [Y/N].”

You shook your head frantically. “No, don’t apologize, Phil. Catching up on what you’ve been up to has meant the world to me.”

Hit with sudden realization, Phil widened his eyes slightly. “[Y/N], do you need a place to sleep tonight?” The thought of you returning to your hotel room with your furious ex-boyfriend made his chest tighten.

You shook your head. “No, I’ll just be sleeping in Matty’s room for the rest of my stay. So I'll be hanging around here for a while.” You honestly weren’t in a rush to return to Seattle immediately, just to have to see Richard glowering at you from every corner of his apartment. He was going to have to find a new roommate quickly.

Your brother wrapped his arm warmly around Elaine, bringing her sleepy body closer to him comfortingly. “See you two around,” he said before turning around and heading up the same stairs your parents had climbed earlier.

Phil got up from the couch, and you followed. You straightened your skirt as he rubbed the back of his neck, almost sheepishly. “Really, I mean it. I hope I didn’t bore the hell out of you, [Y/N].”

The two of you began to walk to the front door, Phil pulling out his car keys from his pockets. “No, Phil. I’m being honest. Just getting to sit and hear you speak for a while has really helped me. I’m—I feel a lot better now. Thanks to you.” You watched as he opened the door but then you realized he also is technically only visiting town. “Wait. Do-do you have a place to stay?”

He paused. He shut the door that he had left slightly ajar before, as he turned to look at you. “Oh, yeah I’m staying back at my parents’ place. They rent out the first floor as an AirBnB sometimes, especially since they mostly spend time with my uncle in St. Augustine in Florida. But they’re letting me stay on the second floor now that I’m back home for a while as I work things out.” He smiled warmly. He couldn’t help but find it endearing how you worried where he was staying as well.

You let out a soft sigh. “Good.” You were relieved to hear not only that he wasn’t staying in some sketchy motel but that it was back in his childhood home, where you and him had spent so much time watching TV and pranking Matty on your weekends off of school.

He leans in slightly. “That’s right,” he said in a low voice. “If you wanna come by tomorrow, we can hang out. I’ll even cook you something.” He smirked.

You felt your heart leap and your face heat up furiously. You prayed that he couldn’t tell how flustered you felt. You tried to play it off smoothly. You tried to suppress the huge grin from growing on your lips and said, “I’ll think about it.”

Phil nodded and turned the doorknob again, getting ready to head out. “You better, or I’ll come by and snatch you myself.”

Your heart did backflips again at this. The image of eating dinner with him flashed in your mind, and you felt like your brain was short-circuiting. But you had to say something back, you had to answer without melting down. You desperately kept your composure but let out an airy laugh, one you hoped didn’t give away your nerves. “Goodnight, Phil. I’ll see you later.”

You followed him, stepping outside to your front porch as you watched him heading back to his black sedan parked by the side of the house. You couldn’t help but watch him as he walked with the same confident strides from when he was your childhood crush, his keys jangling in his hands.

As he pressed his car key’s FOB and and his car beeped, unlocking, he turned and glanced at you. He felt breathless as he saw as your hair blew in the cool nighttime breeze. But he didn’t want to give away how he, too, was gazing at you for too long. “Go inside, [Y/N],” he laughed. “You’re gonna catch a cold like that.”

You groaned and rolled your eyes. “Just making sure you’re gonna head out safely, Phil,” you called back, feigning annoyance. He shook his head and chuckled as he stepped into his car, headlights turning on and engine rumbling.

You turned around and headed back inside, closing the front door but quickly scampering to the window to look through the blinds until you saw his car disappear down the road.

Even after chatting with him all night, you still couldn’t believe Phil Graves had somehow returned to your life.

#cod x reader #phillip graves x reader #cod fanfic #phillip graves fanfic #phillip graves x you #phil graves x you #phil graves x reader #graves x reader #Authors Has Played Call of Duty

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armoricaroyalty · 3 months ago

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"He said they're getting a divorce." Emily's voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. "He said that the King has been having an affair." Mary stood very still, arms folded across her chest. Emily watched her closely. They were cousins, but they hadn't grown up together, hadn't spent more than a few hours together until their shared association with the St. Fleur siblings had drawn them into one another's orbit. Emily had been relieved to have a ready-made ally among the St. Fleurs, but Mary had remained inscrutable to her. Her jaw tightened; her shoulders inched upward. Surprise, Emily thought, but not shock. Her father bad been right, Mary had somehow already known about the affair. When she spoke, her tone was all business. "What else did he tell you?"

Previous | Chapter Start | Beginning | Next

Transcript under the cut.

EMILY | Wow...Mary, look at the view! EMILY | This has to be the best room in the house! why on earth is it just sitting empty? MARY | It belonged to the Crown Princess. MARY | The late Crown Princess. EMILY | ...oh. MARY | After she died in 1987, the King—the old King—had all her things sold or put into storage. Apparently, the memories were too painful. EMILY | ...that makes sense, I suppose. EMILY | It's normal to go a little crazy when you lose someone, isn't it? You end up doing all kinds of things that don't make much sense. MARY | Em. What was it you needed to tell me? EMILY | I don't know if it's true, alright? It's just something my dad told me. MARY | What is it? EMILY | It's about the King and Queen... [ clock ticking ] FREDERICK | So...Dad is upstairs? Resting? ELISE | [ tersely ] He had a long flight from Iona. FREDERICK | He got back Thursday, didn't he? [ car door slamming, muffled voices ] ELISE | That'll be your brother! ELISE | I'm going to go let them in— FREDERICK | Ma— JACQUES | Hey, hey party people! Look who's finally here! VIVI | Hello, everyone. JACQUES | ...wait, where's Dad? ELISE | He's resting, JJ. Freddy, go find the girls and have them meet us in the marble room. I want some nice pictures before we sit down for dinner. FREDERICK | Really? [ sighs ] Okay... MARY | ...play it cool, okay? Just...act like you don't know anything. EMILY | How? Mary, this is huge— FREDERICK | What's huge? EMILY | N-nothing! We weren't talking about anything! MARY | Aaaaactually, we were talking about tampons— EMILY | Mary! Please! MARY | —and unfortunately for Emily, I only stock ultra-wides. FREDERICK | Okay, okay! Sorry I asked... FREDERICK | Anyway....Brace yourselves, Jacques and Vivi just showed up with Hugo, and Mom has a fu— er, a regular photographer in the marble room. MARY | Uh, I don't think she wants me in the pictures... FREDERICK | No, she wants both of you. She said, "go find the girls," plural. EMILY | Really? That's great, Mare, she's warming up to you—I FREDERICK | I don't know what's up with her. She's been acting super weird since we got here. MARY | Oh? I uh, hadn't noticed. FREDERICK | Yeah, the vibes are rancid. She's acting like someone died or something...

#sims community #ts4 #ts4 story #ts4 storytelling #ts4 royals #ts4 royal family #armorica story #chapter 4 #behind the scenes #character: mary yokoyama #character: emily chandra #character: rosalind st. fleur #character: elise sutton #character: frederick st. fleur #character: jacques st. fleur #character: vivienne meijer #character: hugo st. fleur

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a-fluffy-dog24 · 11 days ago

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HEY tumblr I need your help

So I have a fanfic that I need someone to read and tell me what you think. Feedback and suggestions are welcome.

Here is the description:It's Christmas time at the mystery shack lots of holiday fluff.Christmas shenanigans include snowball fights,cookie decorating,Christmas morning headaches, and fire breathing reindeer.Mabel and Ford Bonding together. Soos has a special surprise for Stan.

A Christmas Story

Dec/23/2012

It was a snowy day in Gravity Falls when Dipper,Mabel and Waddles arrived. The boys were taking a break from their boating adventure, they bent out at sea for 4 months but they were going to spend Christmas in the falls. Dipper and Mabel their mom and dad were driving them to the shack so the kids can fun.And so their parents can have so couple time to themselves."Dipper I am SO excited we get to see Grunkle Stan, Grunkle Ford,Soos and Wendy,Melody for Christmas"She excited yelled.

" I can't wait to see everybody too,"he added "and after we get back we get to celebrate Christmas with you guys "she told her parents "yea that we be fun"Catherine replied . "It's was fun celebrating Hanukkah with you dad.Maybe I'll get really good at the dreidel and get all the chocolate coins " she said "I can't help that I'm an expert" Dipper smiled joked she stuck her tongue out at him he smiled. "You kids have fun with Grunkle Stan don't eat to many cookies" Michael said

"And Grunkle Ford" Mabel reminds him "oh right side hello to both them for me"he added remembering that now their are two of them and Stanley is not dead and StanFord has been gone for 30 years. That was a surprising and awkward FaceTime call for him and Catherine . It took two hours for Stan to explain himself and for the parents to process it all.But now they know he had to take his brothers place they now get to know the real StanFord Pines better.

"We will see you soon the day after Christmas stay safe love you" she told them. "Aww you too mom" Mabel added "You bet bye mom" Dipper said.The twins and Waddles were getting out of the car they are waiting for Wendy to meet them at the bus stop. They waved goodbye to their mom and dad they .Then Wendy arrived "hey guys how was your trip up here"she asked "very snowy and long" Mabel answered they all went down the snowy road to the shack,Waddles sniffs the snow then eats the snow.

The shack was all decorated with red,green,blue Christmas lights. They walked inside Soos had decorated the living room with a Christmas tree. On the tree were red, yellow ornaments. And some ornaments Soos and the kids had made when they were little.

And multicolored lights and A yellow star on top, also there were abuela's creepy old santa doll's everywhere and red,white garland hanging on the doorways.The kids hug Stan he is wearing a red beanie and a white shirt and brown coat and blue pants he also is wearing mittens "hi Grunkle Stan we miss you" Mabel said.

But Stan didn't say anything just smiled "wait a minute you look different you're hair is curlier"Dipper notices they look up at Ford.He is wearing a red sweater a blue coat and black pants.He looks a little bit nervous. "Grunkle Ford why is hair so straight" Mabel asked. He says.

"Because I'm Grunkle Stan" . They look at what they think is Stan's hand but now it has 6 fingers "ohhh" they both realize. "Well hi Grunkle Ford you were able to trick us we had no Idea ?" Mabel told him " do you two do this all the time to strangers"Dipper question

"No, not intentionally but it's funny to watch I'm glad you kids could make it."Ford hugs them more. "My dear did you get your braces off" he says seeing her pretty straight teeth. "Yup I got them off before we started school I can finally eat gum worry free"she told them.Then he lets them go they hug Stan "Kids I'm so happy you're here" Stan hugs the twins and lifts them off the ground.

"Grunkle Stan I'v miss you" Mabel said and was wearing a green sweater that looks like a christmas tree with little lights on it and santa hat. Dipper was wearing Wendy's hat vest, red long sleeve shirt blue, pants "me too" Dipper cheered Stan put them down. "Are we celebrating Hanukkah this year?" he asked her since she likes to celebrate both and makes them celebrate too.

Stan and Ford aren't really religious any more they were when they were kids . But now they do it for the kids sake and it's fun. "No Dipper and I already celebrating Hanukkah we mom and dad back home." Mabel takes her stuff upstairs Waddles follows her with reindeer ears on.They had a snowball fight. With Wendy and her brothers they beat them. then they warmed up with hot cocoa.

Later Ford visited Fiddleford’s house they had a great time together talking reminiscing about the first holiday they spent together when Fiddleford save the children from monster. And drank eggnog fun times.They gave each other gifts. At the shack Melody made gingerbread cookies ,Mabel decorated hers with pink sprinkles that look like glitter and Dipper ate the gingerbread man's head off. "Why'd you kill him" she asked her brother "because he's delicious" he replied "what if we made our family as gingerbread cookie people " Mabel suggested. "I don't think we have enough cookies I would have to make some more" Melody told them. "If Mabel doesn't eat all of them" Dipper teased her

Mabel trying to stuff her cookies in her chubby cheeks and lick the sugar off her lips. "Hey someone has to taste test them" she defends herself Soos was just finished putting the last touches of candy and frosting on his gingerbread house. "Hey dude can you give me a cookie" Dipper gives him a cookie "babe come over here I need your help decorating this house is a lot harder than it looks." "How can I help" Melody asked "look up at the ceiling....how that get there" Melody looks at the mistletoe duck tape to the ceiling she smiles.They kiss .

In the living room their stockings on the wall pink for Mabel, blue for Dipper, red for Stan, green for Ford, yellow for Soos and orange for Wendy. Wendy was outside fixing the snowman she put Dipper's old hat on the snowman she will come back for it later. Dipper watches her "hey Wendy before you go I need you to give this to someone" he has her a purple gift."Nice snowman by the way" "thanks who's this for" she asked "umm Pacifica" he blush a little bit "I mean you were going..in to town and I thought you could just drop it off Umm please" he fished saying . "Ok sure marry Christmas bye"she smiled and left "bye see you tomorrow" he waved goodbye.

Dec/24 Christmas Eve night

They walked outside because Mabel said she saw a reindeer she said "hey guys look I told you I saw a reindeer if he had a red nose we could name him Rudolph" the reindeer had red eyes but other than that he was pretty cute . She run inside to get him a treat " I've never seen a reindeer in the falls before" Ford mentioned. Mabel through a carrot on the ground for him. He eat it "Aww I'm going to name you fireball" she looks at him eating the snack.

Then the reindeer opened his mouth to yawn and instead of air coming out it breathed fire. Then ran off they were a little shocked at a fire breathing reindeer "I should be unimpressed at this point " Dipper says "Well that's what weird" Stan adds well opening the door.They had Christmas dinner turkey and some pie.

After dinner the kids go and wash up Mabel took a bubble bath and after Dipper took a shower. Then they all sat on the couch and watched a movie together. They watch A Charlie Brown Christmas Mabel sit on Stan's lap. She is wearing red pjs that says Happy Hanukkah . She smells like peppermint and he wraps a warm blanket around her. "Grunkle Stan, are you excited for tomorrow?" she wondered "Yeah, are you excited for presents" he asked "yes I'm excited too give you yours". Dipper sat on Ford's lap. Dipper is wearing green pjs that says Mary Christmas . He smells like pine trees.Dipper starts to shiver a little "are you cold my boy" Ford asked "yes" Ford tickles his belly he giggles "this is not what I meant " Waddles sit on the floor he has reindeer ears on.

Twas the night before christmas and the boys were putting the twins to bed, the kid sat on the floor and looked out the window. It's snowing.''It's so beautiful "she told him "yes it's perfect for tomorrow it's something we don't see a lot "Dipper added. "Yup California has never gotten snow in less we live in the mountains, anyway what is the whole point of Christmas.Is it to spend time with your family. Get good gifts, have fun. Or to celebrate baby Jesus birthday and the good things he’s done for us” she said. “I think the meaning of Christmas can be whatever you believe it to. I believe that it’s all of those things.you understand more than you realize” Dipper tells her “I love you" she whispered "I love you too" he replied then Ford picked up Mabel and tucked her into bed Waddles lay on her bed.

"Grunkle Ford did you put out the milk and cookies?"she asked "yes my dear come on time bed" she fell asleep. And Stan tucked Dipper into bed, "she is going to wake us up so early tomorrow" Stan said "yep it will be a lot of fun" Stan rubs Dipper's head and he falls asleep too. Stan walked over to Mabel and kiss her on the head Ford walked over to Dipper and kiss his head.The boys turn off the lights,close the door and walk in the hallway Stan hums jingle bells.

"Stanley, can you stop humming that all day?" Ford teased, "no I put up with you talking in your sleep and it stuck in my head". "Anyway let's go hit the showers, you should go first because your bubble baths are so long,"Ford complained ."Fine I'll just use all the hot water" Stan teased Ford, smiled and shook his head. I hope the kids Christmas morning will be as great as ours 8 nights where” Stan said. “yeah I hope they don’t get a cinder block as a present are holidays weren’t as spectacular as I recall .” “Oh I don’t think it was that bad all though that huge sweeter mom use to make us where itch a lot.But I remember she would let us light the candles on the Mamala and she even gave us little gifts.” Stan reminds him he thinks back at his childhood and the fun times they shared. Ford recalled celebrating Hanukkah with his mother.And doing their traditions it was enjoyable for them.They went and washed up after they went to bed.You can see the snow falling out the window.

Dec/25/2012

It's christmas MOURNING "DIPPER DIPPER wake up" she excitedly bounced on his bed. "ok let go"he ripped his blanket off and they ran down the stairs Waddles ran from behind them. They wake up their Grunkles and plan to drag them out of bed ,

They go and burst open the door to Ford's old room, "GRUNKLE STAN wake up" she excitedly yelled. She crawled on his bed and sat on his back "it's christmas" Dipper pulled his arm. "I'm awake I'm awake go wake up sixer" he gets his glasses and they walk over to Ford's couch. "GRUNKLE FORD wakes up" she pulls his arm, Dipper takes off his blanket "ok ok I'm coming" he gets his glasses they walk into the kitchen.

Then they see Soos and Melody drinking coffee, and in the living room. All of the stockings are full, and they see the colorful presents, pretty bows with name tags on them under the tree.

"Alright open your stocking fist" Stan suggested "so we can wake up" Ford murmured half asleep as he held his coffee everyone come over and sit down. The kid gets their stocking and passes everybody else out.Soos puts on some Christmas music, they dump out their stoking over and they get candy.Stan hands Mabel a red box she takes the bow off and puts it on her head. He smiles at her she rips off the paper and opens it inside. There was green and yellow yarn "wow it's so beautiful and soft thank you" "I got something for you too" she excitedly crawls under the tree and retrieves Stan's present. And hands it to him he opens it and it's a camera and a painting that she put gutter,paint,macaroni on it."Now you guys can take pictures of your trip" "oh thanks pumpkin I love the painting" he hugs her she smiles.

Dipper hands Ford his present, he opens it, it's a new red notebook and the Dungeon Dungeon and more Dungeon rulebook "oh thank you I've needed a new journal. "When you guys come back can we play together please? '' Dipper asked. "Of course we can, I have a gift for you too' Ford gives Dipper his present and he rips off the green paper. It's a mystery novel and a D and D and more D dice "thank you Grunkle Ford I love this series". He put the dice in his pocket and began excitedly reading the first book.

"Stanley here " Ford hand him red box he open it and it's a photo book with pictures of the two, of them through the years.Stan tearful thought about their 30 years apart "Oh poindexter thank ".But he thought about how much better their relationship is he give Ford a present he opens, it and its binoculars and jelly beans 'thank you Stanley' they hug each other.

"Grunkle Stan here I got this for you" Dipper handed him a brown box he opened it and it's a pink,purple,blue tie "Aww thank you Goober, that yellow box there it's yours" Stan told him. Dipper crawls under the tree and gets his present; he rips the yellow paper off the box. And its pens,candy "cool thanks Grunkle Stan" Stan rub Dipper's head.

"Grunkle Ford I got you something too" she crawls under the tree, and hands him a bag he opens it. "Aww did you make this" he holds a pale green sweater with a golden 6 fingered hand on it. "You like it" "I love it" he put it on she sat in his lap " look like santa left something for you my dear". He gave her a red box. She opened it and its cookies and a sketchbook ."Thank you' she ate one of the cookies and she hugged him.

"Dipper I got you something here' Mabel hands her brother his gift he got another blue journal "oh thank you I just finished my old one here yours ' she opened it .And she got stickers and colored pencils. she hugged him. She couldn't wait to start drawing and began coloring in her sketchbook with her new colored pencils and stickers.Dipper wrote down his first entry and sketches of the reindeer they saw.Soos gave Stan a tiny box. He opened it and it's a tiny blue onesie.

That said Hi grandpa on it"I don't think I can't wear this wait ....You're ... going to be a dad......I'm a grandpa". His eyes felt a little wet. He thought how happy he was that he had a son and that he will have a grandson.Melody is 4 months pregnant Soos hugged him "are you ready dad". "Yep I am," he wiped the tears away "I think.. when is she due ' 'In may we think Melody beaned.

After Stan made them breakfast Wendy came over from her house.They all talk and laughed together , Dipper and Mabel enjoy their new presents Dipper reading in his new book and Mabel started knitting with her new green and yellow yan. "You know what my favorite part of Christmas is" she asked" What presents, going to church,the endless meals of food ?" he replied "no being with all of you" she smiled "Aww me too" he agreed. And ended the best Christmas ever.

#artists on tumblr #gravity falls #dipper and mabel #pines twins #stan pines #gravity falls fanart #mabel pines #gravity falls fandom #dipper pines #ford pines

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fortloser · 3 months ago

Note

Hello again! Sooo kinda a personal question but what was yalls childhoods like?

(Also, hope u feel better snipes!)

-Terror

Hallo everyone! I finally got my hands on those portraits! Now most of the others became rather uncomfortable when I started questioning them about their youths. I got answers ranging from “why are you so bloody intrested in how im doing! There’s nothing special about me or my childhood, now bugger off.” to more reasonable explanations. I tried calling Scout on his cellular device but he seemed very preoccupied. Oh well, he’ll get back to you on that, onto the testimonies! Brace yourself friends this will be somewhat lengthy.

I first approached herr Demo, and getting him to open up was fairly easy. His favorite alcoholic beverage and a snack did the trick!

“ It must be me birthday if yer spoiling me rotten doc, I guess I can share something about me youth if yer willing to lend an ear. I grew up in Glencoe Scotland, a great place if you like trails and hiking. Me mum and dad were professional monster hunters and me being the wee little lad that I was wanted to impress em with the greatest catch any child could give their parents, the Loch Ness monster! I did it all on me own but it came at a cost,,”

After that herr demo just stared off in the distance and I made a mental note to ask him more about that later, The Engineer was also very open about his youth! I came to him shortly after dinner knowing he would be busying himself with one of his long-term projects and would enjoy some company, his leg was still a little stiff from a rather nasty fall and so movement was difficult at times. He was more than happy to talk while I assisted.

“Luckenbach Texas, everybody is somebody there. It was recently bought by a goat farmer. Can you believe that? He called himself an Imagineer and after that, a bunch of hillbilly musicians started moving in. Can't complain though, It breathed new life into my home, I hated going back and seeing the state it was in. My mom and pop own a small pig farm there, and I still try to visit though unlike my good-for-nothing twin with his stupid fancy job at “NASA”,,

I don't think I should share his personal frustration about his twin with the public so let's move on, yes? The next day I approached Heavy, he was last on my list and seemingly already aware of me interrogating the entire team, and as he was cleaning his minigun he told me to take a seat.

“You want to know about heavy, Da? Then I will tell you about heavy. Grew up in big town near mountain, you would not know it. Had big family, many sisters and brothers but Heavy was oldest. Family was poor but happy, loved summer, snow would melt and grass and flowers would show, heavy likes this. Went to good school had many friends, now heavy works to give family same life. Doctor is happy with answer?”

I was surprised he was so willing to talk about his youth, I politely thanked him and left to prepare for that day's battle, I suppose that only leaves me left.

I was born in Germany, my mother was German and my father was Dutch and they both moved to Germany so my mother could be close to her family, he was a watchmaker and she was an artist, this relationship did not last and they got divorced. My motherstayed in germany allowing my father to raise me on his own back in the netherlands. I spent a lot of time in my father's workshop while he was trying to fix up old clocks. I didn't have many friends but who needs them when you have books and wildlife to observe? I excelled in all of my studies and pursued medicine, and eventually ended up here writing to you after I just finished up patching the last of my colleagues.

Stay healthy

With kind regards medic

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abbatoirablaze · 3 months ago

Text

Behind Closed Doors, Chapter 18

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: mentions of violence, angst, mentions of smut/sex.

“And you’re sure it’ll be okay?”

Chris turned his head when he heard your voice.

He hadn’t seen you since the day you broke Minka’s nose. And while Sebastian had said for weeks that you were planning on coming up to see him, he hadn’t thought much of it…or rather, he tried not to think of it.

Johnny, Shayla, and Jack were all in school by now.

There wasn’t supposed to be a way for you to come up.

But there you were in the flesh.

“I’m sure, honey!” Sebastian smiled, pressing a firm kiss to your lips. Chris watched from his spot on the set while you all but melted against your husband, your own hands reaching up to brace yourself on his own hands as you deepened the kiss.

“Momma…”

“Yes baby?” you asked softly, turning your attention to the little boy he’d known as Jack.

Shit.

It was around Easter.

The kids must have been on spring break.

His jaw twitched as he thought about his own children.

Where were his children?

“When gamma coming?”

“Grandma should be here in a little bit,” Sebastian reminded his son as he messed with his hair, “I thought you wanted to come to set with mommy today and see what daddy does.”

“Daddy this boring!”

Sebastian chuckled and ruffled Jefferson’s hair playfully as you picked him up, “baby don’t you wanna see the superheroes?”

“No!” he frowned, shaking his head, “wan momma snuggles.”

Chris couldn’t help himself.

He made his way over to the group of you and put on his best charming smile for the two little boys when he was immediately caught up by the stroller.

He didn’t remember Sebastian saying that you two had a third child together.

“(Y/N).”

You visibly deflated as you saw him, “Christopher…Sebastian didn’t say that you were shooting right now…it’s uh-good to see you!”

“Where’s the twins?” he asked quickly, gesturing to how there were only three children.

You sucked in your cheeks, “your brother wanted to visit with them…so they’re with Scott right now…they didn’t want to come to set.”

“So, they’re at Scott’s hotel?”

You nodded, “yes…”

He licked his lips, before gesturing down to the stroller, “I see you guys have been busy.”

A blush rose onto your cheeks, but Sebastian smiled, putting his arm around your waist, “yeah…we had Lance at the beginning of the year, in January…”

“You really can’t stop yourself, can you?”

The three of you laughed awkwardly at his joke, and you leaned into Sebastian, “I think I should go back to the apartment…see if I can’t get the boys down for a nap before your mom comes.”

“You don’t have to leave…” Chris offered, “we’re just catching up…”

“No,” you shrugged, “I don’t have to…I just want to…”

“No, you listen to me, honey…you and Sebastian need some time to yourself,” his mom said softly as her husband finished tucking your three youngest into her car, “Chris’ mom and Scott took the twins for the weekend…and we’re going to take Jack, Jefferson, and Lance. You two just enjoy being a young married couple.”

“He’s not even back from shooting yet,” you sighed, shrugging your own shoulders, “really, you don’t have to do this. I know that you and your-“

“We want to do this for the two of you (Y/N.)”

“Thank you mom…”

She smiled once again and wrapped her arms around you, “thank you for giving my baby boy everything he always wanted honey.”

When she broke away from you, you followed her out the door, and leaned against the frame. Lance was asleep in his carrier, but both Jefferson and Jack were excitedly waving to you, saying goodbye. You blew a kiss to them as Sebastian’s mother and step-father packed themselves into the SUV and headed off towards their hotel.

Walking back inside, you saw that your phone had a text message.

Just got done. Getting out of wardrobe and ripping that prosthetic off. LOL. Should be back within the hour. Will be there in time to tuck the kids in.

You frowned.

You knew that despite needing a break, Sebastian probably would be sad about missing out on the kids. But you knew that it was something you had to say, rather than text. You dialed his number, and he picked up on the second ring.

“Hey…you get my message?”

“Why do you sound out of breath?”

“Nothing big…just had a hell of a time getting out of the arm,” he laughed, “had to use two more PA’s than normal. Who would have thought the extra weight would have made it that much tighter?”

“I hear that tone…don’t be dissing your thick boy status,” you giggled lightly, “I like the extra padding on this version of Bucky Barnes.”

“Oh, do you now?” he teased, “don’t like the clean cut one from the first Captain America? Or the super chiseled one from Winter Soldier?”

“Mmm, no, I definitely think the scruffy, thick boy version of Bucky Barnes is my favorite…”

“God, the way that your voice sounds right now,” he growled into the call, “It’s doing something to me, honey…”

“Think you’d be in the mood for some Bucky roleplay when you get back?”

You could practically hear the smile in his voice as he chuckled, “sweetheart…we both know how loud you can get…and you know that Jefferson doesn’t sleep well in places he doesn’t know.”

“Your mom and step-dad took them for the weekend…”

“So, what your saying is…”

“Come here, Bucky Barnes…let me show you that you’re more than just some killing machine…” you giggled.

His eyes turned steely as he looked at you.

There was an authoritative look in those steely orbs that you loved so much. He was deep into his character as the two of you had been roleplaying for the better part of an hour, with him breaking you apart on his tongue, fingers, and cock, “Bucky.”

He growled as his hips stuttered into you, “fuck, doll…you’re holding onto me so tight…”

“Let’s make that super soldier program really stick,” you teased, “give it all to me, Bucky. Give me a little super soldier!”

“FUCK, (Y/N),” he growled breaking character, “I know we got the all clear from the doctor that it’s okay to have sex again…but I can’t pull out of you, baby…you feel so fucking right…I wanna cum in you. I need to-“

“I want it, Sebastian. Cum in me baby,” you purred, kissing him deeply. His hips found their rhythm again as he bucked hard into you; the familiar stretch of your husband’s cock dragging along your walls making you come apart, “SEBASTIAN! FUCK. I want another one, daddy. Give me another little baby Stan!”

You sighed lazily from Sebastian’s chair on set as you stared at the pictures that Chris’ mom had sent you.

The twins had always loved her, despite not seeing her nearly as much as they saw Sebastians parents.

But they were happily holding up their Easter baskets and wearing bunny ears, something that Chris’ mom had told you that she wanted to do for the kids when she came to visit Chris on set.

Another picture had Scott with them, Shayla kissing her uncle’s cheek, and Johnny putting his pair of bunny ears on him.

And a third had both of the twins hugging Chris’ mom.

You smiled to yourself.

At least Scott and Chris’ mom wanted them in their lives.

“Your coffee, Miss?”

“Thank you!” you smiled, this time aiming it at the younger female who held your coffee. She gave you a smile of her own.

“Mrs. Stan?”

You turned, surprised to see a well-dressed man with a manilla envelope. Your brow quirked, “excuse me?”

“Mrs. Stan?”

“Who’s asking?”

“That’s her!” Chris confirmed quickly, appearing out of nowhere. The man nodded, muttering a quick ‘you’ve been served,’ while handing you the envelope.

Curiously, you put your drink down and started to open the packet, “what the hell is this, Chris?”

“Shared custody,” he said quickly, as you eyed the papers up. Your eyes snapped to his, “I want the twins, (Y/N)!”

You felt your stomach turning as you shook your head, “we signed a contract when we got together, Chris. I’ve never asked for child support. I’ve always raised them on my own, and you’ve been allowed to be part of their lives whenever you wanted to be. It’s you that’s turned them away before. You that ignored them and even thought about signing over your rights.”

“Well maybe I don’t like the fact that you’re building a brand new family with Sebastian,” he growled, “are our children even getting any attention? Or does it all go to his kids?”

“Oh, that’s rich, coming from you,” you spat, “you don’t have any other kids, and you’re worried about how I spend my time with mine? When you’re absent beyond belief!”

“It’s about the kids, (Y/N)!” he replied dryly, “not us. And I’ve decided that I want shared custody. I want a bigger role in their lives before it’s too late!”

You stood, dropping the papers back onto Sebastian’s chair, “are you fucking serious, Chris?”

“I’m just trying to look out for Johnny and Shayla.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” you scoffed, pushing your ex back a step, “you’re always off filming. Do you really think you’d be able to care for Johnny and Shayla? And what about school.”

“I could hire a nanny and private tutors for them. There’s no reason that they should be left behind because of your new growing family.”

“Fuck you,” you hissed, “they don’t need nannies or tutors. They need a mother and a father. The stability they get when they’re at home, with me. When they’re at home and Sebastian comes home from filming and plays the role that you ignore almost a hundred percent of the time: being a father.”

His nostrils flared, and you realized that while you may have been pushing his buttons, you might have pushed too far.

He took a step forward, and you took two back, until your own back hit the wall, “Chris-“

“I am their father!” he hissed, his fist shooting out and hitting the wall beside your head, “Whether you try to poison them against me or not, I AM THEIR FATHER, (Y/N)!”

“What the hell is going on?”

You couldn’t see over Chris shoulder, but you knew your husband’s voice, “Sebastian…”

“Chris…back the fuck up from my wife.”

“Mind your business, Stan…this is between me and the mother of my children.”

“And now it’s between me, and you!” he spat, ripping Chris around and turning him away from you. You screamed as Chris lashed out and attempted to punch your husband.

Chapter 19

#behind closed doors #chris evans #sebastian stan #chris evans characters #sebastian stan characters #marvel #steve rogers #the avengers #captain america #bucky barnes #avengers civil war

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tjalexandernyc · 6 months ago

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Not sure why so many people are getting nostalgic over Claire's at the moment but if you'd like to hear my personal Claire's ear piercing story here it is.

I'm 40 years old so I grew up in peak '90s mall culture. Claire's was a standard stop on any mall visit along with The Rave, Auntie Anne's, and the sketchy arcade. Despite the ubiquity of Claire's and its cheap ear piercing, I never got my ears pierced until I was... probably 15 or maybe 14. I don't know how I escaped it for so long; most of my girl friends had their ears pierced either as an infant or at least before they were tweens. I suspect it was a combination of me being a little nonbinary baby who didn't want to wear earrings in both ears but couldn't articulate why, so I never asked for them; the fact that my mom was thrifty and never offered; and my grandmother's penchant for clip-on earrings, since she'd also never gotten her ears pierced. I think when she was growing up in the 1920s it was seen as slutty? Anyway IF I was required to wear earrings for a fancy occasion there were plenty of grandma's sitting around the place.

But when I was 14 or 15, I was at the mall with my father. I don't remember why we were at the mall together. We rarely did anything together, and even now are not especially close. I vaguely remember my childhood best friend being there too. We must have been waiting for someone or something (maybe a movie at the attached theater?) and had some time to kill.

I think my dad must have offered to buy us some earrings we were examining at one of the kiosks, because I remember having to explain to him that I didn't have pierced ears. My dad famously misremembered things about me, like thinking I'd had braces when it was my older brother, not me, who needed them. He was shocked. He must have assumed I'd gotten them pierced at some point, but I told him no, it never happened. He offered to pay for the piercing at Claire's right then and there.

I don't know if I can explain how it felt, that offer. I was largely ambivalent about piercings. I knew, as most '90s kids did, that there was a Gay Ear that some guys wore earrings in, but no one seemed to agree which one it was. I have a visceral memory, down to knowing exactly which seat I was in, when a kid in the elementary school lunchroom got a cheap clip on pirate earring stuck on his earlobe and was mercilessly taunted for it being on the Gay Ear. I both wanted piercings so I could figure out which of my ears, if any, were gay. I simultaneously didn't want anyone putting holes in me. I craved visibility and invisibility in equal measure. I wanted to do something with my dad, since we never did things together. I didn't want to spend my own money on ear piercing, which my father spoke of like some inevitable event. I wanted to talk to my best friend about all this alone even though I knew she would not understand.

I ended up getting my ears pierced at Claire's that day. The 18 year old cashier who was manning the piercing gun made one puncture slightly off center compared to the other. I picked out a pair of cubic zirconia studs, which I thought weren't as girly as the others. After the piercings healed I started wearing earrings pretty much every day and amassed a huge collection of them. I did that up until I came out a few years ago.

I don't wear earrings often anymore but when I do it's usually just one dangly transguy-esque piece or a single hoop. I put it in the same ear that the kid in the lunchroom did. I haven't thought about my father in relation to my piercings for a very long time, until recently, when the Claire's memes reminded me. I think there's probably a lot of pop psychology mud to dig through there if someone cared to. I don't.

My father and I talk a couple times a year now, usually brokered by my mom. He has pierced ears, by the way, three in each ear. I don't remember when that happened. I'd like to think it was around the time my parents got divorced. I'd like to think it was circa 1997. I'd like to think it happened the way I know it didn't, in a way that even our combined shit memories couldn't conjure: that we both got gunned at the Claire's at the mall, ears red and puffy, before getting a cinnamon sugar pretzel to split. It didn't happen that way, but god I wish it had.

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sequinsmile-x · 1 year ago

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Barricade

Emily and Aaron's teenage daughter is exactly like her mother.

The only person who considers that a problem is Elizabeth.

-x-

Hi friends,

Another day, another mommy issues fic.

I had the idea for this when washing my hair, which is apparently when I have my more unhinged ideas. And writing it this evening has helped me distract myself from the increasing anxiety I am feeling about starting my new job tomorrow!!

I hope you enjoy this, I forgot how much I enjoyed writing them with slightly older kids, and I'd love to know what you think <3

-x-

Words: 2.8k

Warnings: Difficult mother/daughter relationship (duh, it's me writing about Emily and Elizabeth)

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

“Do we have to go?”

Emily sighs as she turns to look at her daughter, raising her eyebrows at the 14-year-old before she looks at herself in the mirror again.

“Vi, you know we have to,” she replies as she adjusts her dress, critically looking up and down at her reflection, “Your grandmother asked us to go so we’re going.”

It was yet another night spent at yet another event her mother had requested they go to. Ever since she and Aaron had got married and had children they’d been invited to more and more things like this, their mere existence, a family Emily was sure she’d never have perfect for Elizabeth’s public image. Emily was able to dodge some of the events, using the kids and their hobbies as excuses as well as her and Aaron’s work, but she knew when to pick her battles. And tonight wasn’t one of them.

Violet leans against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest as she sighs, “How come Jack gets out of going?”

Emily chuckles as she takes one last look at herself before she turns and walks towards Violet, “Because, honey, Jack is at college a few hundred miles away,” She lowers her voice and mutters under her breath, “Lucky kid.”

Violet nods and stands up straight, “Dad is helping Benny with his tie, apart from that he’s ready to go. I talked him out of his light-up Spiderman sneakers.”

She smiles as she thinks of her 12-year-old, the boy a double of his father right down to his more serious nature. He was quiet, reserved in a way neither she nor Violet were, and she knew it made her daughter protective of her younger brother. Something Emily hoped would continue forever, through the difficult teenage years that occasionally reared their ugly head, outbursts from the young girl that almost made Emily feel sorry for her own mother.

Almost.

“Thanks, sweetie,” Emily says, tucking some of Violet's dark hair behind her ear. Just as wild and untamable as it had been when she was a toddler, a curl to it that neither Emily nor Aaron were sure where it came from. She looks at the dress she’d chosen for Violet to wear, the dark green material of it suiting her perfectly and she smiles, “You look very pretty.”

Violet beams, smiling in a way that reveals her braces, and Emily watches how her cheeks pink up with embarrassment, “Thanks, Mom. You look pretty too.”

“Vi, Em, we’ve got to get going.”

They exchange a smile at Aaron’s shout up the stairs, and Violet rolls her eyes, “You just had to marry the most punctual man on the planet, didn’t you?”

Emily chuckles and places her hand on Violet’s shoulder and squeezes as she turns her daughter around and leads her out of the room.

“He has his uses,” she says, waggling her eyebrows as Violet looks at her, already laughing before the teenager reacts.

“Oh god, Mom. Gross.”

___

“How are you holding up sweetheart?”

She smiles as she looks at her husband, gratefully taking the glass of wine he offers her as he stands next to her, his arm snaking around her waist so he can rest his hand on her hip.

“I’m surviving,” she says, looking at the dancefloor and smiling as she spots Violet and Benjamin dancing together, both of them laughing, “At least they are having fun.” She leans into his side, seeking out his comfort, “I miss the days when we could use their early bedtimes as an excuse to leave,” she says, sighing as he kisses her temple, “Or a case.”

He smiles against her skin and kisses her once more before pulling away, “Sorry for retiring and throwing a spanner in the works for you.”

She hums and tilts her head to look at him, “I’ll forgive you,” she says, winking at him, “It’s kind of my fault too for accepting that promotion.”

When he retired, content for Section Chief to be the highest he climbed in the FBI, she was the obvious choice for his replacement. It was a promotion she’d gladly accepted. Whilst she missed being part of the BAU, the timing, and the opportunity to spend more time with her family, were perfect.

Even if it did mean she no longer had a valid excuse to dip out of her mother’s events early.

Any further conversation is cut off as Elizabeth walks over with a man Emily vaguely recognises, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tries to remember who he is.

“Emily, Aaron,” Elizabeth says as she comes to a stop in front of them, “You remember Russell Shaw,” she says, indicating to the man with her, “He’s the Head of Georgetown Day School.”

It clicks into place, and Emily has to stop herself from sighing. Ever since she and Aaron had become engaged, and it became clear to Elizabeth that the relationship was going to last, she’d been insistent that they sent Jack to private school. It was something both Emily and Aaron made clear they didn’t want, and they repeatedly told her so again and again. Her comments about it only got more frequent after Violet and Benjamin were born, and her distaste for them going to public school, no matter how excellent the schools were, never wavering.

This wasn’t the first, nor did Emily think it would be the last, time that Elizabeth blind-sighted them with one of her friends who just so happened to be a head of a private school.

“Your mother tells me you have two children,” Russell says as he shakes Aaron's and then Emily’s hands.

“Three,” Aaron corrects, his hand landing on Emily’s hip again, squeezing tightly in a way he knows she needs in moments like this, “Jack, our eldest, is at college - Yale,” he says, smiling as he always did when he thought of how his son had chosen Emily’s alma mater over his, “Violet and Benjamin are 14 and 12,” he adds, nodding over to them on the dance floor.

Russell smiles and casts a glance at the children, “Well,” he says, turning his attention to Emily, “Your mother tells me you’re interested in them potentially joining Georgetown Day School,” he says, and Emily grits her teeth, her eyes flashing to her mother’s as Aaron holds her even tighter, “We’d be delighted to have some Prentiss’ in our school community.”

“Hotchners,” Emily says, not missing how her mother tenses as she corrects the man in front of her.

“Excuse me?” Russel asks, clearing his throat, and picking up on the rising tension.

“My children are Hotchners,” she repeats, a wide, yet fake, smile on her face, “Not Prentiss’. And we’re perfectly happy with the school they currently go to,” she says, looking at her mother, her gaze hardening as her eyes meet hers, “My mother must have got her wires crossed.”

Elizabeth glares at her for a beat, her disapproval clear, before she turns to Russell, “Come on Russell, I believe I saw the O’Briens,” she says, leading him away, another look thrown over her shoulder at her daughter, “They’ve been dying to see you.”

Emily feels the tension leave her body and she allows herself to sink into Aaron’s side, “She is unbelievable.”

Aaron runs his hand up and down her side, soothing her in the only way he could until they got home, “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Do you want to go?”

She shakes her head and presses a kiss to his cheek, “It’s okay, it’s just easier to stay,” she sighs, draining the rest of her wine, “I wouldn’t mind another glass of wine though.”

He smiles and stamps a kiss against her lips, before he steps away, “Another glass of wine coming up.”

She blows out a steady breath and shakes her head, but barely has a moment’s peace before a hand wraps around her wrist and drags her out into the hall. She frowns at her mother as they find themselves in relative privacy, and she pulls her arms out of her grasp.

“Mother, what is-”

“Did you have to be so rude to Russell?” She asks, her voice a low whisper as she shakes her head, “He was only trying to be nice.”

Emily rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest, “I wasn’t rude,” she says, “And how many times do I have to tell you we aren’t sending the kids to private school.”

She sees a familiar wave of disapproval wash over her mother’s face, an expression she’d been on the receiving end of for as long as she could remember. From back when simply skimming her knees by playing outside would seemingly warrant it to now, being a mother herself and making decisions for her children that Elizabeth would never agree with.

“I just think you’re being narrow-minded-”

“I’m being narrow-minded?” Emily asks, chuckling humourlessly as she shakes her head, “You’re the one trying to force me to send my kids to a school I have no interest in sending them to,” she says as she spots Aaron approaching them over her mother’s shoulder.

“Is everything okay over here?” Aaron asks, standing next to his wife, his hand finding its place on her lower back, the curve there that seemed to be carved out specifically for him.

Elizabeth shakes her head, “Talk to your wife Aaron,” she says, sounding exasperated, “She’s putting your children’s futures at risk because she’d rather spite me than put them first like a mother should.”

Emily’s mouth falls open, the accusation enough to shock her briefly into silence, and just as she’s about to respond, she’s cut off by another voice entirely.

“You can’t speak to her like that.”

All three of them turn to look at Violet standing just a few paces away, her arms crossed over her chest, and her face furrowed into the frown she’d inherited from her father.

“Vi-”

“She’s an excellent mom,” Violet says, stepping closer and cutting her father’s attempts to stop her, “And I don’t want to go to some stupid private school. I like my school, with my friends,” She looks back and forth between her mother and her grandmother, “You of all people don’t get to imply that she’s a bad mom.”

“Vi,” Emily says, stepping forward and squeezing her daughter’s shoulder, “It’s ok,” she says, smiling reassuringly when Violet turns to look at her, “Go get your brother and meet us by the car.”

Violet looks like she’s going to argue but she nods sharply and leaves, disappearing just as quickly as she’d appeared. Emily briefly catches her husband's eye, and she doesn’t miss the absolute pride shining on his face. Elizabeth hums disapprovingly and shakes her head.

“That girl is just like you.”

Emily feels Aaron tense next to her and she reaches for his hand, squeezing it tightly, a silent reminder of his years old promise to never say anything to her mother, to leave those battles for her.

“Yeah,” Emily says, smiling as she nods her head. It was something she’d been told since the moment Violet was born. Their similarity looks wise the first thing that people often drew on. As Violet got older and her personality developed it only got clearer just how much she was like Emily, traits and habits that she’d been chastised for her entire life shining through her daughter in a way that she could only see as positives. Things that would be a strength as she got older, instead of the hindrance her own mother clearly still saw them as. “She really is,” she looks up at her mother, their eyes meeting, “And I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

___

Violet is out of the car and up the stairs to her bedroom before Aaron can even get the key back out of the front door.

“Vi-” He calls up the stairs after her, but Emily squeezes his arm and shakes her head.

“I’ll go talk to her honey,” she says, smiling at him before she turns to Benjamin, “Time for you to go to bed, sweetie.”

Benjamin nods and wraps his arms tightly around her, “Okay Mom,” he says, not negotiating to delay his bedtime like he usually would, “Love you,” he squeezes her tightly one more time before he disentangles himself and throws a look at Aaron, “Love you too, Dad.”

“Love you buddy.”

“Love you, Benny.”

Emily and Aaron speak simultaneously and smile as they watch their son run up the stairs, and she looks at her husband, “I’ll go speak to Vi, meet you in the living room after?”

He nods and kisses her forehead, “I’ll make the hot chocolates.”

She sighs contentedly as she briefly leans into him, “I knew I married you for a reason,” She pulls away and heads up the stairs, coming to a stop outside her daughter's room to knock on the door.

“Vi, it’s me, honey.”

There’s a brief pause before she hears a response through the door, “Come in.”

Emily pushes the door open and feels her heart clench as she spots Violet sitting in the centre of her bed. She has her legs against her chest and her arms tight around them, her chin resting on top of her knees.

“Am I in trouble?” Violet asks, her voice shaking in a way that was uncharacteristic, “For telling Grandma off?”

“Oh, sweetie, no,” Emily says, joining Violet on the bed, reaching out and grabbing one of her hands, “If anything, your dad is probably planning on raising your allowance for saying some things he wishes I’d let him say years ago.”

She hadn’t missed the not-so-subtle smile on her husband's face the entire journey home, or how he’d kept looking at a very quiet Violet through the rear-view mirror.

Violet laughs and nods, squeezing Emily’s hand, “I’m sorry though, I hope I didn’t make things worse.”

“You didn’t, Vi. I promise,” she assures her, “What you said was sweet.”

“It’s true though,” Violet says, shifting closer to Emily, “You’re the best mom, and I hate that she was trying to say you aren’t because you won’t send us to some school. She’s the bad mom.”

Emily sighs, “Vi-”

“It’s true!” Violet exclaims, her voice raising slightly, “You’re always sad after we see her, and she always says something mean. It drives us crazy.”

She frowns, her eyebrows knitting together, “Us?’

Violet nods, “Yeah, me and Jack and Benny.”

“You…talk about it?” She asks, guilt simmering in her belly at the realisation that she hadn’t hidden any of it as well as she hoped she had, that her children had picked up on everything she’d tried to protect them from.

“Yeah,” Violet replies, as if it was obvious, “Why do you think Jack always calls you after we’ve seen her? Or why Benny and I don’t argue about bedtime or fight with each other afterwards,” she shrugs half-heartedly, “It’s our way of trying to help.”

Emily sighs and pulls Violet into a hug, something she gratefully returns, her arms tight around her mother’s neck.

“Oh sweet girl,” she says as she strokes her daughter’s back, the nickname she’d stopped using three years ago when Violet declared she was too grown up for it slipping out, “You guys always help, no matter what.” She pulls back and smiles at Violet and cups her cheek, her thumb catching a stray tear that had escaped past her lashline, “And I’m sorry I didn’t protect you from it all a little better.”

“Mom, you have nothing to be sorry for,” Violet says, a wry smile spreading across her face, “You’ve raised some pretty smart kids, even if you have sent us to crappy public schools.”

Emily barks out a laugh and briefly presses her forehead into her daughters, “I’m going to let the cursing go this once, but please don’t do it in front of your father, you’ll give him a heart attack and I quite like having him around.”

Violet nods in agreement and her smile fades, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip, “I’m sorry if grandma is mad about tonight.”

Emily shrugs it off and stands up, “Leave your grandmother to me,” she says, offering a hand out to Violet, “Now, Dad said he was going to make me a hot chocolate, and I have a sneaking suspicion he will have made you one too.”

The teenager smiles widely and jumps up off the bed, surpassing Emily’s hand to link her arm through hers, her head on her mother’s shoulder as they walk out of her room.

“Do you think we could convince him to watch Real Housewives of Orange County with us?”

Emily smiles and kisses her daughter's temple, “I think you could convince him of just about anything right now.”

Violet hums to herself, “Maybe I should yell at Grandma more often.”

“Violet.”

-x-

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#aaron hotchner #emily prentiss #aaron hotchner fanfiction #emily prentiss fanfiction #hotchniss fan fic #aaron x emily #hotchniss fanfic #aaron hotchner x emily prentiss #hotchniss #hotchniss fanfiction

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coolbeanzeaglbones · 3 months ago

Text

It's 4am, here's a fanfic chapter I had to finish or else I would've forgotten

Ian was still shy around everyone, but was warming up to Ricky, of all people. It was probably because Ricky had been trying so so so very hard to bring a sort of optimism to the place, “Hey, maybe he'll just let us go.” He would say, playfully shoving anyone in vicinity of shoving.

Christian sensed that he was trying to be more optimistic for Ian's sake.

It was on one night when Ricky called a team meeting, “Okay, I want everyone to talk about themselves. Get to really know the team. I'll go first,” he went and stood in the middle of their makeshift meeting, “My name is Ricky Falomir, I used to live in Connecticut before my mom left, then me and my dad moved to Orange County when I was six and I've lived with him ever since.” he finished with a little clap of his hands before sitting back down.

There was a silence before Christian sighed and walked to the middle of the meeting. He began to imitate Ricky's peppy tone, “Hi, my name is Christian Jacobs, I was born and raised in Orange County and then I frickin stolen from the waterpark. See how fun this is? See how much fun I'm having?” Jimmy was trying to suppress laughter, but Ian was full on laughing, “Yes, I do see how much fun you're having, now go on.” Ricky said, his face threatening to break into laughter.

Christian cleared his throat before continuing in a more of his tone of voice, “I have an older sister and three younger brothers. I miss them.” His voice cracked on the last word and he went to sit back down.

Again, silence. Jimmy looked over to Ian, “Do you want to go first?” Ian shook his head, so Jimmy went up. He took the middle ground and began to speak, “Well, I was created by my father as farming equipment…” he was cut off by Ian raising his hand, “Yes?”

“A-are you a r-robot?” Jimmy was genuinely confused by that, “Yeah? What? How…did you not know?”

“Well, I t-thought you w-were hu-human.” He said, “No, I'm not, anyway, I was created by my father as farming equipment, but I grew to be their son and on the day of the farmers market, someone turned me off and took me here.” he went back to his spot and slapped his knees, “You're up kid.” He said.

Ian did not look like he wanted to talk, but, being polite, stood and walked into the middle, “Hi, m-my n-name is Ian F-fowles and I ha-have an o-older brother…”

“Are you okay? You're stuttering a lot.” It was something he had been doing recently. It had gotten to a really bad point when he was trying to talk about himself.

He eventually just gave up and sat back to where he was before, staring at his hands, “So why do you wear knee braces?” Ricky asked, trying to invite him back into the conversation, “and wrist braces?”

“Oh, um, I-i don't really re-remember the s-story, but I th-think my d-dad’s side of the f-family w-was cursed a w-while back and…” he was cut off by the unit door opening.

Everyone scrambled to get far away from the door, onto the opposite side of the unit.

It might be just me, Ian thought to himself, but that guy looks definitely bigger.

Chad looked like he had grown a foot taller in just the few hours that they hadn't seen him.

Apparently, it wasn't just him. Ricky had audibly gasped when he came into the unit. Christian flattened both of his arms to his friend's chests to keep them held back. Jimmy's eyes were wide, the slight canary blue that always came from them seemed to be exacerbated by the tense atmosphere.

Chad just sat down, didn't even bother closing the door. He put his head in his knees and just sat there, shaking.

Christian exchanged a glance with Jimmy, before grabbing Ian by the hand and motioning with his head to the door. He seemed to understand, as did Ricky, and they all cautiously moved towards the door.

They were going to all run for it as soon as they got out, screaming for help and hopefully waking up the entire neighborhood.

Christian looked to his younger friends, gave the nod and began to sprint, yelling at the top of his lungs.

A giant arm came out to stop them, hitting Christian and Jimmy in the stomach and hitting Ian in the face. Ricky had managed to duck under the arm and was still screaming, but Chad pulled him right back in, shutting the door.

The kids backed up as a unit against the wall, Ian's nose was bleeding heavily, but he was, surprisingly, not crying.

Ricky let out a whimpering noise and grabbed Ian around the shoulders, pulling him close. Jimmy held Christian's arm as his back hit the padding of the wall.

The only thing going on in Christian's mind was, oh crap, I screwed up and now all of us are going to die.

Chad came closer, his massive form a huge blackout in the darkness. He didn't say anything, he just grabbed Ian and Ricky by their wrists and dragged them to the far corner of the unit.

They both tried to kick at him, Ian was now kind of sobbing and Ricky was cussing Chad out. But it was no use.

Christian knew he had to put his leadership to work. He charged at Chad with a battle yell, jumping and grabbing his shoulders. He tried to put him in a sleeper hold. Chad paid no attention.

There was an odd rack in each corner of the unit and Chad grabbed the filthy red rag from the ground and tied Ricky and Ian up to it by their wrists.

For anyone asking what Jimmy was doing, he was panicking. Like, full blown human panic attack. He was experiencing all of these emotions at once and it was overwhelming.

He crouched down, his head covered by his arms and began to rock back and forth like a crazy person. He was crying, like real tears. They were oil or something, but it was acting like tears.

After Chad was done tying the two up, he grabbed Christian from his neck and held him by his scruff like a little kitten.

He was silent. Christian wanted him to say something, anything! Heck, he wouldn't mind being yelled at! Anything but silence. But Chad just walked over, grabbed Jimmy by his arm and led him over to the other rack, where, as he held them both down with his leg, he tore a piece of his sleeve.

He tied them to the wrack and left. It was silent except for the sounds of everyone trying and failing so hard not to cry.

Christian allowed himself to join in the crying. He didn't know how much longer they all had left to live.

#the aquabats #the aquabats super show #fanfic #aquabats #dark fic #jimmy the robot #crash mclarson #eaglebones falconhawk #ricky fitness #the mcbc

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beautifulchris · 1 year ago

Text

of darkness and rainbows

pairing: demigod!lee felix x fem demigod!reader

featuring: han jisung, hwang hyunjin, sf9's dawon, golden child's bomin, nct's doyoung

summary: a demigod au in which you enter the camp after losing your mom, and you swear to yourself you'll avenge her no matter what

genres: demigod!au, s2f2l!au, mutual pining, slowburn, action, fantasy, adventure, greek mythology, romance, mild fluff, angst

tw: monsters, parental abandonment, death of a mother and a brother, murder, blood, physical injuries, use of weapons (swords, knives, bow and arrow), VIOLENCE, nightmares, grief and loss depiction, battle scenes, monster and creature slaying, mild language, fainting, magic, ghost

rating: +16

wc: 12,7k

notes: wow. this is my longest work yet and i'm proud of it, please let me know what you think!!

networks: @kflixnet @k-labels @whipped-kpop-creators

permanent tag list: @badwithten send an ask/dm/comment to be added!

one.

It was the end of June, and your mom said a trip to Long Island —you’d never heard of that place before— would be the greatest gift she could offer you for your twelfth birthday. You didn’t believe her after she gifted you an agate necklace, your favorite stone.

Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with the trip you’d imagined.

After getting to Montauk, and spending a few hours on the beach, she drove north. You then walked up what you thought was a random hill. When you were almost on top, you turned towards your mom to tell her you wanted to go back, that you’d rather go home and watch a movie. She was sobbing. It took you aback and broke your heart to see her that way. You wanted to hug her so badly.

She grabbed the backpack she had over her shoulders and put the handle in your hands.

“You must go further north, alright? You’ll find someone who can help you,” she instructed as she kneeled in front of you, stroking your face affectionately.

“What are you talking about, mom? I don’t want to go anywhere without you.”

“It’s going to be alright, sweetheart. You have to trust me. You’re so special, you don’t realize how much. You must go on your own path now. It’s time.” Her voice cracked a little. “Go, you’ll be safe there.”

“This doesn’t make any sense…” you mumbled and stood your ground.

“Maybe because your mommy failed to mention why you’re here,” an icy voice said, making you flinch. Your mom quickly got up and put a protective hand on your shoulder, “and why you’re both going to die today.”

“You’re too late. My daughter will live.”

A light yet threatening laugh left the woman’s throat. She was extremely beautiful, but there was something wrong with her. Not physically, it was more of a feeling.

“We’ll see about that.”

As the woman charged, your mom pushed you out of the way.

“Run!” she yelled as she shielded you with her whole body, turning her back on the woman. You didn’t want to leave her but what could you do? You ran as fast as you could to the top of the hill, still being able to hear what was happening behind you.

“I’m Keahi,” the woman said as she grasped your mom’s arm and forced her to spin so that they faced each other. “Might as well know my name, since I’m the last person you’ll ever see, mortal. You’re going to die knowing it was for nothing.”

You only turned around when you heard a sharp gasp.

You watched helplessly as your mom’s limp body fell to the ground with a loud thud. The woman had blood dripping from her hand— no, her claws. It dawned on you that she had murdered your mom and you were next. You turned around and resumed your sprint. Due to your fear and teary eyes, you realized too late that now that you were at the top, you’ll be going down.

You braced yourself as you could for the fall. Your body got scratches from a few low branches and brambles. When you arrived at the bottom of the hill, you looked up to see if the woman had followed.

It wasn’t the beautiful woman you saw earlier anymore, she had flaming hair, white skin and glowing red eyes. You could only see her head, but it was enough to get nightmares. She bared her fangs and turned around, like she couldn’t get to you anymore.

You tried to breathe but it came out ragged, hands shaking and lips trembling. The sun was heating up your skin. The birds were chirping happily while the despair you were feeling was starting to become unbearable as you clutched at your sides. Tears were streaming down your face, blurring your vision. Not that you had much to look at, anyway, except trees.

You closed your eyes and before you could register what was going on, a paradise appeared before them. There was grass, trees, farm animals, a waterfall and sky in different rainbow colors, plus a rainbow in the background. It obviously wasn’t real, but for some reason the colors perfectly matched. It made you feel at ease. A drastic change from the state you were in mere seconds ago. It momentarily made you forget about it, the sight filling you up with warmth and peace. It only lasted a couple minutes, although by now you breathed normally again, tears dried up.

When you opened your eyes and turned around, you could see a huge amphitheater in the distance, a volleyball court and… were these strawberry fields? Off the corner of your eye, you caught sight of a boy smiling sheepishly, seated a few meters away from you. Blinking a few times, you let out a long sigh.

“Are you okay?” the boy asked in a raspy voice.

It doesn’t match his angelic face, you thought.

He had freckles, a fair and soft skin, short blond hair and brown eyes. He was wearing an orange t-shirt, shorts and sneakers.

You nodded, getting up painfully. Your limbs felt sore, the cuts on your face and arms started to ache.

“I can bring you to the infirmary if you want.”

Maybe you shouldn’t have trusted him right away. Maybe he was with the monster. But he didn’t look evil. He didn’t feel evil, either. So, you followed.

“I hope my illusion helped you feel a tad better.”

“What I saw when I closed my eyes, you did this?”

“Yeah. I’ve been practicing.”

He had a peaceful aura that calmed you down instantly. He was so sweet with you, but all you could think of was: what did you do to deserve this kindness? You had just abandoned your mom to her death.

“Why?” You were trembling, and your voice was just above a whisper.

“Why what?”

“Why did you create this illusion?”

“Oh. You looked like you needed a cheer up.”

A surge of gratefulness engulfed you and you smiled.

“Thank you.”

“I heard voices over the hill and when I came, I saw you falling down. There was a monster at the top.”

Your smile disappeared. “I— she killed my mom.”

Eyes widening, the blond boy internally slapped himself for making you sad all over again after all his efforts to make you feel better. “I’m sorry.”

You arrived at the infirmary after a few minutes of awkward silence, and quiet amazement on your part at the amphitheater you could see more clearly, the pavilion full of white tables, more than twenty houses differently decorated and a hearth in the center, even an arena, with kids and teens from different ages all around.

A brown haired guy was tending to a sleeping kid around your age, bruises, cuts and burns all around their face and arms. They were wearing jean overalls with an orange t-shirt, all covered in soot from head to toe.

“Jisung!” the boy next to you called as soon as he spotted him.

“One sec,” he replied without looking up. He brought the teen’s head up with one hand and poured some amber liquid down their throat with the other. He rested their head back delicately on the mattress, got up and turned around to greet the newcomers.

“Hi F— Wow, hey there! Sit here,” he motioned toward an empty bed, “I’ll be right back.” He left through a door made of white sheets.

“Do I really look that bad?”

The blond boy chuckled, slowly shaking his head. “By the way, I didn’t give you my name. I’m Felix.”

You looked up at him, managing a side smile. “I’m Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N.”

You didn’t have time to answer that Jisung was back with medicine. He cautiously cleaned your wounds with the same yellowish liquid he used to treat the other kid. It felt like he was treating you like porcelain.

Then, he brought a golden cube up to your mouth.

“What is this?”

“A bit of ambrosia. It heals demigods, but too much can have bad side effects.”

Demigods??

“Eat it, you’ll feel better.”

Whatever.

With newfound trust in strangers, you chewed on the sweet food. It tasted like the mac’n’cheese your mom would make on rainy days. The memory comforted you, but also induced some pain within. Your wounds started to fade until they were completely healed.

“Thank you,” you murmured, in awe at the product. You definitely needed this stuff.

“Of course, it’s my job,” he beamed. “So, Felix,” he turned to his friend, “where did you find this stray kid? Tell me you didn’t go on a little quest on your own—”

“I found Y/N near the border, she’s new,” he interrupted him.

You were thankful he let out the details of your encounter.

“Oh, my bad! I guess you have to take her to the Big House, then.”

He nodded, extending his hand your way. You stared at it, then at the freckled boy, then back at it. Taking it slowly, he walked you to the Big House, which lived up to its name. You choked when you saw a centaur —an actual centaur?!— walking out of the front door.

“Greetings, Chiron!”

Chiron? From the legends??

“Felix. Welcome to the camp half-blood, young lady. I’m Chiron, activities director. Have you been claimed already?”

“Huh…”

“I didn’t see anything,” Felix answered. “I see. Perhaps we’ll know tonight at the campfire. Can you show our new recruit around? I’m off to archery class.”

“Sure.”

He thanked Felix, sent a smile your way and galloped away to the west. The realization you were still holding the boy’s hand made you blush, but before you could retract it, he pulled you with him to different places.

He explained the purpose of the strawberry fields and the society name —Delphi Strawberry Service— covering the camp. He showed you the climbing wall with lava, the dining pavilion, the forge full of Hephaestus kids, the armory —he tried to make you choose a weapon but you refused—, the Pegasus stables —with actual pegasi!—, the arena where demigods trained, the archery field where Chiron was teaching, the camp store —you could buy an orange t-shirt there later—, the arts & crafts center —you saw a beautiful black-haired boy painting there among other kids—, the canoe lake, the forest— you weren’t keen on entering after Felix told you what was in it. You finished the tour next to the hearth in the center of the houses you saw earlier. You could swear you saw a woman in the fire, but when you looked more closely, she was gone.

He explained everything except the reason why you were here in the first place. “This is all charming and interesting, but why am I here?”

“I was getting to that. These are the cabins of the major Greek gods and some of the minor ones. Here,” he gestured to the most colorful cabin out of the bunch, “is my mom’s, Iris, goddess of rainbows.”

It explained the illusion. The cabin looked like a huge trailer with a platform on the front and a little rainbow as antenna. It looked chill and welcoming.

Felix gave you the names of all the gods and goddesses’ cabins present on this camp, making hypotheses on who your dad might be.

“Do you like mechanics? Are you good at poetry or archery? Or swords? Do you enjoy grape juice? Maybe you’re a trickster? Do you enjoy sleeping? I mean, do you spend most of your time sleeping? Can you control light? If none of those… Maybe you’re a child of one of the Big Three.”

“Who are the Big Three?”

“Zeus —god of the sky—, Poseidon —god of the sea— and Hades —god of the dead and king of the Underworld.”

You pondered. “This is a dream. I’m gonna wake up.”

He chuckled —an endearing sound— and shook his head. “I think I’d know if it was one. No, you’re a demigod, Y/N. For real.”

When you didn’t respond, he glanced at you. You were lost in thought, wondering who your father could be, why you’ve never seen him before and why he never came to see you.

“Come on, there’s one more thing I’d like you to see.” He tugged at your hand and dragged you towards the beach.

The sun was setting. You sat on the sand, looking at the horizon. It was really pretty. But you couldn’t avoid reality for too long. A tear fell down your face thinking about how your mom would’ve loved coming here, looking at this scenery with an arm around your frame.

She was gone.

From this moment, you swore to yourself that, when you were ready, you would find the monster and avenge your mom, no matter what. Felix saw your determined eyes staring in the distance. It gave him an idea on who your father might be.

At the campfire, you realized a lot more campers than you initially thought were here. You’ve seen a bunch during the tour, but right now, when the whole camp was gathered around the fire, it felt like you were a couple hundred.

Some had musical instruments and were preparing for what you guessed was a concert. A dozen, more or less, were looking all dressed up and pretty, a few were playing with balls of energy —magic?—, others were dozing off wherever, from another kid’s shoulder to the floor. The rest looked somewhat normal, apart from the kids with hands partially tainted with soot. Might be tough to get rid of it when they spend so much time in the forges.

Some kids greeted Felix and welcomed you into the camp, which felt nice. Although you couldn’t remember every name, you were grateful for their kind words.

It seemed that the Apollo cabin was actually preparing for a singalong. Everyone sang, cheered and overall had a good time. Felix nudged you from time to time to check up on you and offer you bright smiles. So bright, in fact, that they were almost blinding. But you didn’t mind. His sole presence was enough to give you peace of mind. Maybe because looking at him reminded you of the illusion he created for you.

The campers were asking for an encore, when silence abruptly fell and every pair of eyes were on you. Or above you, to be precise, but it felt the same to you.

Exposed, vulnerable and embarrassed.

You glanced at Felix, who was looking up too. He lowered his gaze, locked eyes with you and motioned for you to look up as well. It was a glowing golden helm hologram suspended above your head.

“The bloodline is determined. Hades, king of the Underworld. Hail Y/N L/N, daughter of the dead and riches.”

Every camper kneeled, including Chiron and Felix, and you wanted to disappear from the Earth. Was it just because you ended up being a child of the Big Three? Or did every camper have the privilege of experiencing such a stressful moment?

At last, they all got up and resumed the singalong for a well-deserved encore.

An older guy walked to you from a corner. He was tall, had dark eyes and a harsh resting face. You recoiled in your seat, scared of what he might do. But then he showed a toothy smile with dimples and extended his hand for you to shake.

When you did, he said: “Welcome home, sis.”

Once alone in your bunk —you had slipped away before the end of the campfire— you sobbed, hugging the backpack your mom put in your hands earlier that day.

It smelled like her.

Calming down a bit, curiosity took over and you opened it. There was a pocket knife, pepper spray, a pack of matches, a flashlight, tissues, a sleeping bag, a water bottle and food.

It struck you. She knew what you were long before you did.

two.

Felix shouldn’t have laughed.

The whole scene was just so ridiculously funny, he had to.

You were training at the climbing wall like every other day, except today, someone had the good idea to change the mode from normal to full lava-and-earthquake while you were on it. Needless to say it took you by surprise. You fell to the bottom, earning smoking holes in your t-shirt and singed arms' hair.

Felix helped you get out of the lava floor, miserably trying to suppress his giggles. “Are you okay?”

“Who turned the climbing wall into a frenzy? I just wanna talk!”

Your eyes showed you were being serious, although a little smile appeared after looking at your best friend’s face.

Turns out it was a Hermes kid, obviously.

To get back at him, you created a hole under his feet. He screamed as he sank up to his ankles. He lost balance and fell on his butt. A few kids that fell off the climbing wall with you clapped their hands and laughed.

Oh yeah, my bad. I forgot to tell you you could do that, among other things.

Being at Camp Half-Blood year round was actually a great thing. Undeniably, between that and being with your mom, the choice was clear, but since she was gone… All you could do was train to be able to protect mortals like you should’ve protected your mom and avenge her as well.

I know what some may think. It wasn’t your fault (and it wasn’t. really.) but you couldn’t make peace with it just yet. Guilt still ate you up at night.

After understanding what it meant to be a kid of Hades, you tried to find and talk to your mom. A ghost appeared instead of her. It looked like a staff member, with greek armor and a formal look. He told you your mom was in Elysium, that ‘she wanted you to follow your own path’ and that ‘she didn’t want to see you until you were old and had a full life’. It felt so unfair. You tried to argue but the ghost didn’t stay to hear your complaints, leaving you in your grief.

You ended up entering the armory. Even if you were against violence, you came to terms with the fact that you couldn’t protect others by solely making holes on the ground. Felix showed you all the best pieces of celestial bronze weapons. He made you try on several, making you swing swords, throw knives, shoot arrows… It was unsure what would suit you best.

At last, your eyes caught sight of a dusty black metal in a corner, behind javelins. Dusting off the sword a bit, you felt like it belonged in your hand. It wasn’t too heavy, nor too light. It just felt right.

“It’s stygian iron,” Felix explained, “Hades’ own sword is made of it.”

Did you resent him? Probably… yeah. If he had been there, two years ago, he could’ve saved your mom. But you never saw him, ever. You often wondered if you were even worthy of his presence.

“Y/N?”

Your head shot up, “yeah?”

“You looked out of it. Are you okay? We can stop looking for weapons if you want.”

“No, I’m good. I’ll take this one.” It hasn’t left your side ever since.

Felix proposed to train together. It was fun, both of you ending up at the infirmary more often than not. Jisung was always there to treat your wounds while cracking jokes.

Dawon, the Hades’ cabin’s head counselor that scared you on your first night, was actually really cool. He showed you around the cabin, welcomed you like a true sibling. You enjoyed eating with your siblings at the dining pavilion, talking strategies and kicking ass during capture-the-flag and chariot races, chatting before bed and getting ready together in the mornings.

Other than that, you didn’t spend a lot of time with them. No, Felix was practically attached to your hip at this point. He has been a huge pillar to your recovery. If it wasn’t for him and his bright aura, you would’ve been morose and sad. He probably knew that too.

When you passed by the arts & crafts building, you often saw the pretty boy. The sun would often reflect on his face, making his skin glow. His stance was elegant, his features soft and flawless. He had sunlight in his shoulder-length black hair and his long fingers seemed to be working effortlessly against the canvas. In a way, watching him paint for a while was relaxing. Curiosity always got the best of you as you wanted to see his next art piece.

All you knew about him was that he was a child of Aphrodite and an amazing painter.

three.

“I did not sign up for this!” you grunted, slashing your sword across monsters left and right.

“You didn’t sign anything,” Jisung recalled, twirling to avoid a clawed hand and slaying the monster with an arrow in its chest.

“It feels like, no matter how much we kill, there’s always more,” Felix puffed.

Hopefully he was pretty good with a sword, because he couldn’t rely on his mom’s powers in the darkness. After what felt like an eternity, the last monster was slayed by your sword.

“Alright, enough practice. Let’s head back before more monsters arrive,” you offered. They didn’t protest.

You were all worn out, sweating and breathing hard. The trip in the forest left very few monsters left to slay. Whoever took care of that would have some work to do.

“We managed pretty well, didn’t we?” Jisung grinned, eyes half closed. You nodded while Felix agreed.

It was practically nightfall. At seventeen, you were more trained than ever and felt ready to face the world.

The next day, there was an emergency meeting with Chiron and the head counselors. Everyone saw them hastily leave the dining pavilion during breakfast after Argus came running to them.

A few dozen minutes later, you were summoned to the Big House. You entered the meeting room and sat next to Dawon around the ping-pong table. Chiron didn’t waste any time and recited the unprompted prophecy they had heard by the current Oracle.

Child of Underworld must retrieve their father’s accessory

Magnificent Mile holds a piece of the way back in its last breath

The King’s circle’s won by defeating an old vampire enemy

The last challenge in Yellowstone ends in half-blood death

Vampire. It was about an empousa. It was enough for you to want to come, even if the last sentence worried you a bit. You were about to speak up when Chiron raised his hand.

“The sole reason you’re here is because we think it’s about you.”

“Indeed, you’re the only one I know that has an empousa as an enemy,” added Dawon as he nudged you with a smile.

Yeah, the details of your arrival ended up being known around camp. It was apparently common to arrive while chased by a monster, but not every parent died at the same time.

“Oh.”

“If you need anything for the quest, we’re here to help,” proposed Bomin, head counselor of Poseidon’s cabin.

“To make sense of the prophecy, for example,” said Doyoung, the Athena cabin’s head.

“Do you know who you’re going to ask to join you?” Chiron asked.

The only thing you knew for sure was that you were going to get your revenge. And you only needed two friends for this.

“Yeah. All I need to know now is where to begin.”

Doyoung coughed and rearranged the glasses on his nose. “Well, my friend Johnny is from Chicago and last time we spoke about his hometown, he mentioned the Magnificent Mile. He said it was the most famous avenue. Now, I don’t know if the prophecy refers to the city globally or this place precisely… But, either way, I think you need to go there.”

“Thank you for your insight. Do I have a deadline?” you inquired, turning to Chiron.

“You have until the end of the month.”

It sounded like a lot of time, then you remembered the date. “We’re the 29th.”

“Indeed. You have three days, starting now.”

four.

And so began your journey. You had a backpack each, filled with medicine, spare clothes, food, water and money —drachmas and dollars.

Argus was driving you to New York on board the Delphi Strawberry Service van. Jisung kept fidgeting with the beads on his necklace.

“You’re thinking about them, aren’t you?” He squirmed uneasily. “You’ll get back alive, I promise you.”

A promise he knew you couldn’t keep, but it did reassure him a bit. He knew you were going to do everything you could so that you’ll all get back to camp alive.

Felix took your hand in his, squeezing it gently. The sudden contact brought warmth to both yours and Felix’s face and ears. Jisung chuckled at the exchange until he realized he was going to third wheel the whole trip. Then, his face dropped, a groan leaving his lips.

Before Felix could ask what was wrong, Argus pulled up in the train station’s parking. You thanked the camp’s chauffeur and entered the Pennsylvania station.

“I found a direct train,” you told them after talking with an employee, “it’ll take around nineteen hours and thirty minutes. Shall we?”

When you talked to them about the prophecy, they didn’t waste any time and said they’ll come with you. Trying to talk them out of it was useless.

As comfortably installed as possible, Felix and you in the direction of travel, Jisung in the opposite direction, the brown haired boy thought the prophecy over, again.

“Child of Underworld —that’s you, Y/N— must retrieve their father’s —Hades, obviously— accessory. What can it be? What are the known accessories he owns?”

You shrugged while the freckled boy answered his friend’s question.

“There is his bident, or staff, his sword, his helm of darkness, Cerberus, which we cannot call an accessory per say and his golden keys.”

“Is there anything more?”

“Yes, but those are the main attributes he possesses.”

“It can’t be Cerberus or the golden keys, because it’s specifically an accessory, singular,” you commented.

Felix nodded. Jisung continued, “so it’s either the staff, the sword or the helm. OK. Next line is ‘Magnificent Mile holds a piece of the way back in its last breath’. The only thing we know is that Magnificent Mile is an avenue in Chicago. I don’t like the sound of anyone’s last breath, honestly.”

“It’s probably a beast,” you proposed. “It says ‘its’.”

“That’s the most logical option we got,” Felix agreed.

“It better be. ‘The King’s circle’s won by defeating an old vampire enemy’.”

“‘Vampire’ means empousa. I guess we need whatever the King’s circle is for the rest of the quest,” you noted, “do you guys have any idea?”

They shook their heads in unison. “No, but we’ll get back to it. ‘The last challenge in Yellowstone ends in half-blood death’. Not gonna lie, I hate this one the most.”

“Yellowstone… If it’s a place, I don’t know it,” Felix said, thinking about it.

“There’s a Yellowstone national park in Wyoming, but I can’t tell for sure if it’s gonna be there,” you shared.

“It might be,” Jisung voiced and bit his lips, “but it’ll also be the last challenge, and, in case any of you forgot, it’ll end in death. Possibly one of ours.”

He was right. However, dwelling on it so soon would not help anyone.

“Let’s think about that part later, OK? Let’s focus on getting to Chicago safely.”

After four stops, the train passed over the Broadway bridge in Albany. The train weirdly shook.

“Of course,” you muttered, “this couldn’t be a nice, eventless trip.”

People started walking in our direction from the end of the train. They didn’t look particularly alarmed, like it was natural to change wagons while the train was in motion.

Felix looked up through the window and frowned. “I don’t see any—”

The train’s wheels shrieked against the rails, abruptly stopping it. Felix and you fell forward on Jisung, who grunted, obviously not enjoying the voyage so far. Then the sound of metal being crushed like a soda can filled the air. The brown haired boy looked at his friends and gulped loudly.

“Remind me why I was so eager to come?”

You tried to open the doors but they wouldn’t budge. You got closer to a window and unsheathed your sword.

“Get back.” The boys did as told, stepping back to the empty opposite seats.

You hit the glass with the pommel of your sword. It shattered, but before you could step over the wall, a glowing orange eye appeared, surrounded by glistening dark green flesh and a gigantic triangular red maw.

“What’s that smell?” Jisung gagged, closely followed by Felix.

You held your breath and stabbed the monster in the eye. It screeched in pain as it released the hold it had on the train, although not completely. Despite that, you all knew you had a few seconds before the beast would attack.

“I think I know what it is,” Felix said, “help me get on the train.”

“You already are,” Jisung retorted.

“I meant on the roof.”

“It’s too dangerous,” you cut in.

“Y/N, you were about to do it.”

“Yes, but—”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course, b—”

“We don’t have time.”

True enough, the serpent’s mouth flew inside the wagon, missing Felix’s head by a centimeter. You used this opportunity to pierce its other eye. It flew out of the train’s window in a cry. If it wasn’t trying to kill everyone, you would’ve felt bad for it. Although now it was blind and very, very angry.

Felix finally got to the roof with Jisung’s help while you covered them. The snake was so long —around thirty six meters— it wrapped itself around the train at least four times. It had flatten it with its strong hold. Felix wondered how the bridge hadn’t fallen into the river by now.

He silently prayed to his mom and concentrated on creating a rainbow. The sunny afternoon and the river’s reverberation helped greatly. When the serpent’s head was in front of him, he generated multicolored flames from the rainbow to destroy the monster. He felt dumb when he realized it didn’t do anything, its skin extinguishing the flames on contact.

How could he expect to kill a sea snake with fire?

Scolding himself could wait. He rolled over when the monster tried to swallow him up. He unleashed blasts of multicolored energy, penetrating and burning the monster’s skin in the process. Jisung was shooting arrows from the open window, while you were slashing at the monster’s body everywhere you had access to it through the broken windows.

Finally, with one last blast of energy on the serpent’s head, it disintegrated, leaving a damaged train and exhausted demigods. Felix was wondering if the train could get powered up again and carry them all the way to Chicago, but before he could finish his thought, he collapsed on the roof.

five.

Obviously it wouldn’t be a dreamless sleep.

Felix was at a train station. A sign read “Chicago”. He felt relieved. It probably meant they’d make it there.

His consolation was short-lived, however, as he saw a huge lion a few meters away. It seemed to be patiently waiting for them, laying down on the nearest park. The worst part was the 2,50 meters tall giants behind him. They were playing rock paper scissors and one of them didn’t like to lose. He stamped his foot on the ground so hard it felt like an earthquake.

The dream changed. He was outside in the dark, perhaps on a mountain. He could tell by the chilling breeze and the glowing stars. Felix saw a woman not too far, chanting in a language he wasn’t familiar with in front of a large cauldron. He found her beautiful and delicate until he caught a glimpse of the rest of her body. From her waist down was a serpentine body, which oddly resembled the Carthaginian serpent he killed earlier.

He shuddered. When she finished chanting, she turned to Felix, boring her glowing green eyes into his.

“Oh dear, I didn’t mean for you to see me like this,” she said in a seductive way.

She snapped her fingers and the snake part of her body disappeared, replaced by a regular woman's body, wearing a thin black dress.

“There. Better, isn’t it?”

Mist, he thought.

“If you survive your little journey, I’ll be glad to feed on your flesh, even if you’re not quite a child anymore.”

If Felix wasn’t terrified before, he surely was now. He tried to speak, but no sound would come out.

She walked over to him, whispering in his ear, “I’ll drink the Apollo’s kid’s blood and eat his flesh. Once I’m done with him, I’ll deal with you. I’ll take my sweet time. And then, precious Y/N will finally feel my wrath, and eventually die.”

His blood boiled, anger and fear filling his body to the brim. He couldn’t let that happen. Before the woman could sink her crocodile teeth into his neck, Felix woke up in a cold sweat, a few minutes before the Cleveland stop.

It was night, Jisung and you were munching on homemade sandwiches. You had retrieved Felix from the roof together and laid him on two seats in an empty wagon with windows intact. Jisung had fed Felix some nectar and let him sleep for about eight hours.

No matter what the mortals saw, they succeeded in making the train move again and the passengers were seated at the front of the convoy. There was a constant shrill metallic sound coming from the bottom of the train. It was low, but definitely annoying.

“Felix,” you called, “how are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve drained myself to the point of collapsing,” he groaned, sitting up.

“Do you need more nectar?” Jisung asked.

“No, thanks. Besides, we should keep our supplies for as long as possible.”

“Take that sandwich, then.” The brown haired boy tossed him a sandwich and they ate in silence, until Felix told both of you about his dream.

“So, the good news is we’re gonna make it to Chicago,” you said.

Jisung continued, “the bad news is, we’re gonna die in Chicago.”

“I have a few hours to think about a plan while you two sleep.”

You tried to protest but Jisung’s loud yawn put an end to the debate before it even started.

Your dreams were filled with nightmares, like every demigod ever.

It started like every other night. Your mom smiling down at you, her hand stroking your hair, then her being stabbed to death by Keahi. This time the woman smirked and whispered, “I’ll enjoy killing you more than I did your mother.” You were about to curse her when the dream changed.

It was night and in the open space, although a bonfire brightened Felix’s liveless body lying on the ground and Jisung’s limp corpse against a rock a few meters away. You wanted to scream, tears running down your cheeks. A triumphant laugh came from everywhere around you, cutting through the dead of night.

The next dream was so different, it shocked you. You were back on Half Blood Hill, except there was no sign of your mom or the empousa. Instead, there was a tall, shoulder length black haired man with fairly white skin and intense black eyes standing around ten meters away from you. What surprised you the most was the black flowing robes he was wearing, filled with evil souls threaded into it.

Despite his morbid appearance, he was looking at you with unexpected tenderness. You were wondering who this man might be when he spoke up.

“Y/N,” he called, “I’m sorry it took me so long to appear.”

Then it clicked. Of course. This intimidating man was Hades, your dad. A surge of hatred ran through your body beyond your control.

“Where were you? All this time, when I got kicked out of school every other year, when I was made fun of, when mom died? Where were you? Did you even love her?”

His eyes flared with purple fire for a second, his face hardening, but you were too furious to be afraid of the consequences. Just as fast, he calmed himself.

“I did love her, yes. But I couldn’t do anything, to protect you and because I can’t meddle with my children’s lives. You had to forge your own path for it to mean anything. You still do.”

You scoffed. “Bet you say that to all your kids.” The uneasy look he gave you proved you were right. “Gods, you do have a healthy way with kids, huh?”

“I understand your rage. But right now, you must focus on your quest.”

“Easy for you to say,” you muttered.

“You must not fall into a blind rage when you see her. You must control your thirst for revenge.”

“You sure love to tell me what to do for someone I just met.”

“Y/N… If you don’t control your powers, bad things could happen. Your friends might pay the price.”

“Oh so now you’re threatening my friends!”

He sighed, visibly tired. His form began to fade. “I have to go. Remember my words when you face the empousa.”

Before you could make a snarky remark, he vanished. You woke up feeling so angry your friends could practically see it.

“Usually we wake up confused, terrified, or determined, but as angry as you are, I’m afraid to ask about what you saw,” Jisung started joking, but then recoiled in his seat in front of you.

Felix gave you a worried look.

“I’m okay.” You were still fuming but they knew better than to push it.

When you sat up, the blond boy sat next to you and took your hand in his. It calmed you down more efficiently than you’d care to admit.

“We’re almost there. And I have a plan.”

six.

The Great Hall was majestic, with columns all around and a barrel-vaulted skylight bathing the room in soft light. It was giving Greek revival vibes, which comforted you if only for a moment.

You were firmly holding the grip of your sword, mentally preparing for the fight ahead. The lion was waiting for you three outside the station, but there was no giant in sight.

The fact that Felix had a plan didn’t ease your nerves that much, because plans rarely unfolded as expected. But he knew stuff about monsters and Greek mythology as a whole, so it was helping.

“He’s not that big,” Jisung shrugged, “just the size of a pick-up truck. We can totally get him.”

He nocked his arrow as the Iris kid and you unsheathed your swords.

Not two minutes into the fight, you realized that Felix was right. The lion’s pelt was deflecting all your weapons. It was pointless to attack from behind and by surprise. You tried to keep him occupied until Felix could find an opening.

“Guys, I’m no Hercules, so don’t expect me to asphyxiate him with my bare hands!” Jisung shouted. He tried to shoot an arrow into the lion’s eye, but he somehow saw it coming and protected himself.

“It would’ve been easier with a cornucopia but…” Felix threw his backpack into the lion’s maw. As he bellowed in disgust, your friend shouted, “now!”

Jisung fired arrows into his open mouth. He dissolved except for his pelt. “Great. I’ve always wanted to resemble a caveman.” The Apollo kid’s wry comment made you smile.

He somehow succeeded in putting it away in his bag, at the same moment the three giants decided to show up. They were coming from the park, their iron clubs laying low.

“Where is the lion? There was a lion, right?” one of them asked.

“Already defeated, useless scamp! And guess what? You’re next!” Jisung raised his arms wide, like he was waiting for a group hug. Then, he gestured to the giants with one hand. “What kind of ogres are you, anyway?”

Felix nudged him. “They’re Laistrygonian giants, dude. Muscular tattooed man eaters.”

“You look awfully smug for our next lunch, half-blood,” the tallest of the giants said.

“In your dreams, you witless gollumpus!” He didn’t waste any more time and shot arrows at them. They deflected the projectiles with ease except for the smallest giant, who apparently wasn’t paying much attention. He crumbled into dust.

The other two roared in outrage and sprinted your way, brandishing their clubs high above their heads. Felix sidestepped when the giant swung his arm, rolled between his legs and stabbed him in the back.

Two down, one to go.

“You’ll pay for that, demigods!” the tallest giant bellowed before laying his arm down on Jisung.

You cut off his arm with a swirl of your sword. He yelled, turned and tried to crush your throat with his remaining hand. He was circling your neck with his huge fingers, but Felix thrusted his celestial bronze sword into his side. He disintegrated.

“Thank you,” you breathed with difficulty, locking eyes with Felix.

He dropped his blade and enveloped you in a comforting hug that lasted more than the average.

“Are you okay?” he inquired, cupping your face with his hands. He searched your face for any sign of hurt, sadness, fear… But there was only relief and tiredness. You nodded.

“You fought bravely.”

You turned, raising an eyebrow at the sight of a beautiful woman with black eyes and blond hair. She was wearing a black gown and carrying two old-fashioned reed torches. She was surrounded by green light and Mist was everywhere around her.

Felix let go of your face and unconsciously grabbed your hand instead. He studied the goddess, picking up on the details that showed who she might be. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure you could trust her.

“Why, thank you mysterious woman! So, which one are you?” Jisung questioned, a bit wary.

“Hecate,” Felix murmured.

“Well done, Iris kid. Before you ask, I’m here to offer guidance. You’re about to—”

“Sorry, but, um… You’re the goddess of magic, you created empousai. Why would you help us?” you asked. It didn’t make sense to you, knowing the prophecy, which you were sure she knew about too.

“As I was saying, daughter of Hades,” she continued with a neutral voice, “you’re about to face great danger.”

“What, more than the usual death threats? What a bummer,” Jisung snorted, crossing his arms.

“Your insolence isn’t helping your case, Apollo kid. My children —or creations, whatever— don’t always follow my orders. We’re not obliged to share the same faith. They’re free. Like my children back at camp half-blood.” You waited for her to continue.

“Jisung, joking around helps you hide your scars, but you need to embrace them to properly move forward. Sharing your burden might do the trick. You’re also worth more than you think.”

She then turned to your freckled friend. “Felix, you need to stop putting everyone before yourself. You cannot control everyone’s happiness. You’ll soon have to prove you can keep your distance, for your own sake.”

Finally, she set her eyes on you. “Y/N, I know you think you’re not worth being here, going on this journey. You feel helpless, because you haven’t slayed any monster yet. But do not worry, your time will come soon enough, and with that, your greatest challenge. You have so much more power within than you might believe. This power needs to be used wisely.”

A wave of uneasiness washed over the three of you, Hecate’s words touching some nerves. Her words echoed your father’s. You regretted your outburst in your latest dream because you could have used this opportunity to ask which one of his attributes was missing. That would have made one less question unanswered.

“Well.” She clapped her hands. “I should probably tell you, now that there’s no more ground means of transport to Wyoming —I mean, you’re not going to steal a car, are you?— you’ll need to use aerial transportation.”

“But how—” Felix started, but got cut off.

“Off I go. Remember, you have two days left to get back to camp safely. Good luck on your quest, demigods. I hope Tyche can lend you some.”

She disappeared in a cloud of Mist.

“If I didn’t feel good then, I definitely do now!” Jisung sarcastically smiled.

For the first time since you’ve known him, you realized Hecate was right about the guy. Behind all the jokes and smiles, he had a sadness in him that was hard to decipher. But you were aware now. Felix was visibly concentrating, eyes closed and face facing the sky.

“Do you want to talk about what Hecate said?” you suggested. “About sharing your—”

“Well, I’d love to, trust me, but I’m fine. But hey, it seems you were right. Yellowstone is a national park.”

Deciding prying wasn’t gonna help, you nodded and turned your head towards the sky. You noticed a faint dark form in the horizon. Squinting your eyes in an attempt to identify what was coming for you this time, Felix left out a relieved sigh, then a chuckle. You spotted the sweat on his forehead. A few seconds later, you recognized winged horses.

Three of them.

“Did you summon them?” you questioned Felix, who was grinning.

“One of my mom’s powers. I’m glad it worked.”

Two of them were white and one was brown. They came to a stop in front of you, the brown pegasus neighing, gently nuzzling Felix.

“Thank you for coming, guys,” he said as he scratched the horse’s head. He turned to Jisung and you. “Are you ready for a ride?”

After a few hours flying high in the sky, you could finally make out the mountain you had to go to. You were about fifty kilometers away from the destination when you heard screeching from behind.

Jisung whined. “Come on!”

“Dozens of Gryphons! We’ll have to fight!” Felix yelled.

He brandished his sword, turned around and lashed out at them. You followed, while Jisung kept his distance, shooting arrows at the dozens of enemies. Dusk was only a few minutes away. The sky’s colors —blue, purple, red, orange, yellow— looked peaceful and pretty compared to the fight that was breaking out under it.

Four monsters succumbed to your blade before another one planted its talons in your pegasus’ thigh as you slashed its right wing. You cursed under your breath when the winged horse squealed, pitching up while flapping his wings frantically. He was bleeding.

You almost fell, but managed to hang on his mane and kill the gryphon. Unfortunately, another one immediately took its place and pecked your mounting’s neck with its sharp beak. He was losing too much blood, the liquid staining his beautiful white coat.

As he was dropping altitude, you were slowly and painfully losing your grip on his mane. You were falling to your death together. But not without taking the monster with you.

You squeezed the pegasus’ flanks to keep balance and brought down your sword on the gryphon’s neck. It disintegrated. You thanked and apologized to your companion for a few hours, hugging his neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding and preparing yourself for the impact. However, he crumbled into dust a few hundred meters above the ground, leaving you free falling on your own.

Felix swooped your way on his brown pegasus and caught your waist. Your arms immediately wrapped around his torso. Jisung took down the last gryphon in your peripheral view. You started to smile, but the brown haired boy’s eyes widened. He shouted: “Look out!”

The actual last monster seized the pegasus’ gaskins with its claws and pulled them, making him go upside down. Felix and you fell face first off the winged horse, holding each other tightly. You couldn’t even see the gryphon butchering its prey. Jisung slayed the monster with a well-aimed arrow and sped up to catch you both.

He wasn’t quick enough. You were swallowed by the shadows, leaving the Apollo kid behind with a pegasus as confused and worried as he was.

seven.

Felix woke up in a cave with low light coming from torches dispersed on the walls. You were passed out on the floor but didn’t look injured, which was good.

He scanned his surroundings. It was a rectangular room with a door on the far left. It seemed like there was no one else with you. He sat on his legs, put down his sword and brought your head on his lap. He poured a little amount of nectar into your parted lips.

He felt a presence behind him, but was too late to act. The invisible form dragged him away from you, your head hitting the ground with a soft thud. He tried to fight back but got tossed head first in the dirt. With a grunt, he got on his knees and looked around, but there was no one. As he got up, he felt claws scratch his chest, ripping his orange shirt in the process. He yelped, took a knife out of his belt and aimlessly sliced through the air all around him.

He saw your body move. Thinking you were waking up, he let down his guard and ran to you. He tripped on something metallic and fell down. Looking behind him, there was just the muddy floor.

“Get on your knees,” a feminine voice ordered, her words resonating dangerously across the room. “Don’t move.”

He was now on his knees, facing you with a blank expression as if he wasn’t in control of his body anymore.

The first punch he received in the gut hurt like hell, but his face and body remained motionless like a doll. Then, he received blows on his ribs, his cheeks, his jawline. It was enough for him to faint. The pain was blinding him but he kept his eyes open. He watched, helpless, as you slowly stood up, glaring his way. No, you were looking somewhere above him.

“Show yourself, blood sucker, so I can make you pay,” your voice was calm yet threatening.

Keahi laughed, moving Felix’s face so you could see all the bruises she gave him. It was a bad idea on her part because you were now fully pissed. Seeing him like this… After what she did to your mom, you wanted to end her life so badly.

The ground blackened around you and the air dropped to freezing. A black flood of anger, pain, guilt and grief poured out of you in waves, hitting the monster and Felix. The latter experienced your worst memories. The pain, guilt and grief from the death of your mom, your hardships, the anger —no, hatred— you felt towards the empousa that made your life miserable.

“Stop this!” she taunted.

It seemed to get Felix out of his trance.

“Y/N…” he murmured and hit the floor.

All the pain he received in the last minutes knocked him out. This scene made you more furious, if that was even possible at this point. The waves became thicker and stronger, making Keahi loudly hit the nearest wall.

“You’re just a kid! You might be powerful, but not powerful enough to destroy me and my sister.” Desperation was evident in her voice. “If you keep going, you’ll kill the boy too.”

You went at it for several more seconds. It was hard to stop, you wanted her dead and your emotions took over your judgment. Although, one look at Felix’s limp body was enough for you to snap out of it.

You reached for your sword and threw it in her direction like a javelin. It planted itself in the wall. The empousa disintegrated and a golden ring fell on the floor. The waves stopped and the flood slowly dissipated. Before you could take a step towards Felix, you passed out again.

Jisung was patrolling from the air, alert for any movement on the mountain, without being certain you were even there. Several minutes later, he saw black smoke coming from a strange rectangle on the ground. Getting closer, he realized it was a hatch.

The pegasus landed on the floor next to it. Jisung dismounted and opened the hatch to a dark corridor. He waited for the dark Underworld stuff —meaning you were probably there— to disappear completely before venturing inside, his bow ready.

At the end of the damp corridor was a single door. He entered and found his friends’ bodies on the floor, a hand extended to each other’s direction. He flew to Felix’s side, poured nectar into his mouth, winced when he caught sight of his bruises and chest, then gave you the same treatment, relieved to see there weren't many physical injuries.

He didn’t want to leave any of you alone and he couldn’t move both of you at the same time. He was about to sit down when he spotted your sword in the wall. He grabbed the hilt and pulled it out with much effort. Something golden was on the floor so he picked it up. It was a golden ring.

Spoil of War? It didn’t seem like it, but how could he know? He wasn’t there. He put it in his pocket anyway. Felix opened his eyes and immediately went to your side. He reached for his backpack.

“I already gave her nectar.”

Felix’s head turned so fast his neck cracked. “You scared me!”

“Sorry.” Jisung walked over. “Let’s go, this place is creepy.”

The Iris kid was sending worried looks your way the whole time they spent carrying you outside. He related his version of the facts. How he was manipulated and hit by an invisible woman, experienced your pain, and passed out once the charmspeak wore off.

“It’s been a hell of a couple days, huh?”

“Tell me about it.” Fresh air and sunlight did Felix some good.

“Let’s sleep a bit before facing death again, shall we?” Jisung offered.

They took sleeping bags out of their backpack, Jisung with a bit more difficulty due to the lion’s pelt taking up most space. Both enveloped you in yours, then they argued on who should take first watch.

The brown haired boy won. He wasn’t injured and Felix visibly needed rest. He changed into a new t-shirt and insisted on being woken up a few hours later, though.

He dreamed he was in the same dark place again. The fire was cackling, lightening up the monster’s face and body. He was definitely terrified of her.

It felt like she was waiting for him. “Tomorrow we meet, demigod. Tomorrow, you die.”

He wanted to yell: “We’ll defeat you, like we did all our enemies until now.” but no sound could leave his lips.

“Oh, but they’re nothing compared to me,” she exclaimed like she heard his thoughts somehow. “Fighting me will make everything you endured so far feel like a walk in the park.”

That didn’t make him feel any better about the whole quest and their chance of survival. He was scared for his friends, for himself.

Hecate’s words replayed in his mind. “You’ll soon have to prove you can keep your distance, for your own sake.” Even if he thought his encounter with the empousa was a proof in itself, he felt dread. Something even worse was about to happen, he could feel it.

Felix woke up alert, but it was night.

“Jisung!” he complained, but he found him fast asleep next to him.

You, on the other hand, were awake, preparing a snack and humming an old song. You were so pretty with the sun lighting your hair and skin.

“Hello, Rainbow Boy. Here, eat this.”

You handed him toasts of cheese and an apple cut into quarters, but he just stared at you instead of taking them.

“Y/N,” he murmured like a whisper, a relieved sigh.

He engulfed you in a bone crushing hug, his nose buried in your neck. You hugged him back like you could, the food still in your hands.

“Are you okay? I was so scared.”

“I would be better if I could breathe,” you joked.

He apologized and let you go but stayed close, thanking you for the food.

“What happened back there? Do you know what monster it was?”

Your smile turned into a hard look. “None other than my mom’s murderer, Keahi.”

He reached for your hand, drawing smoothing circles on the knuckles with his thumb.

“I wonder how she made herself invisible. It’s not an empousa power,” he wondered.

“There was a ring.”

“A ring that makes its wearer invisible… Sounds familiar.”

“I have no clue where it is, though. Perhaps still in that cave.”

“Wait. King’s circle? Gyges was a king who found a golden ring in a cave. ‘Circle’ could mean the ring. Was it golden?” You nodded. “Then we need to get it back. It could help us on our next step.”

“No need,” Jisung yawned as he stretched, “I have it right here. Call me Bilbo Baggins.” He took the ring out of his pocket and gave it to you.

“You’re a lifesaver, I hope you know that,” you thanked him.

He smirked, “I do know, but being acknowledged is always appreciated.”

“So… If, hypothetically, I put this on…” you said, doing so. “I’ll become invisible.”

“You literally are, right now.” Felix tried to touch your shoulder but you weren’t there anymore.

You sneaked behind them and pressed a finger on their sides, watching them squirm and whine.

“OK, OK, sorry.” You took out the ring and threw it in Felix’s direction. “You should keep it.”

He had great reflexes, so he caught it easily. “Why me?”

“I already got the lion’s pelt and it’s taking way too much space, so a ring would be too much,” Jisung answered, shrugging innocently.

Rolling your eyes, you elbowed him. “You’re the best choice. You’re the most selfless out of us. I trust you.”

He wanted to argue but decided against it.

He trusted you too.

eight.

Jisung took a few minutes to say goodbye to his pegasus. He thanked him, stroked his mane and gave him a treat. Felix apologized for his companions, for which the winged horse nudged him and bowed before flying away.

“Before we go, I think I need to tell you guys something,” the brown haired boy mumbled.

Felix and you exchanged glances and offered him sympathetic smiles.

“Let’s sit,” he continued. Once you were, he took a deep breath and got into it right away.

He talked about his past. How, when he was seven, he lost his half brother in a car accident. How he ran away to the park near his house after an argument with his step dad, how his little brother went to look for him then. How he was busy pitying himself when he heard the crash. How he blamed himself for the whole thing. How he swore to never run off again because he didn’t want his mom to end up this way too. How he decided to bury his feelings and never speak of this, ever.

“Jisung… None of it was your fault,” you assured. “You were so young… I’m so sorry.”

“Ji, thank you for sharing this with us. We’re here for you. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Thanks guys… I had to tell someone before we went to our ultimate death.”

“No way you’re dying today, I won’t allow it. You’ll get back to your crush.”

“OK, chill Y/N, I don’t have a crush.”

“The redness on your face says otherwise, buddy,” Felix laughed softly.

Jisung had lessened his burden like Hecate had suggested, and it worked. He felt better, ready to move forward.

The sun was rising. You had to get to the mountain next to the one you were currently on. The only way now was by foot. And you had to be back by the end of the day.

Easy enough. No, it was definitely not easy.

But you had to try.

On your way to the monster, you explained the plan you fashioned to the boys while they were asleep. After a lot of complaining and no’s, they finally accepted it (mostly because they didn’t have better ideas). Although Felix refused to use the ring.

Three hours later, the boys and you finally set foot in the clearing. All around were old trees and, in the center, was a large cauldron on top of a bonfire. Next to it was a block of stone with a bronze helmet on top of it. So it was the helm. The monster was there, chanting in a language that resembled latin.

“Lamia,” Felix whispered, swallowing loudly.

“Ah! Children, at last,” Lamia exclaimed with a charming yet dark smile.

“We came for my father’s helm.”

“The same dad that abandoned you?”

It was true, you still resented him, but bringing everyone back safely was a priority.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s that one I presume?” you asked as you pointed to it.

“Busted,” Lamia laughed falsely before putting it on her head.

She became invisible and the fear emanating from the helm paralyzed the three of you.

It was unsure what exactly happened. Was it your survival instinct or were you more powerful than the helm itself? Whatever it was, you were able to parry the attack with your sword. There was no time wondering how you could manage that.

Without being able to see or hear where she was, you warded off every attack she threw. You were about to get the upper hand when she grabbed Felix’s mortified body. You could see it in his eyes.

“Your sister tried that and regretted it,” you spat.

Lamia reappeared when she took off the helmet, keeping it under her unused arm.

“She’s weak. I’ll make sure to let her know when she’s back.”

Of course monsters will always be back, no matter how much we slay them.

“You know,” she resumed, “your dad thinks he’s all mighty and powerful because he rules the Underworld. Yet his precious helm was too easy to steal. And he sends his beloved daughter to death for this?”

Her claws enveloping Felix’s neck and Jisung’s shattered breath gave you a hard time thinking about your next move. You couldn’t be reckless again.

You had to save them.

“Leave them alone. Let’s do this one on one.”

“Why would I accept your proposition when I have the upperhand, sweetie?”

You scoffed. “Come on now. Are you scared to face a kid? You’re acting all-powerful and invincible, but fighting me is too much?”

Her expression hardened. Pride touched.

Bingo.

Lamia shoved Felix on the floor, a vicious glare throwing daggers at you. You had to restrain yourself from jumping her right this instant.

Distancing her from your friends was vital. She put the helmet back on as you were moving around to cause her back to face them. Not wasting any time attacking, you slashed your sword here and there, not letting her ripost. However, you were getting tired. She took advantage and ripped your arm with her claws. You stumbled and closed your eyes, groaning.

“Already down? You’re making this too easy,” she mused after taking the helm off again.

Felix and Jisung regained their senses away from her. They were ready to fight. Jisung was bow ready and Felix was summoning light.

When you opened your eyes and got to your feet, you realized they were waiting for a sign. From you.

The pressure of leading was growing but you tried to bury it inside. You couldn’t deal with more anxiety at the moment. You focused on Lamia, who was grinning from a false feeling of victory, and shouted, “NOW!”

The three of you gave your all and hit her at the same time. As Felix struck her with blinding light, Jisung shot her in the back and you pierced her heart. You enjoyed her look of surprise when she disintegrated in a shrill scream. All that was left was the helm of darkness falling to the ground with a clang.

Clenching your arm, you fell on your knees. Felix engulfed you into a tight hug.

“This is gonna sound controversial, but I think that went well,” Jisung said as he picked up the helm.

“You must all be fools if you think you can take me down that easily,” a feminine voice taunted.

She was at the other side of the open space, Mist slowly dispersing around her. How did she do that? The marks on your arm were real, so when did she create the Mist? How could you not have seen it coming?

Realizing he actually didn’t have anything in his hands, Jisung quickly shot arrows her way but she managed to dodge them and put on the helmet. Felix couldn’t get up, fear keeping him grounded.

You witnessed, helpless, Jisung’s body being thrown across the clearing. Anger building up inside you, you got to your feet and charged.

Certainly you couldn’t hear or see her, but you could feel her. Probably due to your connection to the underground. But despite your best efforts, you couldn’t seem to have enough to wound her. It was almost as if she didn’t need the helm at all, like she could end you all with or without it. Like she only used it for extra fun.

Your limbs started to ache. Panting, you planted your sword on the ground. You could feel Lamia laugh triumphally.

Concentrating, you opened a crevasse that allowed skeletons to rise and surround the monster. They closed in on her, and eventually started attacking all at once. She effortlessly took them down one by one in an elegant dance.

There was only one thing left to do but your friends were here and the least thing you wanted was to hurt them.

“I have a question. Does your mom know what you’re doing? Aren’t you scared of retaliation?”

It was interesting enough for her to take the helmet off. “What are you talking about, mortal? Hecate does not care about whether you live or die today.”

Felix joined Jisung at the far end of the open space. It was now or never.

“I wouldn’t be so sure. She came to see us yesterday, you know. She might punish you later when I’m done with you.”

“I do not care about Hecate!” Her voice was trembling, though. “You’re irritating. I’ll deal with you first.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” you whispered to yourself.

As she put the helmet back on for the nth time, the floor blackened. You let the flood of black smoke leave your body while the temperature dropped. It wasn’t as strong as when you faced Keahi, but anger and pain were still present. It affected her, but not enough to end her.

Felix analyzed the situation and summoned light, except he didn’t know where to hit. You tried your best to show him by sinking Lamia into the floor to her calves. The movement caught his eye. Rainbow sparks shot from the sky into her skin. You felt her scream in pain.

It still wasn’t sufficient. She was getting restless and you were getting desperate. What more could you do? It seemed to have worked the first time but it wasn’t real, how could you be sure it would work this time?

The flood was getting thicker, your hand tightening around the tilt of your sword. Of course, you could just try it again and if it didn’t work… then you would have tried until the end.

Breathing heavily, you walked up to her. Raising your sword, you whispered a “good bye” before slowly but surely pressing the blade into her heart.

Lamia didn’t just sit back. She yelled, sinking her claws into your chest and arms at the same time. You endured the pain but gasped when an arrow pierced through her neck and passed you by a few centimeters to finish its course in the nearest tree. Multicolored flames burned her too, until the helm of darkness fell to the ground in front of you.

“Y/N!” Felix ran to you. “No, no, no…”

Blood was dripping from the multiple claw marks. He caught you when your knees gave out, helping you down and maintaining your head on his hand.

“Jisung,” he desperately called, “you need to do something.”

“Already on it…”

Felix pressured on your shoulder wound with his free hand while the brown haired boy roamed through his backpack. Blood ran through his fingers.

“Stay with me, Y/N, please.”

You smiled faintly. “We won this time, right? That’s— that’s good.”

He brought you closer to him. “Yeah, thanks to you.”

“Move, loverboy,” Jisung ordered.

The Iris kid did as told but kept pressuring your wound. “You’re gonna be okay, I promise.”

These were the last words you heard before fainting.

nine.

You woke up to a moving vehicle, your chest and arms tingling with every bump it rolled over. Jisung was talking to someone you couldn’t see, and Felix’s hand was intertwined with yours. More than that, you were seated next to each other, your head comfortably laid on his shoulder.

Jisung looked behind him and gave you a gummy smile. “Sleeping beauty’s awake at last!”

“Are you okay?” the boy next to you asked as you sat up straight.

You nodded and realized you were in a minibus. Unless you were mistaken, there was no vehicle whatsoever on the mountain last time you checked.

“Indeed! You needed a drive home. That’s where I came in,” a man said joyfully.

You blinked when you saw Apollo driving and waving you hello through the rear-view mirror.

“I had the brilliant idea to offer the lion’s pelt and the ring of Gyges to my dad and hoped he would grant us a little help to get back to Olympus safely and quickly,” he explained with a satisfied face.

It was exceptionally brilliant that he accepted.

During the rest of the road trip, Apollo was relating some of his adventures to whoever listened. The return was smoother than the outward, allowing you to rest a bit. The blonde boy had a worried face whenever he laid his eyes on you.

On Mount Olympus, Hades was here with the Olympian Gods, on his seldom used throne. His proud stare was weird to witness, especially when it was directed towards you. You gave him back his helm under Apollo’s loud praise for his ‘son and his companions’ bravery on this perilous odyssey’. The Gods thanked the three of you and got on with their immortal lives.

Iris winked at her kid, mouthing “I’m proud of you.” and they all left the palace.

You did the same, the boys walking to the elevator while Hades, who was following you, asked for a chat. You agreed, staying back to hear what he had to say.

“I know that blessing you with this much power made you a target. Honestly, I can’t take them back. But I know you’ll use them well. You proved during your journey that you were mature and strong enough. You’ve made me proud.”

Hearing these words filled you with a warm feeling, which you despised. It was too soon for you to warm up to him.

“I didn’t do it for you. I did it for mom.”

He nodded in understanding. “She’s in Elysium you know? She wants you to live a long, fulfilled life before seeing her again.''

You were about to tell him you’ve known for years, but he turned around and left.

You thought about your mom, and how at peace she was right now. At that moment, you decided to let go of the negative thoughts obscuring your judgment and decisions. Your mom was waiting for you, and you intended to make her proud of you.

Jogging to your friends, you smiled, happy that was finally over. Obviously you knew more danger was coming, but you’d be okay as long as your friends were there with you.

ten.

Back at camp, the three of you were acclaimed, the respective head counselors of your cabins personally greeting each of you. They looked particularly proud. The fervor of the return having dissipated, you sat in the Big House with Chiron before dinner time, to relate your journey.

“So yeah, it turned out we had to get the helm of darkness back from Lamia,” you said.

“The piece of the way back was the lion’s pelt and the last challenge was in the Yellowstone national park in Wyoming,” added Jisung.

“The King’s circle was Gyges’ invisible ring,” Felix divulged.

“I’m glad you’re all back safely,” Chiron smiled.

“I have a question, though,” Jisung raised his hand. “Half-blood death. Did it not come through?”

“It did. Lamia was a demigod, daughter of Hecate and Queen of Libya,” Chiron explained, “she was turned into a monster by Hera.”

“Explains a lot,” you muttered.

Jisung returned to his crush friend from the Hephaestus cabin while Felix and you walked together to your cabins. During your little walk, the Aphrodite kid, AKA the pretty painter, came to see you. It shocked you to see him in front of you, and it shocked you even further to see the two greet each other like old friends.

“I’m glad you’re back, Felix,” he said, a genuine smile on his face.

“Thanks Hyunjin. I’m happy to be back.”

“Hello Y/N.”

He knows my name!! How does he know my name??

“Huh, hi…”

“Felix talks about you a—”

“That’s great,” the blond boy cut him off, ears reddening, “but we have stuff to do before dinner. Bye Hyunjin, see you around!”

“Lix,” you called as he rushed you to the cabins, “how do you know him?”

“We came to camp together. Why?”

Realizing he was ‘just’ a pretty painter for you and that you were more interested in Felix than him, you smiled sheepishly.

“Nothing, I never asked how or when you came to camp.”

“Oh, well, we were seven kids on the run after monsters attacked our school, and satyrs finally found us and brought us here. We were between six and ten.”

He stopped in his tracks when he realized you weren’t following anymore. When he turned around to face you, you hugged him, burying your face in his neck. He stroked your back affectionately.

“It must’ve been hard. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s okay, we made it without too many problems.”

After a good dinner and a wholehearted singalong, you ended up on the beach, eyes fixed on the stars. Hearing footsteps approaching, you only looked over when he sat next to you.

“Pretty cloudless sky, huh?”

“Yeah,” you agreed, “but the stars are prettier on your face.”

It was unknown which one of you was blushing more.

“Sorry—”

“Y/N—”

“You first,” you offered, hiding your face into your cold hands. Or was it your face that was hot?

“I came to a conclusion while on that awful quest,” Felix announced, folding his arms on top of his knees. He looked at the horizon. “I can’t bear the thought of losing you. Seeing you hurting tears me apart, and I think what Hecate meant by ‘my own sake’ wasn’t my safety, but rather my heart after seeing you suffer.” He sighed. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that… I love you, Y/N,” he finished, daring to turn your way.

He was met with you facing him and staring at him intently, tears forming in your eyes. “Felix… There are not enough words to express how much you mean to me. I literally cannot live without you. I love you so much.”

The embrace you two shared was worth a thousand words.

As you let go of each other, his eyes trailed on your collarbone, where a mark was visible above your orange t-shirt. You followed his gaze and touched your bruised skin. You locked eyes with him and smiled softly.

“These will make badass scars.”

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