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official-weasley · 3 years

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Meant to Be (Charlie Weasley x OC)

What happens when Bill brings home a girl and Charlie is completely awestruck by her?

CHAPTER 3

Charlie

“Fred, if you don’t come out of there right this instance…” I opened my eyes and sat up immediately.

I forgot how it’s like waking up here. Mum’s voice was echoing through the house. Doors slamming. Footsteps up and down the stairs. Knocking on doors. Ginny begging Ron to get out of the bathroom. I laid back down and closed my eyes. Perhaps if I try really hard I can sleep through this for just a little while longer. I used to be able to do it.

I did miss my family but I did not miss waking up to this. I live alone in the Sanctuary and even though I wake up around 5 in the morning on most days I don’t mind it because it is so peaceful. I can hear birds chirping and dragons roaring and honestly, nothing can top that.

I usually make myself coffee in my little kitchen, put it in a thermos, and hike up the nearby hill. It is the best place to watch the sunrise. I sit down and watch the sun slowly moving across the sky. If I wasn’t working with dragons I would say that that is my favorite part of my day.

“Ron! Please, I really have to pee!” Ginny’s voice made me open my eyes again.

I might not live here anymore but I still felt like it’s my duty to keep the peace between my younger siblings as much as possible.

“Use the other bathroom!” I heard Ron shout back.

“Fred flooded the upstairs one and Bill is showering in the downstairs one!” Ginny knocked on the door again.

After all these years I still don’t know how mum did it. I know it was my parents’ choice to have so many kids but listening to this for more than 23 years had to take a toll on you.

“I don’t care, Ginny. I’m not done in here!” Ron protested.

I ran my hand across my face, took a deep breath, and stood up. I put on the jumper I brought with me and a pair of sweatpants. If I was going to spend the entire day running after my siblings, might as well be comfy doing so.

I opened the door and felt someone knocking me over.

“What the…” I opened my eyes and saw George getting off me.

“Sorry, Charlie. I was trying to run away from…”

“George, if you think you are getting away with this!” George turned his head towards the door and I looked at mum standing in the doorway, her hands on her hips.

Her face was red with rage and I swear I could see a vein popping out in the middle of her forehead. I did not miss that face at all.

“Mum, let me handle this.” I said gently and helped George stand up.

“Fred has flooded the toilet, Ginny can’t get to the bathroom, and George here…”

“Mum, seriously. Let me handle this.” I raised my hand at her to stop her from talking.

“Alright.” She sighed. “I’ll try and make some breakfast. Poor Bill, what will Rhylee think of our family after such a disastrous morning!” She shook her head and disappeared out of our sight.

“Oh, no! You’re not going anywhere.” I grabbed George’s hand as he was about to flee.

“C’mon, Charlie. I thought you were on our side!” He looked disappointed.

“It’s Christmas Eve Georgie, can’t you give mum a break for one day?” I pleaded.

“But we didn’t do anything wrong!” George tried to defend himself.

“Yeah, right.” I rolled my eyes in disbelief. “So Fred flooded the bathroom on his own?”

“We still had some fireworks left from yesterday…” He started to explain, trying desperately to get out of my grip but I only tightened it. “So Fred and I got curious what would happen if you light them up with water around.”

I slammed my hand against my forehead and sighed. Why did I want to know the results of their experiment? I was supposed to be an adult and I was supposed to be mad at him. But how could I be, he looked so innocent. Those big eyes of his.

No!

I have to be strict. I promised mum.

Come on, Charlie. You got this!

“Okay, you did your little experiment, now you’ll go to the bathroom and help Fred clean it. I am going to see if Ginny found herself a free toilet yet and then I am coming to see if you have done what I told you to do!” I frowned at him, my fingers still around his wrist.

“Fine!” George said, disappointed. “You’re no fun!” I finally let go of him and he left my room.

“And that bathroom better be sparkly clean!” I shouted after him from the doorway.

What’s next?

“Ron!” Ginny was still banging on the bathroom door.

Right, help my little sister!

“Charlie! Finally, please tell Ronald to get out of the bathroom!” She pleaded, her hands on her bladder. “I was already inside and he pushed me out!”

“Ron, what’s taking so long?” I gently knocked on the door.

“He’s doing it on purpose! I heard him flush already.” Ginny frowned and was ready to kick the door when it opened and she kicked Ron straight in the sheen instead.

“Ouch!” Ron bent forward to rub the aching part of his leg. “Why did you do that for?” Ginny was ready for another punch. She might be the youngest and she might be shorter than Ron but I was confident that she would be able to kick his arse.

“Alright you two, that’s enough!” I broke them apart, grabbing each by the shoulder.

“Ron, you go downstairs and see if mum needs any help with breakfast and Ginny,” I turned to her, “go pee now.” They both smiled apologetically at me and went their separate ways.

I took a deep breath, rubbing my temples.

“What a way to start a morning, huh?” I turned around and saw Rhylee standing in the doorway of Ginny’s room, giggling. I completely forgot that she was here.

“Is it always like this?” She asked, rather amused.

“Ever since the twins found out what pranks are, yes.” I gave out a weak laugh. I was already tired. “Bill’s in the shower if you’re looking for him.”

“I know. I heard.” She chuckled.

Of course. Ginny announced it to everybody.

“I feel like I should apologize on behalf of my family.” I said embarrassed.

“Don’t.” She stopped me before I could say anything else. “I only have a sister so this was rather entertaining to watch and it makes for a really good alarm clock.”

“What was all the racket up here?” Bill joined us, rubbing his hair in a towel before I could say another word to Rhylee.

“The twins and Ron and Ginny and mum.” I summed it up for him.

“Need my help?” Bill asked.

“Already taken care of it.” I grinned proudly.

“Rhylee, would you like to go for a walk before breakfast?” Bill turned to her.

He really liked this girl. The way he looked at her. Giving her his undivided attention. Smiling like an idiot. I wanted to say something. Tease him a little, but changed my mind. Rhylee looked pretty oblivious to the fact that my older brother was drooling looking at her, so I didn’t find it appropriate.

“Sure! Let me get my scarf and my hat.” She smiled at him and went back into Ginny’s room.

“I can’t believe they can’t behave the one time I bring a girl home.” Bill whispered to me, rather annoyed.

“I think she didn’t mind it. She found it rather amusing.” I couldn’t help a smile spread across my face.

“She’s just being polite. This is ridiculous. I thought they would grow out of it by now.” Bill whined.

“Me too. I did not miss this at all.” I put my arm over his shoulder. “Really, she’s fine with it.” I said again.

It was cute how nervous he was around her.

“How do you know?” He looked at me. “She’s so hard to read. Even if she says something I never know if she means it.” He sighed.

I didn’t know how to answer his question. I just knew. I didn’t find her as difficult to read as Bill was describing. I guess I was better at reading people or perhaps he just fancied her too much to notice these things.

“Bill, you have to get your shit together. She’s just a girl and she’s here with you!” I frowned at him.

I remember when he was giving me relationship advice while we were still in school. I never thought I would have to teach him how to talk to girls.

“You’re right.” He let out a long sigh. “I’m an idiot, aren’t I?” He smiled at me.

“You’re overreacting. I’m pretty sure she likes you back so just take her for a romantic walk and get it over with.” I pushed him towards our room for him to get dressed.

“I told you I’ll tell her once we get back.” I said through his teeth, careful not to be overheard.

“Merlin’s beard, you’re stubborn!” I rolled my eyes. “You are not waiting so long. You’re telling her today! Now go!” I threw his hat at him. “It’s enough I have to do damage control with our younger siblings, I don’t need you giving me trouble too.”

“Okay, mum!” He stuck his tongue at me, trying to appear childish, and ran out of the room before I could punch him in the face.

After checking on the twins and telling them they missed a spot I finally made my way down for breakfast. The smell of freshly baked bacon filled my nostrils, making me realize just how hungry I was. Bossing kids around is hard work!

I sat down next to Percy and Ron and put some eggs on my plate.

“Where are Bill and Rhylee?” Mum asked while putting bacon on my plate, straight from the frying pan.

“They went for a walk.” I answered.

“She’s a lovely girl, isn’t she?” She beamed at me.

I was always astonished how she could go from shouting at the twins to looking so sweet and nice.

“Yeah.” I said quickly.

I wasn’t the one to talk and I definitely didn’t want to talk about Rhylee. I made a promise to not speak to her again and since I already broke that this morning, I am trying not to think about her. Especially when I saw how much Bill liked her.

“Are we going to see the lights today, mum?” Ginny joined us.

“I don’t know, dear.” Mum sighed. “After what Fred and George did this morning...”

“That’s so unfair!” Percy spoke for the first time. “Why don’t we get to do anything nice because they don’t know how to obey!” He frowned.

“Perce is right, mum.” I couldn’t believe I agreed with him for once. “Don’t punish the rest of them for the twins’ mischief. I’m sure they would all like to go.”

I looked from Ginny to Percy and Ron and then to mum. She was leaning on the kitchen table, giving my words a thought.

“Oh, alright. We’ll go. But I’ll need you and Bill to keep Fred and George in line.” She pointed her finger at me.

“I can’t go mum. I was actually hoping for some alone time. I need to do some paperwork for work.” I was telling the truth.

I wanted to do it after breakfast but I simply didn’t feel like it after disciplining half of my siblings. Them all going to see the Christmas lights in the village over the hill was perfect. I would have the whole house to myself and I could finish working before they come back.

“Does that mean we can’t go?” Ron said, sadly.

“No. You go.” I ruffled his hair. “I’m sure Bill and Rhylee will be able to distract the twins so you can have a nice time.”

“Charlie, are you sure?” My mum looked worried. “You should take some time off.”

“I know, mum. But I brought this on myself if I’m perfectly honest.” I scratched my head with my finger. “I always leave the paperwork until I absolutely have to do it.”

“Alright.” Mum said. “We’ll bring you some hot chocolate when we return.” She grinned at me and went back to cooking.

—

“What did we miss?” Bill asked, taking off his coat and his hat as he and Rhylee came back from their walk.

I was now sitting on the floor, playing Wizard’s Chess with Ron. I wasn’t having much fun as he was about to win for the second time. He, on the other hand, was having a blast and I couldn’t take that away from him.

“It’s been nice and quiet.” Percy answered, sitting on the sofa, reading.

“Mum, is there any breakfast left?” Bill walked towards the kitchen.

“Of course, William. Sit down.” Mum pulled out two chairs with her wand.

They barely had the time to put some food on their plates when an owl tapped the kitchen window. Mum opened it and took the letter from it.

“It’s for you, dear.” She gave the envelope to Rhylee and smiled at her.

“We are going to see the lights in the village this evening, Bill.” Mum turned to him now, leaving Rhylee to read her letter in peace.

“Great.” Bill grinned. “Rhylee, you’re going to love the Christmas lights in Ottery St Catchpole.”

“Huh?” Rhylee hummed, her eyes still on the letter.

“Is everything alright?” Bill asked, concern in his voice.

“Yeah, just my boss.” She swung her hand, indicating that he shouldn’t worry about it. “What did you ask me?” She looked up at him now.

“We are going to look at the Christmas lights today after dinner.” Bill repeated. I could swear I saw him blush. “It’s a family tradition to go to the village on Christmas Eve.” He explained.

“Oh, Bill.” Rhylee started, her voice sad. “I can’t. Apparently, we’re getting the Norwegian Ridgeback first thing after the holidays and the paperwork can’t wait. I’m sorry. I thought I would be able to work on it tomorrow but I really have to do it today and send it back first thing tomorrow morning.” She said apologetically.

“It’s fine.” Bill smiled at her. I knew he wasn’t okay with this. Them being together in the village, observing the lights would be really romantic and I know he was excited to take her. “I’ll stay here with you and help you.”

“Oh, no.” She shook her head. “I can see this means a lot to you and you should spend some time with your family.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Bill sounded disappointed.

Nothing was going according to his plan and I could tell that he didn’t ask her out when they were outside. He was still a nervous wreck around her.

“I would love to go, but you know…”

“I know this means a lot to you, you don’t need to explain yourself.” He smiled and cupped her face.

Or perhaps he did tell her! Way to go, Bill!

“Thank you.” Rhylee awkwardly pulled her head back.

Or then again, maybe he didn’t tell her after all.

“Are you two done deciding?” We all looked at Percy. “Can I go back to reading in peace?” He frowned.

“Perce.” I said with a warning voice.

I looked at Rhylee and she just giggled. She really wasn’t bothered by how my family was behaving.

I know we could be a bit special but I loved every single one of them. They were my family and I was used to this. Rhylee told me before that she only has one sibling so this can’t be normal for her but she is just so accepting. She doesn’t care and she doesn’t judge.

She was the type of person who just accepts you as you are. She didn’t mind the twins waking up the whole house or Ginny banging on the bathroom door or Percy being grumpy because he just wanted to read.

I hated that she was so perfect.

“Are you going to make your move already?” Ron’s voice made me take my eyes off her and focus back on chess.

I don’t even remember what my strategy was. I moved my Bishop but the second I did I knew I made a mistake.

“Checkmate!” Ron lifted his hands in the air. The smile on his face was priceless.

“You got me again!” I pretended to be shocked even though I knew I didn’t stand a chance of winning against him. He was getting too good.

“Good, you’re done.” Bill kneeled next to us. “Do you mind if I steal Charlie for a second, Ron?” Ron just nodded and I stood up.

I followed Bill to the pantry and he closed the door behind us.

“Are we having a secret meeting or are you here to kiss me?” I winked at him.

“I am losing it, Charlie!” He ignored my joke completely.

He looked so stressed out.

“I am assuming this is about Rhylee and you didn’t tell her how you feel yet?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“I couldn’t. There just wasn’t enough time and we talked about work and then the twins and the conversation never went in that direction.” He buried his hands in his hair.

I was just waiting for him to start pulling it out.

“The conversation never goes in that direction on itself! Why am I the one who is telling you this!” I facepalmed myself. “You went for a walk,” I continued after he stared at me with an open mouth, “why didn’t you brush your hand against hers or just hold it?”

“She had her hands in the pockets of her coat.” He said, innocently.

“Well, then…” I started shaking my head, searching for words. “I don’t know, Bill. If you have such a hard time telling her, write her a damn letter.”

“Don’t tempt me.” He pointed a finger at me.

“Oh, stop acting like a child!” I rolled my eyes.

Is this how mum feels for more than 20 years now?

“As I said. I will do it once we come back. Let me stick to my plan, Charlie.” He whined.

“Look, Bill. It’s up to you and it really isn’t my business. You know her, you know what you’re missing out if you don’t ask her out.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I just want you to be happy.”

I was getting tired of pushing him to make a move. I know I wouldn’t hesitate if it was me. I would ask her out in a heartbeat. I can’t understand how can he know her for three years and not be with her yet. I knew her for 2 days and I couldn’t get her out of my head. I would stay behind and help her with her paperwork today and take advantage of the fact that we’re going to be alone and tell her then.

And then it dawned on me.

I felt my eyes widen. She was staying behind today when the rest of my family is going to the village and I am doing the same. We’re going to be alone in the house! This was not happening! I was trying to avoid her and not talk to her and now we’re going to be alone for hours.

What am I supposed to do? Maybe I should hide? She wasn’t in the kitchen when I said I’m staying behind. Perhaps she doesn’t have to know!

That’s childish, Charlie. Man up, will you!

You will do your work and she will do hers and then you’ll go to your room and go to sleep early. It’s not that hard. She is here with Bill and he fancies her a lot and you are overthinking this too much!

“Are you okay?” Bill must’ve seen the horror on my face.

“Yeah!” I nodded quickly. “I just remembered that I forgot to tell my co-worker something about our Fireball.”

Nice save, Charlie!

“Oh, Charlie.” Bill chuckled. “Always thinking about work.” The smile quickly left his face. “How will Rhylee feel being in our house all alone?”

“I…” I sucked in a breath. I know Bill was clueless that I grew fond of Rhylee but it didn’t make me feel any less guilty. “I’m staying behind too. I was hoping that you would go look at the lights so I could catch up on my papers. You know I always leave them for the end of the month.”

“You still do that?” Bill shook his head.

“Yeah.” I smiled faintly. “I thought you’ll all be going, I didn’t know she’s staying behind.” I wasn’t sure where I was going with my speech.

I tried to apologize for the fact that we’ll be alone in the house even though Bill wasn’t seeing the scenario from my perspective.

“It’s actually good that you are.” I was surprised at his words.

I thought he was going to be mad.

“It is?”

“You can keep her company. I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable being in such a big house alone and with a Ghoul to top it all off.” He tapped my shoulder and smiled.

“Right.” I returned the smile.

Keep her company. That was a bad idea. I knew I had about 100 more questions for her about the dragons and I knew we could never run out of topics to talk about but could I really trust myself to be in a house alone with her?

I loved talking about dragons and I know I’ll try and focus on my work as much as possible but I couldn’t deny my mind wandering to more pleasureful activities to do with a girl while nobody else is in the house.

When we returned to the living room I decided to lock myself up in my room. Perhaps if I start on the paperwork straight away I can finish it until dinner and I can go to the village too.

#harry potter fanfiction #charlie weasley #charlie weasley fanfiction #the weasleys #weasley family #hp imagine #charlie weasley x oc #charlie weasley imagine #the burrow #harry potter imagine #weasley fanfiction #charlie weasley x mc #bill weasley #harry potter #wizarding world

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cocos-cocoapuffsarenotforsale · 4 years

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His Little Witch~~Part 8

MASTERLIST

Part 7

Main Pairing: Tom Riddle x Reader

Background Pairings: Harry Potter x Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley x Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood x Neville Longbottom, James Potter x Lily Potter, Draco Malfoy x Pansy Parkinson

Tags: SMUT, Swearing, Controlling!Tom Riddle, Controlling Relationship, Canon-Typical Violence, Possessive Tom Riddle, Soulmates, AU, CANON DIVERGENCE, Minister of Magic Tom Riddle, Out of Character Tom Riddle, nice Tom Riddle, Dumbledore and Tom get along, sane Tom Riddle

Taglist: @chewymoustachio, @peachsnyder138, @marvelous-glims, @ingeniouscollectionthing, @thedarkshiningknight

A/N: Special thanks to @thedarkshiningknight for reaching out to me and inspiring me to continue this story. As of now I am planning on writing 12 parts though it could be more. Love you all so much and I hope you guys like this new update!

————————————————————————

“C’mon guys, just a quick visit. An hour at most.” You were currently trying, unsuccessfully, to convince James and Sirius to let you visit Hogwarts.

“Y/n, you can’t even leave the grounds. Tom made sure of that with that bracelet,” Sirius huffs annoyed.

“You guys are telling me you can’t figure out how to get it off? Really losing your touch eh Padfoot, Prongs?” Ok, you were trying to goad them into helping you but it had been six days. Six days of being locked up in the manor. Tom hadn’t been home yet but he had sent Lily and Remus to tutor you for the time being. Lily and Remus had been staying with you as well, not wanting to be away from their mates for too long.

“Nice try Y/L/N,” James says pointing an accusing finger at you. “But you are not going to suck us into this. We know better.”

“You damn well better,” Remus mutters as he enters the room. “If you two help her, the Minister will have your necks.”

“Don’t worry about us, babe. We aren’t gonna be tricked by a rebellious eighteen-year-old.” Sirius boasts cockily. Remus shakes his head, not quite as sure of that as Sirius was. Sirius tugs Remus down on his lap and nuzzles into his face into Remus’s neck.

“Get a room you two,” you grumble. You normally didn’t mind their affectionate displays but after being away from Tom this long you were getting grumpy.

“Aww, don’t get grumpy just cause you haven’t gotten any lately,” Sirius teases, causing you to throw your book at him. He flicks it away with a chuckle.

“Nice try, love,” he chuckles, only irritating you further. You huff and stomp out of the kitchen and towards your room. You had to find a way out of this house.

“Y/n, you ok?” You heard Lily ask as she trailed behind you. You fling yourself down on the bed as soon as you enter your room, frustrated at the whole situation.

“No, I haven’t seen Tom in six days and he’s off hunting some maniac. We haven’t been apart for this long since we found out about each other. One day is hard enough but it’s been 6 days and no word. Just a couple of check-ins with Percy in the fireplace.” You grumble into your pillow.

“I know sweetie, James, and I haven’t been apart for more than a week since we found out we were mates. And that week was hell.” Lily replies softly, rubbing a hand up and down your back like your mom used to do when you were upset.

“Why were you apart for that long?” You ask, turning to look at her and wiping the tears from your eyes.

“It was the last time Gavin Grindelwald went on a rampage, Harry was little and they needed all hands on deck, even then James and Sirius were Minister Riddle’s right hands. So he had to go with the Minister and his guard to try and hunt Grindelwald down. It took them seven days to catch him that time, and then he escaped a couple of years ago. They couldn’t track him down that time, and now he’s back.” Lily lets out a shaky breath and you can see her hands are trembling a little.

“Lily? Are you alright?” You ask, reaching out and putting your hand on her shoulder.

“It’s just he vowed revenge on all those who caught him last time, mainly Minister Riddle but James and Sirius too. To be honest I’m a little relieved they aren’t out there this time. But then I remember how much of a target-” she stops herself remembering who she’s talking to. Her cheeks turn bright red in embarrassment.

“Then you remember how much of a target Tom is and by extension I am. And your husband and best friend are responsible for protecting me.” You finish for her. Her face immediately turns apologetic.

“Y/n, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She says softly.

“It’s ok, I know I’m a target. I’m sorry that James and Sirius have been assigned to me. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” You whisper as more tears well up in your eyes. You couldn’t stand it if James and Sirius were hurt because of you. How would you ever look Harry in the eyes again? And if something happened to Tom, especially if he was protecting you…

You would die of heartbreak.

————————————————————————

“Little Witch,” you awake to Tom’s hushed voice.

“Tom?!” You ask excitedly as you open your eyes to find him leaning over you.

“Hey love,” he whispers, placing a soft kiss on your lips.

“When did you get back?”

“Just now, I’m sorry I woke you, I just missed you so much.”

“I missed you too Tom. I’m glad you woke me,” you sit up and wrap your arms around Tom’s neck.

“Did you catch him?” You ask after a moment, Tom stiffens at your question and that’s all the answer you need.

“Not yet. But the first task is tomorrow and I have to be there to keep up appearances. We don’t want people to start freaking out. And I missed you. I’ve got the best people on it.” He assures you, nuzzling his face into your hair, and inhaling your scent.

“Except for James and Sirius,” you grumble under your breath.

“They have a much more important task, you.” He replies placing a quick kiss on your nose before standing up and heading towards the bathroom.

“Where do you think you’re going, Minister?” You ask suggestively.

“Well, darling, I’ve been working for nearly six days straight and I haven’t had time to shower. So I thought before I crawl into bed with my lovely mate I’d better get cleaned up.”

“Why don’t I help you?” You walk over to him and slowly start unbuttoning his dress shirt.

“I would love that, my Little Witch.” He replies moving his hands onto your hips. He quickly pulls your shirt over your head and throws it onto the floor.

“No magic?” You ask as you slid his shirt off his shoulders.

“Sometimes the muggle way is fun,” he whispers against your lips. You hurriedly undo his pants and he kicks them along with his boxers off to the side. He fingers the top of your pants and slowly eases them and your panties off.

“My beautiful girl,” he whispers as he places soft kisses along your inner thighs.

“Tom,” you plead, breathless.

“Yes, Little Witch?” He scoops you into his arms and carries you to the shower stall. He switches the water on before testing the temperature. Once he has determined it to be satisfactory he sets you down in the shower.

“Tom, need you,” you whimper, he backs you against the shower wall and lifts you up by your ass.

“Where do you need me, Little Witch?” Tom asks as he grazes your pussy with his hard cock.

“Tom, please,” you beg as he twists your already pebbled nipples.

“Where, love?” He asks with another brush of his cock along the lips of your glistening pussy.

“My pussy. Please, Tom. Please fuck me,” You plead, making him smirk in triumph.

“Anything for you mate,” he mutters as he lines himself up with you. In one quick motion, he thrust himself into you making you gasp at the sensation.

“Tom,” you let out a low moan causing him to growl as he nips at your neck. His deep and hard thrusts build your pleasure and push you to the brink.

“Cum for me Little Witch,” he commands in a gruff voice. You allow yourself to give in to the pleasure and let yourself come apart around him. He groans, feeling you tighten around him and he finally releases his seed into you. He stays inside you until he begins to soften and then he gently eases out and sets you down carefully.

“That was quite the welcome home, Little Witch,” he teases, walking under the stream of water.

“I missed you a lot. And it’s not as though I had much else to do,” you grumble, remembering that you were supposed to be mad at him.

“We talked about this already,” he huffs, rubbing shampoo in his hair.

“No, you talked about it, and ignored everything I was saying.” You move to help him rinse out his shampoo. You may still be pissed at him but you couldn’t resist touching him after being apart for so long. Stupid fucking mate bond, you think to yourself annoyed.

“Love, I did listen, I just disagreed. I’m not going to let you put yourself in danger,” he replies as he squirts some shampoo into his palm and motions for you to turn around. You comply and he gently massages it into your hair.

“Hogwarts is one of the safest places in the world,” you argue, switching places with Tom to condition his hair for him after he rinsed the conditioner out of yours.

“Yet you’ve sustained how many injuries there? And the Manor is safer, when I created that bracelet for you I also made sure you were added to the wards, the Manor will protect you. That’s why I prefer you to remain inside while Gavin Grindelwald is still at large. The grounds are protected but it’s safer inside the Manor.” He explains as he gently massages conditioned into your hair. You try to think of a good response while you both rinse out your hair and step out of the shower, but you draw a blank. Dammit, why did he have to make good points?

“I’m not a prisoner, it’s not fair to keep me locked up,” you reply tugging on your silk bathrobe.

“No, you aren’t a prisoner. But you are my mate and that makes you a target for my enemies. I will do whatever it takes to protect you, even if it pisses you off. I’d rather have you hate me and be alive than love me and be dead,” He whispers in a pained voice. And that’s when you remember what you had heard about his past. Tom’s father abandoned his mother when he found out she was a witch and in her heartbreak, she ended up dying right after giving birth to Tom. Tom had been raised in an orphanage that was overrun with children and never really received much love. Then it had taken him 20 years to find his soulmate, someone he could love and be loved by.

“Tom, I could never hate you,” you place a soft kiss on his lips and wrap your arms around his neck.

“I can’t lose you,” he whispers as his grip on you tightens.

“You won’t,” you promise, nuzzling your face into his neck.

“So can I go to the first task tomorrow?” You ask, making him groan in annoyance.

“Of course, why not? It’s not like there is a psychotic maniac out there who tortures people for fun and has a vendetta against me and anyone I care about.” He replies sarcastically.

“So it’s a yes?” You ask playing dumb as you pull away to get a better look at his face.

“No, absolutely not. We still haven’t caught him. He’s planning something big, and it could easily be happening tomorrow. It’s the first task in the Triwizard Tournament, he knows I have to be there, there will be a large crowd, parents, students, teachers and other citizens. It’s the perfect target. I will not have you go there and be put in danger.” He argues.

“Tom, I’ll be fine, I’ll be with you. There’s gonna be plenty of security measures in place. It’s probably safer for me to be there with you and tons of Aurors than stuck at home with only James and Sirius. Plus Harry’s competing tomorrow, I have to be there and so do James and Sirius.” You plead, looks like this argument was going to be harder to win than you thought.

“No, no. I can’t put you at risk like that. I will not lose you too. Not when I finally found you.” He says harshly, his jaw tightening.

“You aren’t going to lose me. I’ll be fine Tommy. Please.” You beg, throwing him your signature puppy dog face.

“As adorable as you look, you aren’t going to win this with a puppy dog face.” He says smirking at your childish attempt at making him change his mind. Alright, time to switch tactics then.

“What about this?” You ask sliding your silk, black bathrobe off your shoulder and showing off more cleavage.

“Nice try, that isn’t going to work either.” He chuckles, we’ll see who’s laughing in a couple of minutes…

“Alright,” you pretend to give up.

“What?” He asks confused. You ignore him and turn around before shrugging off your robe and slowly sliding it off. You walk over to the bed before climbing onto it and laying down in the middle. Putting yourself on full display for Tom.

“I said alright. Sex isn’t going to convince you to let me go tomorrow.” You say, gently running your hands over your breasts, flicking your nipples softly. You see Tom straighten up and watch you carefully.

“Need some help there, Little Witch?” He asks confidently.

“No thanks. You didn’t want sex,” you reply, running your right hand down your stomach and cupping your pussy.

“No, I said that sex wouldn’t convince me to put you in danger tomorrow.” He argued.

“Well, since I don’t get to have any fun, ugh,” you moan as you rub your clit, “then you don’t get to have any fun.”

“C’mon love, don’t be like that,” he groans and you can see him hardening at your moans.

“All you have to do is say yes Tommy,” you tease, spreading your legs wider to give him a better view of you.

“No, love, I won’t say yes.” He argues but you hear his voice crack when you let another moan.

“Then neither will I.” You tease, sliding your index finger into your pussy slowly. “Aw, Tommy please, just say yes. Then we both can get what we want. Please Tommy say yes.” You beg. You see his guard falling.

“Fine, but you stay by my side the entire time understood?” He relents.

“Yes Tom, I understand.” You agree.

“Now can I help you take care of your problem?” He asks, eyeing your pussy hungrily.

“Yes Tommy,” you whisper breathlessly. He is on you in a second, sliding into you just as quickly. His thrusts are slow and deep, teasing you as you had just teased him.

“Faster Tommy, please,” you beg. He shakes his head, his face breaking out into a smirk.

“Not yet love,” he says before capturing one of your nipples in his mouth.

“Please Tommy,” you whimper as he rolls your other nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

“Your wish is my command,” he replies before thrusting into you faster and harder.

He locks his lips with yours as he thrusts in and out of you, deep and hard.

“Tom,” you moan as you near the edge.

“Let go, love, cum for me” he commands gently.

“Yes Tom, agh,” you groan as you give in to your release.

“Good girl,” he praises before he stiffens and shots hot jets of cum inside you.

Once you both come down from your high he gently eases out of you and tucks you under his arm. He places a gentle kiss on your forehead and then buries his face in your hair.

“I love you,” he whispers softly.

“I love you too Tommy. Everything is gonna be ok.”

“I can’t lose you Little Witch,” he mutters, his voice raw with emotion.

“You won’t Tom, I promise.”

————————————————————————

Part 9

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percabethfeelsfandom · 4 years

Text

AU: Percy gets really hurt

AU: Percy gets super duper hurt in some battle. And Annabeth has no idea how to cope with it. Not dating but as close as they were in botl/tlo (they didn’t kiss in botl)

“Annabeth you can’t be in here.” I turned in surprise as Will’s figure appeared in the doorway. I gripped Percy’s hand tighter but he still remained limp as the children of Apollo moved around me, preparing his body for what looked like emergency surgery.

“What the Hades do you mean?” Will held up his hands up, his face apologetic.

“I mean, you can’t be in here while we heal him.”

“Why not?” I stood up, and Percy’s hand slipped through my fingers.

“Because he needs to focus on healing and he’ll be worried about you if you’re in there.”

“Will-“ Someone was touching my back lightly, guiding me to Will, away from Percy. I fought the urge to fight back.

“No. I’m pulling rank. As his doctor and head of Apollo cabin, you can’t be in there.”

“But it’s Percy, and, and it’s me he-“ I stuttered trying to find the right thing to say. My hands clenched at my sides and I puffed out a breath of air.

“I’m sorry Annabeth.” Will said and closed the door in my face once he’d walked me out of the room. I went to bang on the door, to knock it down with my bare hands but as I raised my fist I realised it was still coated in blood. Percy’s blood.

I ran to the lake, thrusting my hands into the water, scrubbing as hard as I could. The water turned pink as I repeated my prayer.

“Mother please. Please don’t let him die. Please. Not Percy. I’ll do anything. Please don’t take him away from me. Not after everything. Mother please.” I raised my eyes to the sky imagining my mother’s stern face looking down on me. She’d never been fond of Percy, or of our friendship, but I hoped she’d put her pride aside and help him.

The water rippled and I held my breath hoping that it meant my mother had heard me.

“It’s a bit odd don’t you think, praying to the goddess of wisdom by a body of water?” A voice said from beside me. I turned in surprised and my mouth dropped open.

“Poseidon?” He smiled at me, and crossed his legs at his ankles, adjusting himself on a chair that had appeared from nowhere. By his side a fishing line stood stuck deep in the sand.

“Hello Miss Chase.” He looked so much like Percy when he smiled. It almost hurt to look at. I pulled my hands from the water and wiped them hastily on my already dirty shirt. I bowed my head in respect before rising unsteadily on my feet.

“I always come here when I want to think- and when I fight with Percy,” I explained, gesturing to the lake and the trees that surrounded it. The spot where he had been claimed, was still a memory fresh n my mind. The way he had healed that day. “I come here to remind myself why he’s my best friend,” my voice was shaking. I hated that it was shaking. Poseidon smiled again, his eyes crinkling the way they do when you smile a lot. He waved his hand and another seat appeared. He gestured down to it and I took a seat.

“He comes here to think too. I’ve seen him,” Poseidon said, looking out at the lake. “He doesn’t know I’m there obviously. But I see him.” A wistful look came over his features and I realised that Poseidon could very much be as worried as I was about Percy. It was odd seeing such a human emotion on a god.

“My mother isn’t going to answer my prayer is she,” I asked my voice barely a whisper.

“You don’t have to be a child of the wisdom goddess to know that.” Hurt and anger made my blood boil. But I hated the fact that I knew why she wouldn’t do it. Why she wouldn’t help a hero of a prophecy and alter the fates plans. I hated that I understood. I blinked back tears and trained my eyes on the horizon, the sun beginning to set.

“So why did you?”

“I didn’t,” Poseidon answered simply. “I’m answering Percy’s.”

I was lost for words.

“He didn’t want you to be alone.” My breath caught in my throat.

“You think he’s going to die,” it physically hurt saying those words. I could feel it tearing my heart into a billion pieces.

“I cannot be sure of what the fates plan is for my son. But I can only hope for the best, however I think he still has much to achieve in this world.” Poseidon glanced at me, and I watched in my peripheral as he reached out hesitantly and lightly patted my arm.

“We can only hope, and after all hope is eternal.” I closed my eyes and felt a tear slowly slide down my face.

“Is it?”

“Mortals have a knack for believing in the impossible. One of the things I admire greatly from them.” I let out a bitter laugh and shook my head. Mortals were stupid for being so naive. But for once I wished I had that hope. Even growing up in this world, with the gods and goddesses and monsters. It was hard to believe in hope. In the magic that created miracles when someone might be on their death bed.

“I should be praying to Apollo.”

“He’s watching over. He’s quite fond of Percy. In his Apollo way.”

“I can’t lose him,” I said again recalling my unanswered prayer to my mother.

“I know.” Poseidon patted my arm again but this time I looked at him, and he smiled sadly. He didn’t look like Percy now. He looked like a father whose son was hurting.

There was a soft pop and a flash of light. I stood up quickly reaching for my knife. But it was Apollo, clad in a doctors uniform and a stethoscope around his neck.

“He’ll make it. In fact I’m already creating a poem about his recovery. Want to hear it?-“

“No.” Poseidon and I answered quickly. I wanted to run, to go back to Percy but even in my haze I knew it was wrong to run from two deities. Even if Poseidon and I had shared a moment over Percy.

“He’s asking for you,” Apollo said. That was all it took. I nodded in response to both of them and sprinted as fast as I could to the Infirmary.

Will was just leaving as I walked up the steps. He pointed the way and I followed not saying a word.

At his door I paused catching me breath before knocking softly, already pushing open the ajar door.

“Percy?”

“Hey wise girl,” his voice was so hoarse I could barely hear him. I almost dropped to my knees in relief. He was okay.

“If you ever do that again I’m gonna kill you.” I grounded out as he watched me from his bed. He was sat up, pillows behind his head, thick bandages around his stomach and abdomen. His beautiful eyes were almost luminous in the darkening room.

“Next time I won’t get impaled by a sword. I’m sorry.” And then he smiled. It felt as if everything in the world was suddenly alright again.

“You scared me,” I didn’t want to say it but the words were already out of my mouth before I could stop them.

“Come sit.” He said nodding to his side. He began to shift, wincing as he did so until there was space next to him on the bed.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” I approached him slowly not trusting my weak legs.

“You could never hurt me,” Percy said a matter of factly.

“Are you sure?” I asked standing by the bed. He rolled his eyes and nodded.

“Just come here wise girl.” I slid onto the bed, trying my best not to stir it. Percy relaxed on his pillows, leaning back and closing his eyes.

“You okay? Does it hurt anywhere?” I peered at his bandages but they looked fine, even some of his other wounds from the battle had been healed. I dragged my eyes from his body back to his face concentrating on his still closed eyes.

“I’m okay, just stay,” he opened his eyes, pleading, and I fought the urge to smile. “Can you stay?” I’d never heard his voice so soft.

“Whatever you want,” I answered just as softly.

“Hey seaweed brain?”

“Hmm.” He’s closed his eyes again, but somehow that made it easier to say these next words.

“You mean a lot to me, you know that right?” I focused on his eyelashes. But then his eyes flew open and i glanced away.

“I know...you mean a lot to me too,” he replied slowly. I looked back at him struggling to find the right words.

“No I mean,” I reached between us and gripped his hand, turning to completely face him. “You mean a lot to me. I don’t know what I’d do if something serious happened.” My face was burning, but I knew I had to say this. Knew that I’d never forgive myself if something ever happened again and he didn’t know this.

“More serious that getting impaled by a sword in my literal gut?” I nearly impaled him right then and there.

“Percy!” He laughed, but then grimaced lightly holding his stomach. I reached out to him wanting to help but he waved me away.

“I’m sorry, laugh will you? I’m okay, I’m gonna be okay,” he said reassuringly and squeezed my hand tightly. I nodded and sat back, the tension in my shoulders beginning to lessen.

“Annabeth.” I turned to Percy again.

“Yeah?”

“I know what I would do if you got seriously hurt.” I frowned at him confused.

“What?”

“Anything and everything to help you get better and hunt down whoever hurt you.” I knew he wasn’t lying. I could see it in his jaw, in the whites of his knuckles, the glow of his eyes.

I leaned close to him, barely a breath from his mouth before pressing a light kiss on his cheek. His skin was still feverish, and I could feel his eyelashes on my skin.

“I know.” I paused, waiting. He opened his eyes staring at me, almost in awe. I heard him swallow as he brought a hand up lightly bringing it to my face. He was shaking, whether from pain or nervousness I wasn’t sure.

“I’d do anything for you.” I whispered.

“I know.” And then he kissed me.

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mimiswitchywrites · 3 years

Text

Not A Burden: Chapter 3

TW: SH references, attempted s****de and references, child/s***al a**se references (not graphic but enough that could be triggering). Vague r**e scene at the end.

Master list or read on AO3

2.2k words

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Percival, sat with Elyan and opposite Arthur and Lancelot’s bickering, kept tabs on Gwaine and the girl. He didn’t miss the way his face lit up with glee and, if he understood correctly, mischief. It made him happy to see his friend on his way back to normal, but he still felt the pit in his stomach filled with anxiety. Why had his joyous little friend been in such a state in the first place? He had initially dismissed the thought that he was spooked by seeing the girl looking so unwell as he was well versed in bloody bodies, but that was the only explanation he could find.

“You see it too?” Elyan asked from his spot next to the giant. He could only grunt in response, too caught up in his concern for his friend. “Maybe he just needed some rest like he said last night.”

He understood the suggestion, but Percival had seen Gwaine when he was tired, and this wasn’t it. Unless, the cynical side of him thought, you don’t know him as well as you think you do. He tucked that thought away into the back of his mind to deal with at home. The woods with an injured woman and the king are not an appropriate setting for a crisis.

“We should help Merlin pack everything up and get a move on. I think it’s best that Lancelot and Arthur are separated as soon as possible.” Elyan said, knowing that things could only get more heated if they stayed where they were any longer.

With the horses all loaded up and the argument currently settled (Arthur was wrong, regardless of his pitiful defences) Lancelot mounted his horse and helped Percy lift Miriam up to him again. He was looking forward to riding with her now she was fully back to the land of the living. She seemed like an interesting young woman and reminded him of Gwen, somehow. The whole party – bar Arthur, if that morning was anything to go by – seemed to look at her in a sisterly manner. They wanted to help her, but no one knew how to treat her. They knew not talk walk on eggshells around her, but she was still a stranger, and they didn’t know the appropriate limits yet. Hopefully, they would figure them out soon, for everyone’s sake. That was the one good thing that came from Arthur’s outburst last night: they knew shouting was not a wise idea.

Well duh, he added.

“Are you comfortable, Miriam?”

“As comfortable as one can be on the second day of riding with a head that won’t stop spinning.” She quipped back. It took everything in him to not laugh at the way she made her remark.

“We can go slowly if that would help. Or I have water. Or you could sleep again, maybe more sleep is what you need?” She shook her head but leant back against his chest anyway. He could feel warmth spread through him and his cheeks heat up.

“It is okay. I would like to get to still, stone ground as soon as we can anyway.” He understood the feeling – it was often one he experienced on the return from hunting trips. While not quite as against them as Merlin, they always drained him and he found he slept far better the first night back. He hoped it would be the same for her as, judging by the bags under her eyes, she hadn’t got much sleep the previous night. “And I wanted to hear more of your stories.” She tilted her head back to look at him as she said this and he couldn’t help but notice how the freckles that littered her face reminded him of the constellations his mother taught him when he was but an infant.

“I suppose there are a few more I could tell you. Anything in particular you are after?”

They sat in silence as she pondered the question. Just as he was considering asking again, she answered: “tell me about Camelot. Is it truly as free as they say?”

This was not the topic he was expecting. He mulled the question over, what did she really want to know with one like that? Was it, he worried, that she wanted to know about the attitudes towards magic? He had enough to worry about with Merlin and his magic (that isn’t to say he isn’t grateful that his friend still confided in him, but he was quite the chaotic individual and more than once he had feared for Merlin’s life and the likeliness of him getting himself killed) and the prospect of befriending another magical individual did not do his heart much good.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to answer, I am sure you don’t want to disrespect your home or king.”

That was curious, she didn’t expect the answer to be positive, then? Deciding to brave it, he asked her to elaborate.

“When I was younger, maybe eight summers, a woman passed through the village I was living in. She wore armour of leather and steel and carried curved swords – like I’ve carved into the handle of my knife that your large friend has taken from me,” Percival turned on his horse at this, and gave her a small, apologetic smile, “and she told the most curious stories of lands she had visited. One such land – Camelot, she told me – had women like her. Women that wore armour and…” She paused to take a deep breath. She was getting rather warm; Lancelot could feel it on his arms as they curved past her to hold onto the reins. She began again, voice lower this time, “Women that would do unto each other as a man might his wife.”

She stopped, hoping her riding partner might catch onto what she was asking. Her head was so foggy that she was no longer sure that she knew what she was saying, really, but she had to ask before they arrived at their destination. She had been watching the way the King interacted with his manservant since she awoke the day before and she needed to know if they were what she thought they were.

If they were like her.

Gwaine watched as the girl slumped against Lancelot, clearly exhausted. He remembered the first time he was in her position and how it drained him. The thought of riding for days before finding a bed, while in that condition, was not a pleasant one and he certainly didn’t envy her.

He had enjoyed their conversation that morning. Having yet another person that could see Arthur as the ‘prat’ he was (he really needs to thank Merlin for introducing him to that word) was nice but the moment they stopped talking, he noticed his mind drifting back to why she was with them in the first place.

He hated it, plain and simple.

He thought that those days were far behind him and that, wearing the royal red and gold cloak, he was free. To have years of repressed memories hit him at once like this did not do him well.

The pounding behind his eyes grew. He really should have eaten dinner last night. Serves you right.

He sighed, rolling his eyes at himself.

The sun was directly above them before the pearly walls came into view. It was getting swelteringly hot, and all Arthur could think of was his large wooden tub in the centre of his room. And, though only a brief thought that he shoved away as quickly as possible, what Merlin would look like in it with him. He cleared his throat and raised his hand.

“I can see Camelot; we should be only another half of an hour.”

He heard Percival cheer, possibly sarcastic but probably not. Internally, he was reacting the same way. With Merlin by his side, he led the party back home.

Miriam insisted that she could walk to the Physicians chambers herself and that she didn’t need carrying. After reaching the top of the entrance steps, she began to reconsider. She could hear the sea in her ears, and her vision was fuzzy. I’ll just rest against Percival for a second, she thought.

She woke in a small cot with a blanket pulled up to her neck. She was so hot, sweat pooling in every crevice. Her head was pounding worse than it had the night of Anabella’s wedding and her arm was burning again. This isn’t ideal. She can’t die right and now it seemed as if she can’t not die right either. What a cruel irony. The ocean in her head was quieter and she could hear distant voices. One sounded like Merlin and the other someone old – the Physician, perhaps? After a few attempts, she pulled her eyes open and waited for them to focus. She could see ointments lining shelves, herbs drying from the ceiling, and more books than she had ever seen before. A woman with beautiful brown skin sat beside her, rinsing a cloth in a bucket on the floor.

She opened her mouth with the intention of greeting this stunning stranger, but could only make a quiet, choked sound. She brought her hand up to her throat as if that would make it better. The woman, noticing her distress, jumped up and retrieved a goblet of water. She lifted the back of Miriam’s head and helped her take a few sips, before setting her back onto the feather pillow.

“I’m Gwen. Guinevere. I’m a friend of Merlin’s.” She smiled and Miriam couldn’t help but notice the way it made her eyes sparkle.

“Miriam but you can call me Miri.” She forced out, hoping she didn’t sound too eager.

“’Miri’, I’ve never heard a name like that before. It’s cute.” Gwen looked down at the goblet, red seeping into her cheeks.

Miri began to push her hands on the bed, attempting to sit up. She could feel the torn skin protest, but she couldn’t bear to lie down any longer. Merlin rushed over, helping Gwen push her back down onto the bed and the old man – Miri could see him properly now – made his way to the empty chair beside her.

He had white hair that reached his shoulders, more wrinkles than she would expect on a man that could move as well as he could, and an impressively judgemental look on his face. One eyebrow seemed to be permanently raised and, feeling small, she obeyed Merlin and Gwen’s direction for her to lay back.

“You need rest, my dear.” He spoke gently, but she could feel the order behind his words. She sighed and, giving up, closed her eyes again.

It took a while to get to sleep, as it always does for the broken girl. She could feel Gwen put the wet cloth back onto her forehead which was quite a relief for a little while, and she listened to the trio talk. The old man said that she was too stubborn for her own good and that she reminded him of Merlin when he was sick (she wondered if he was often sick, she hoped not for the man’s sake if Merlin was truly as stubborn as he said) and Gwen asked what happened to her. The room went silent at that and Miri felt herself freeze up. She knew people would talk, especially while she was being treated, but she had hoped that she would at least not hear it. She wondered how she would explain it when she was allowed to talk again, and if she even wanted to explain it. What would they think?

Secretly, she thought that Gwaine fellow would understand. There was something about the way he watched her that made her feel like he knew what had been going through her head when she made her way into the forest that day. For his sake, she hoped he didn’t, but she resolved to talk to him about it when she could. Even if she was wrong, he seemed fun and she was in dire need of someone fun right now.

When she finally did get to sleep, thinking of plaiting daisies into the knight’s hair, she met her nightmares. It shouldn’t have surprised her but a part of her had expected them to leave her alone for a little while after such a traumatic event had happened to her body. Gods, did she hope they would leave her alone.

It stared as they normally did. The fire was burning, casting a warm orange glow against the back wall of the hut. Miriam, around five summers, was sat on a stool, occasionally throwing sticks onto it. She looked behind her and she was in the village hall, bodyless hands traveling over her body. One made its way up her dress, softly tracing the inside of her thighs, and a laugh sounded in her ear. A body formed next to her. It had the same brown eyes and curly black hair as her – his cropped close to his scalp – and that smile that she had seen everyday since she was born.

All she could do was gasp “No, please. Please stop.”

But she knew it wouldn’t do anything.

It never did.

She was pressed against the mud, one hand holding her face down and the other gripping onto her hips. Please, not again, she begged her mind to stop showing her this.

Fabric teared, bruises formed, and tears poured.

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lukecastellandeservedbetter · 3 years

Text

18. Mirror Mirror On The Wall

a/n: hello. I am back. I’ve defeated the dreadful writers block and am prepared to update this series a little more regularly. You guys have given me so much support and kind words, and I greatly appreciate every single one of you.

Read the others!: Masterlist

Luke was quiet. He got little medical attention, since he wasn’t the one that had been knocked into unconsciousness. He got a little ambrosia and some nectar, but that was the extent of attention he received.

Which didn’t bother him at all, since he wasn’t looking for attention. He pushed away his pizza, letting Percy have his slice, his mind wandering away.

“What was Luke doing when Percy and Jason were fighting?” Annabeth raised her eyebrow. “I thought you said you’d be good to go with them, what happened?” She directed the question at the exhausted demigod.

Luke looked up at her. “I panicked.” He whispered.

She raised her eyebrow. “You panicked.” She repeated, unamused. “Jason and Percy were trying to kill each other and you panicked.”

“It felt like… him. Like he was back. And my eyes, they were gold, and I couldn’t… I couldn’t concentrate and-” He snapped his jaw shut and closed his eyes, training to get control of his breathing back, the hot tears pressing at his eyes again. “I thought…” he was at a loss of words.

The table was quiet. “What were you doing?” Piper asked. “With the sword.”

Luke’s hand covered his weak spot. “It’s my Achilles Heel.” He mumbled. “It’s the only spot that will kill me.”

“You still have the curse,” Percy realized with wide eyes. “I forgot.”

Luke nodded, keeping his hand over the spot, as if protecting it. “She would’ve killed me the same way I killed him,” He gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. “Poetic justice I guess.”

The table was quiet for a moment. “We should all get some rest,” Annabeth commented after a moment.

“Wait.” Piper stopped them, casting an apologetic glance at Luke. “The eidolon are still here, with us.”

Everyone looked around uneasily.

“She’s right,” Hazel agreed. “I can feel them.”

“How can you tell?” Annabeth asked. “How do we fight them?”

Piper faltered, seemingly unaware of what she should do. Luke thought about the field in Kansas. “You controlled them,” Luke pointed out slowly. “You could probably get rid of them.”

“I don’t know…” She looked unsure.

“Just try,” Annabeth urged gently.

Piper took a deep breath before nodding. “Eidolon, show yourselves.”

And Luke’s world went dark once more.

---

It was late now, and Luke was standing in the shower. The warm water ran down his back, his forehead resting against the cool wall. Steam rose around him as he tried to catch his breath. He squeezed his eyes shut as his body convulsed with contained sobs. His mouth tasted coppery as his teeth sank into his lip, trying to smother any sound. Tears mixed with soapy water. Images flashed through his mind rapidly, moving too fast for him to grasp anything, leaving him alone in the dark.

Not for the first time, his lungs ached for oxygen, his heart hammered desperately, and his stomach churned, and all he could think of was how much he wished his father would have just let him die.

He took a shaky breath and shook his head, as if the movement would clear the thoughts away. He tried to think of anything else.

He thought about Connor and Travis, who despite everything, have stood at his side. Invited him back to the Hermes table. Hung around him. Trained with him.

His heart slowed a little.

Percy, and Sally, who had taken him, given him a second chance at life, one outside of the gods. The job Sally got him, the adventures through the city Percy took him on. The family dinners. The vacation to the cabin.

He could breathe again.

Leo, and Jason, and Piper, who didn’t know about his past, and even after they learned about it, continued to befriend him. Leo, who had been so acutely aware of his habits and built him his own training space on the ship, Jason who somehow understood him, who looked to him of all people for advice. Piper, who seemed so unsure with her own strength, who sat and talked with him for hours about training techniques.

His mind cleared.

Annabeth, who was beginning to trust him again.

Hazel, who insisted that he was just a knight with a banged up suit of armor.

Frank, who was kind and tried to be a mediator whenever he could.

He turned off the shower, straightening up a little, taking a couple of deep breaths before stepping out into the cold air, drying off and getting dressed quickly.

Luke paused in front of the bathroom mirror and looked up, making eye contact with his own reflection.

His eyes were blue.

Just as they had always been.

He took another deep breath when there was a banging on the door, breaking his gaze away from his reflection.

“Hey man, you’ve been in there for almost an hour,” Leo complained. “All the hot water is going to be gone.”

Luke shook his head and found himself laughing at the younger boy. He gathered his things and opened the door, looking down at the demigod. “Can’t you just heat the water up?” He raised his eyebrow.

“That is not how it works.” He scowled. “Are you done? It’s almost curfew, and I don’t want to be used for Coach’s next target practice.”

“Yeah I’m done.” He chuckled and stepped aside. “Night Leo.”

“Yeah, night,” He told Luke dismissively before shutting the door.

Luke headed back to his own room and flopped back onto the bed, relaxing. Genuinely relaxing. Between fighting a possession and the sheer panic that had gripped his heart since, his muscles had coiled up tightly, ready to fight or flee at any given moment. But now, after a hot shower and regaining control of his thoughts, he just felt exhausted.

He sent a tired thanks to his father for the safe travels thus far, and rolled over, falling into a comfortable and silent darkness.

#Luke Castellan's Second Chance #luke castellan #percy jackson #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #pjo #Heroes of Olympus #hoo

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greekgeek21 · 3 years

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Percy Jackson & The Avengers: Convergence - percy meets a real life pirate

Hi! I'm just gonna let you guys know now that I don't really have an updating schedule thus far. The only thing I'm doing it making sure that I get a chapter out at least every 2 days.

I hope you guys are enjoying this so far, and please don't hesitate to correct me if I make any technical mistakes. Sometimes my beta and I will both miss something.

This would not have been possible without my amazing beta reader, nightskywithrainbows, so tysm you are a lifesaver. You keep this story from being absolute shit.

As a reminder, this story is also on FF, Ao3, Inkitt, Webnovel, and Wattpad. If you prefer those places, just go check out the story on there. Now, on with the good stuff! Stay safe and happy reading!

- your author

Ω ♆ Ω

The first thing Percy felt was aching and stinging pain coming from his side. He groaned and tried to sit up, but found that he was tied down to a gurney with leather straps. So they think I'm a psycho. Nice to know, Percy's ADHD brain thought.

The bright lights caused his vision to swim for a second before they could focus and perform a quick surveillance of the room that revealed to Percy that he was in some sort of metal box. The walls had hexagons on them and there was a metal table with two metal chairs in the middle of the room. Basically, everything was metal.

In the corner, there was a camera with a blinking red light, so Percy knew that he was being watched. That meant he couldn't try an Iris Message unless he wanted some interesting questions from his captors that he didn't have answers to. He wasn't an idiot.

Speaking of his captors, nobody had come in yet, but they clearly knew he was awake. That meant that they were trying to scare him. Little did they know, it would take a lot more than isolation to scare him. Specifically, something less mortal.

Deciding that it would be best to try to calm himself, Percy willed his muscles to relax and closed his eyes. On the outside, it seemed like he was sleeping, but on the inside, his mind was flitting from topic to topic faster than light. It went from freaking out, to figuring out how to escape, to Annabeth, to his mom, to sleep, and back to freaking out. It was an endless cycle.

"You aren't that good of an actor, you know," a voice shocked him out of his thoughts, causing him to attempt to jump up again.

The attempt resulted in his wrists undoubtedly getting bruised, and his side to feel like he just got kicked in the ribs. Remembering that, apparently, Hill shot him, he started to freak out again. When he looked down, he could barely see the blue liquid dried on his side. So they had poisoned him then?

"You poisoned me?!" he exclaimed, finally meeting the eyes of the voice.

It was a middle-aged man with a starting of a receding hairline, with smile lines around his eyes. He was wearing a simple suit with an outline of a gun sticking out on the side, so he was another agent, but he kind of reminded Percy of Paul with how he presented himself.

The man gave him a small smile, "Agent Hill only used a tranquilizer. My name is Agent Phil Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcements and Logistics Division, or SHIELD."

Percy raised his eyebrows, "That's quite the name, and I thought you were the FBI. Also, would you mind telling me why I'm strapped down? I haven't done anything."

Percy thought that the best course of action was to stick with the innocent story, considering that it was partially true anyway.

"Well, I don't think that's completely true, Mr. Jackson. You assaulted our agent. We have every right to prepare for any other outbursts from you," Coulson said.

"She wanted to arrest me for no reason. I don't know what you guys want from me, but I can't help you. I'm a completely normal guy," Percy insisted, hand slowly sliding down until it rested against his pocket. He let out an involuntary sigh when he felt Riptide.

Coulson kept a cool face as he responded smoothly, "A completely normal guy wouldn't say he was completely normal."

Schist, Percy swore in his head. If Annabeth was there, they would've been free already. But with his luck, he would end up in some world-ending crisis again.

But then he heard a voice in his head. Not the kind of voice crazy people hear, but it was his father's voice, speaking to him like it used to during times of trouble. If this was serious enough to gain Poseidon's attention, then it was an issue Percy should be worrying about more. A demigod's life is never at peace...

"Stay silent, Percy. These are the ones working with the Avengers and the Norse god, Thor. They have not proven their trustworthiness yet. You were sent here to learn more about them. I'm sorry, Percy," his father said, voice somber and apologetic.

Percy gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to call the Fates a lot of colorful names. But that would just provoke them, so he stayed silent. He moved his gaze from Agent Coulson to the ceiling, trying to ignore the world around him. Unfortunately, that's impossible for someone whose mind is constantly alert to his surroundings.

Coulson sighed and tapped something on a tablet that Percy hadn't noticed, "Would you mind explaining this video?"

Percy tried to not look, but it was so tempting! So, he glanced over and saw himself, in his swim trunks, holding his hands out while thousands of gallons of water rose up out of the East River. Percy's eyes widened unconsciously in panic. He hadn't known there were cameras there, let alone that the Mist hadn't covered it up. Wait! The Mist.

"What do you see?" He asked, letting his head face Coulson again in question.

Coulon made a face that said he had just had a question answered for him. What that question was, worried Percy.

"I see a man, who looks a lot like you by the way, with extraordinary powers saving a lot of people. I just want to know if that man was you, and why we at SHIELD didn't know about your abilities," Coulson answered, staring Percy down.

The stare was like one you'd get from a teacher who had just asked you why you never turned in an assignment. It made Percy feel like he couldn't look away, but it almost hurt to keep looking.

But his father's voice rang in his head, reminding him to not reveal anything important, so he stayed silent.

Coulson sighed and stood up, "Very well, then. Let us know when you want to talk."

And then he left through a door in the wall that disappeared as soon as he was gone. Percy was seriously considering just using Riptide to slice his way out of there, but then he felt an unwanted feeling in his chest: Fear. They were in the air. How he had not realized earlier, Percy didn't know, but that wasn't his first priority in that moment. He was focused on getting OUT of the air and ON the ground, where he had no chance of getting electrocuted by his diva uncle.

The sky rumbled in the distance, but Percy ignored it. He had grown used to that happening whenever he thought ill of the gods, and it had stopped having an effect on him long ago.

He sent a silent prayer to his dad asking what to do. Annabeth's plans had never covered what to do when taken by a secret spy organization! He was clueless in this situation, as per usual.

All the answer he got was a gentle sea breeze blowing through the room. That's it. It was comforting, but not exactly clear on what the answer was. But that's how the gods do everything, anyway.

"Tell them you were born with the powers. You don't know where they came from, and you only wanted to help. You don't know anyone else who has them. Earn their trust, and figure it out from there. I trust you, son. Be careful," His father's voice flew through his mind.

Well, guess that answers that, Percy thought.

With yet another sigh, Percy called out to nobody, assuming they would hear him through some hidden microphone, "I'm ready to talk!"

Not a minute later, there was a click as the hidden door opened once again, letting in an asian woman in a skintight suit. She looked like the stereotypical spy, that's for sure.

She came over to him without a word and released his hands first, cuffing them with the same glowing handcuffs, before letting his legs free, too. She was clearly waiting for him to bolt, so Percy tried his best to make his body relax. If they were to trust him, he needed to cooperate fully.

The woman kept a permanent scowl on her face the entire time they were together. She was a little violent, too. She was practically shoving him the entire short walk. When they reached their destination, they were in a room with a huge screen table and three tvs on the wall. It was a whole lot of technology, and it made Percy on edge. Demigods and tech within two feet of each other are a big no-no.

The woman took his hesitation as a sign of escape and jabbed him in the small of his back, making his chest push forward immediately. Even though he had lost the Curse of Achilles, that one point on his body was still really sensitive. He turned his head around and shot a glare at the small lady on instinct. He tried to hold it back, but she had just poked his weakest point, what else could he have done?

"Move it," she growled out, meeting his glare with one of her own.

It didn't faze him, though. Lupa's was much scarier.

He sighed (he seriously needed to get a handle on the sighing), and sluggishly moved forward into the room. He just kept telling himself that the faster he got through this, the faster he got to see Annabeth again.

When he looked around the small glass room, he saw Agent Coulson, along with four others. Another, younger asian-looking woman (but she was in normal clothes), a tall brooding man in the corner dressed like an agent, a ginger-haired woman, and a nervous, curly-haired man. His eyes immediately drew to all the possible escape routes and any of the weapons, or things that could be used as weapons, in the room. The brooding man seemed to notice because he stood up tall and took a threatening step forward.

Percy ignored him, though, and looked straight at Coulson when he asked, "Why are they here? Tell them to leave."

"You don't give the orders here," Brooding man said before Coulson could speak.

Percy finally turned to the other Agent with a smirk, "And you don't either. And I don't remember asking you."

It's not like he TRIED to get in trouble with authority! It's more like authority seeks out trouble from him. This moment was an example (not that Percy would call the brooding man authority).

The brooding man took a couple more steps towards Percy, until he was right in front of him. He looked like he was used to towering over others, but Percy wasn't short or weak. He could confidently say that he could beat the man in front of him, so he kept his troublemaker smirk and stared the agent down.

"Watch it, Jackson. I'm not the one in handcuffs here," brooding man said before going back to his corner after a pointed look from Coulson.

"Are you sure about that?" Percy rebutted, holding his very uncuffed hands up in the air.

He couldn't help it, truly. It just slipped out! He had been unconsciously working on getting his cuffs off the entire time, and he had just broken free when the perfect opportunity came up.

Everyone in the room immediately either jumped forward to push him down or pulled out some sort of weapon. Except Coulson, that is.

"Stand down, guys. He's not gonna do anything. Isn't that right, Mr. Jackson?" he said.

Percy rolled his eyes, "Yeah. Of course not. If I wanted to get out of here, I would've a long time ago."

Turns out that wasn't the right answer because the first asian woman shoved him into the screen table, making him almost fall over. He held onto it for support, apparently touching something because a file with his face on it popped up. Percy immediately jumped back on instinct, fearing a monster would pop up out of the shadows. Except, the picture was from his junior yearbook photo...

"Why'd you guys have to use that picture? I look constipated!" he whined, scrunching up his nose in uncomfort.

The younger asian woman snorted, but tried to cover it up after her team glared at her. Clearly, she was the only one on the aircraft capable of feeling, Percy decided.

"We aren't here to discuss embarrassing yearbook photos, Perseus. We are here to talk about your abilities," The first asian woman stated.

"It's Percy," he corrected on instinct, and the woman glared at him even harder.

Before the situation could escalate any further, Coulson cut in again, "Could you please tell us what you wanted to tell us from before?"

"Yes. What do you want to know?" Percy said, putting his hands into his pockets and playing around with Riptide.

"Where do your abilities come from? How long have you had them?" The ginger asked.

Good, Percy thought with a smile, I know how to answer these ones.

"I was born with them, so I don't know where they come from." he stated simply, shrugging.

The ginger looked a little bit disappointed by that answer, but it didn't stop her from interrogating him more, "What are your limits? How have you kept your powers hidden for so long? Can I have a urine sample?"

Percy had decided that she was a scientist. With the way that everyone else was letting her ask all the questions, they probably thought she was the most capable. And plus, she was getting WAY too excited about pee.

"I don't know, I haven't really been hiding, and NO!!" he answered, giving the woman a look of disgust.

Now that he thought about it, it probably wouldn't be good if they got ANY DNA from him. He had never been told what it looks like with half of him made from the gods.

The ginger looked like she was going to ask more questions, but the curly-haired man rested a hand on her shoulder, seemingly calming her. Percy noted that the two were close.

"Any other questions?" he asked calmly, looking around.

Just as the brooding man looked like he was going to speak, the younger asian woman broke in, "Your powers are awesome! How much practice have you had with them? I would really love to see what else you could do with them!"

Ok, so the girl was probably a hero groupie. She didn't look like an agent, so that left the question of why she was on the plane with the rest of them.

Speaking of the plane, "Why are we flying? Can we finish this up on the ground PLEASE?"

Percy was already pushing his luck by being there for that long, let alone staying on here willingly.

The brooding man spoke, "How do you know we were flying? And unless you want to jump, no."

The brooding man was getting way too much joy out of Percy's fear. Like, phobias are real people!

"Ward, if you don't stop talking, I'm going to let Mr. Jackson have a go at you," Coulson said calmly, "Now, I have a proposition for you, Mr. Jackson, if you're willing to listen."

Percy figured that it couldn't hurt, so he gave the man a small nod. He was really trying to think before acting because he had a bad feeling that the conversation would change the course of his life for the better, or for the worse.

The other people in the room didn't seem to have prior knowledge of what Coulson was talking about, and that just made Percy more worried. What could possibly be important enough that Coulson hid it from his team (or that's what Percy thinks they are). His ADHD brain started to wonder where Hill went, but he quickly pushed that thought away. He needed to focus on the present!

"The Director would like you to join SHIELD. Officially, you would be a consultant. But unofficially, you would help us when we need your gifts." Coulson said, shocking literally everyone in the room.

Two beats of silence went before the team started into chaos:

"What?!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Why weren't we told about this?"

"Am I even considered a consultant?"

"I'm sorry?"

Before it could get too out of hand, Percy spoke up, which seemed to silence everyone else, "Are you out of your mind? I thought I was a criminal!"

He wasn't admitting to being a criminal, but that's how they had been treating him. He might as well address their behavior.

"We need the full story from you before we can move forward, but the Director was clear in his orders," Coulson said.

Percy considered what the best option was. There really wasn't one, but what else was he gonna do?

"I want to speak to the Director in person before I give my answer," Percy came to his conclusion.

If anyone was going to learn whatever story he came up with, it would be the top dog in SHIELD. Nobody else, even if he's not allowed to reveal the gods.

Coulson thought about it for a second before answering, "Ok. He's in the interrogation room right now."

Before he could hold it in, Percy full-out laughed. Of course a spy organization would anticipate what he would want. Why not?

The rest of the team didn't seem to know about their guest either, though. Wow, Percy thought, Somebody needs to work on keeping everyone in the loop.

Then, Percy just walked out. Nobody tried to stop him, which meant that everyone was waiting until he was gone to truly let it show their lack of trust in the team. It took awhile to get there, but when he reached his cell again, he noticed that the door was very obvious from the outside and that it really wasn't that big of a room. He was surprised that they would put the boss inside a place they kept criminals.

Before he had even finished closing the door, Percy heard a deep voice speak, "Welcome, Mr. Jackson. I thought you would want to speak with me directly. I'm Director Nick Fury of SHIELD."

Turning around, Percy came face to face with a spy pirate. No seriously, the guy was wearing a long, black coat with an eyepatch over his left eye. The guy also had dark skin with a bald head. It took all of Percy's willpower to not burst out laughing at the sight. Plus, the guy was called Fury!

"Yeah. I'm only willing to tell you some things," Percy said.

"Understandable. What is it you would like to tell me? And does this mean you are agreeing to my proposition?" Fury asked.

Just as Percy was about to deny everything, his father spoke to him again (that was happening a lot that day), "It's okay, Percy. You can trust him. He doesn't know it, but he is a legacy of Nike. Zeus agreed to it."

Percy gave the Director a once-over before deciding it was safe, "Yeah, I'm in. And I need you to swear on the Styx that what is said in this conversation doesn't leave this room. Ever."

He may have had permission, but Percy wasn't just going to expose his entire family without some security first! He wasn't a total Seaweed Brain, despite what some people thought.

"Yeah, sure whatever. I swear on the Styx that this conversation won't leave this room," the Director sighed, clearly not liking Percy's stalling.

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Taking a deep breath and pushing past any natural instincts he had, Percy spoke something he never likes to say to a mortal, "I'm a demigod."

Ω ♆ Ω

My boyfriend is out of his mind! Annabeth screamed in her head.

She was currently walking up to the Big House after gathering all of the cabin counselors, praetors through IM, and the rest of the Seven. After Percy was taken, she had immediately left for camp. She had understood what Percy was trying to tell her before, and she was happy that he had actually thought a little about his actions before doing them. Given, they were stupid actions, but it was improvement.

Annabeth hadn't told anyone what was happening, just said that it was an emergency and that it involved Percy. That was all they needed to know it was important. Honestly, everyone had been anticipating Percy to mess up sooner than he had. They had made it an entire year before something big happened! Once again, improvement for the son of Poseidon.

As she walked into the rec room, she watched as everyone's eyes turned to her. At first, it was a little unsettling, but she steeled herself over before any signs of weakness shown through. She had to keep a strong front for her friends, especially since Percy was mis- no, taken, again. She refused to say Percy was missing. He promised he wouldn't leave her again, and she was holding him to that.

After she had taken a seat, Chiron spoke, "What happened, child?"

"Yeah! What's Prissy gotten himself into this time?" Clarisse grunted.

Annabeth ran a hand through her hair once, a habit she had picked up from Percy, before answering, "He's been taken by the FBI, or someone impersonating them. They seemed too skilled to be the FBI. He told me to get you guys for help."

"Of course he has," Nico muttered from his spot next to Will Solace, "Cuz why not?"

Annabeth gave him a small smile, "I have a plan. We're going to break him out from wherever he is. We'll figure out where he is by IMing him, and then we'll storm the place. I want our heaviest hitters making a distraction while Nico and I break him out. Got it everyone?"

She had said that all in one breath. She really didn't have time to go over it again, and her face must have betrayed that, so everyone just nodded along.

"We'll IM him and then see who we need to bring," she said, already pulling out a drachma and a rainbow maker, courtesy of Iris.

Making the rainbow, she said, "O Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me Percy Jackson, location unknown."

The mist shimmered before showing Percy in a metal box, talking to a dark-skinned man with an eyepatch. From the sound of it, they hadn't noticed her yet, so she cleared her throat. She didn't care if the eyepatch man saw her, she needed to see if Percy was okay.

Both men looked over at her and her relieved smile grew into a scowl when she saw that Percy looked completely at ease, "Perseus Jackson! Where are you, and why haven't you contacted me?!"

She distantly heard Leo mutter 'whipped' before Percy stammered over a response, "A-Annabeth! I-I'm fine! I was just going to call you, too!"

Her face was probably a tomato of fury, "Like Hades you were!"

"Can we please stop using my father's name as a curse?" Nico asked, but nobody paid any attention.

"I swear I was! I just finished making a deal!" Percy exclaimed.

"He was, whoever you are. I assume you are his girlfriend?" the eyepatch man said.

She rounded on him, but before she could start her yelling, Percy spoke up, "Wise Girl! I. AM. FINE. I just made a deal that will let me go. I will tell you about it when I see you again, but I can't do that if you're yelling at Fury!"

Percy's eyes widened at his ambitiousness, and he seemed to be about to take it all back, but Annabeth spoke first, "If you aren't at camp in an hour, I'm coming to find you."

And then she swiped a hand through the message before Percy could try to apologize. Gods, that boy is in a world trouble, Annabeth thought before storming out of the room and towards the Poseidon cabin without another word.

Ω ♆ Ω

Remember to like, comment, reblog, and follow me! Stay safe and happy reading!

- your author

other chapters :)

#pjo #heroes of olympus #Percy Jackson and the Avengers #superheroes #teamup #blah blah blah more tags

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mochideleche · 4 years

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You can’t keep away from fate | CH4

Pairing : Percy jackson x demigod!reader

summary : The daughter of destiny- literally, along with inevitability, compulsion and necessity. Being the child of a primordial goddess doesn’t really assure you a quiet calm life but when you return to new york after five years of being shipped off to boarding school, your once mundane life says goodbye.

contents page

Percy was excited for the first game of capture the flag of the spring . School had finally finished and he departed for camp for the week to the north shore of long island - he’d be back in his second home, cabin 2, along with all of his friends and of course- you.

He was scared that you’d change your mind and end up going back to europe whilst he was in the city, and he’d be unable to say goodbye to you- but fortunately you had been persuaded to spend up until the end of spring break training at camp. And of course, during the short time percy spent away you constantly sent iris messages to each other- phones not being a good option, and you had even managed to travel to see him a few times after school.

And now he was pumping with adrenaline, standing at the centre of the forest facing the opposing team - your team. For some reason, he felt the need to win, make you see just how awesome he was in real life, not just from the stories of his past adventures. He was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, readjusting his grip on riptide, ecstatic with exhilaration.

He had managed to catch your gaze, you stood side by side with annabeth- which was common now a days, you two were basically inseparable. Your long caramel hair was tied up in a ponytail, percy could see now that your black roots were more obvious now, perhaps an inch longer than when he first saw you. You held no weapons, which wasn’t fooling percy as he saw the two diamond and pearl bracelets you were wearing which you revealed to him would extend into 2 elegant drakon bone swords.

Your eyes locked onto his , which had been on you for a while now, and he raised an eyebrow at you as if to say “ready to lose?”

You grinned back at him and rolled your eyes, “as if”

Then the horn blew and your two teams retreated into their bases.

Percy was leading a small group defending their base- of course his team had opted him to protect the flag, they wanted to see the two of you fight.

It was common knowledge now that you held a lot of power but no one saw anything of it through the few weeks you had spent there so far. Today was the day they were going to see it, by putting you up against the camp’s most powerful demigod.

“It’s too quiet, you think it’s a trap?” Connor asked, shifted around side to side to check for threats.

“Yeah, it’s not like annabeth to attack late into the game, and clarisse would never want to stay away from a fight” Percy wondered out loud as his group made their way swiftly through the trees.

Then out of nowhere, several arrows rained down on them.

A few of the group immediately held up their broad shields, deflecting the arrows, but that only delayed their attack as multiple campers came as if out of nowhere and began to attack.

Percy was glad to finally have something to do, he slashed and parried as if it was second nature and was able to but the held of his sword into an ares kid’s helmet and he fell to the group with a satisfying THUMP.

Then out of the corner of his eye he saw blur dashing through the trees a few feet away. Surely to have been missed if percy wasn’t doing his best to keep his head attached to his neck.

“Percy go! we can hold them off!” Connor shouted over the heads of his attackers with a cunning grin on his face.

Percy gave him a short nod and ran off into the tress before anyone could stop him.

It wasn’t long till he found the place. The blue flag was stood in the centre of a clearing, which percy was glad to see- and around it curved a creek as if it was protecting it. He saw no sign of anyone there standing by it- including the guard. katie gardener was meant to be protecting it with a few of her siblings but he saw no sign of them...

It was oddly silent, he knew there was something wrong.

He stepped into the clearing, and cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, “Come out then! I’m here!”

And a heard a soft giggle from above.

He cranked his neck and there you stood, arms crossed casually and leaning against the large elm tree you were in, “it isn’t very smart to scream at the top of your lungs when you’re trying to track down an enemy”

Percy smiled up at you.

“The flag’s down here you know, why didn’t you take it?” Percy raised an eyebrow as you pushed yourself off the tree.

You then jumped down, landing with the upmost grace and unfolded your arms, “where’s the fun in that?”

A smirk made it’s way onto percy’s face, “ you sure you know what you’re asking for princess?”

You paused a little then flicked out both hands. The two bracelets extended, unwrapping themselves from your wrists and transforming into two white drakon blades.

You lifted your left sword and beckoned percy forward.

He scoffed, then charged.

He slashed and thrust his sword with all his might but all you did was parried and blocked, not even attempting to hit him. It was almost as if you were putting in no effort, lazily swinging your sword as if your were doing it absentmindedly.

Percy liked to think you hadn’t tried to strike him because he was too fast to give you a chance, but it was more like- you were just making him tired.

As soon as this thought popped into percy’s head, his moves faltered. He’d been so preoccupied with trying to impress you with his excellent swordsmanship that he’d competed forgotten the aim of the game. But as he pondered on this in that millisecond, you crossed both blades over the hilt of his sword and pushed back causing riptide to fly out of percy’s hands and land 20 feet away.

You raised your eyebrows, looked him up and down the jerked your head to the side, trying your best to hide your smile, “is that the best you can do?”

“You play dirty L/N” Percy shook his head, crossing his arms and stood as if he was scolding you.

“Don’t be a sore loser” you chided.

“Who said i was losing?” and with that percy lifted his left arm and swiped it across him.

You looked to your right and saw a turret of water making its way towards you with high velocity.

You immediately put up your hands, your swords retransforming back to your bracelets and you summons a large gust of wind to shield yourself from the water.

The stream made impact with your wall but it was travelling at such a high speed you were pushed back a few feet, your shoes skidding on the dirt.

During this, percy casually made his way to where his sword was lying, but he never made it to it.

Suddenly he felt the water disappear from his control and he looked back just in time to get a face full of the creek. He was thrown off his feet on impact, getting soaked in the process and he felt his back land firmly on the ground.

Percy sputtered, blinking the water out of his eyes and pushing himself up on his elbows.

he had no idea what had happened or why his water had suddenly committed mutiny, but he had no time to worry about that as you grabbed the blue flag and bounded off into the woods.

crap.

Percy pushed himself up but only succeeded in lifting his torso up as he fell back down, his head colliding with the ground, something was pulling him down.

ignoring the throbbing pain in his skull, he craned his neck to look at his feet. There, encasing both his ankles, were two solid mounds of dirt, they looked like they’d been grown around his ankles- but how did that happen?

He frantically looked around but there was nobody there, and the demeter kids were on his team!

But, who else could have done it?

Percy turned his head to the side to see your retreating form running with his team’s flag flying behind you and as he watched you disappear out of sight the mounds of dirt began to crumble and set percy free.

Just how powerful were you?

As soon as you made it back to your base the fighting that was occurring on your side seized, much to the others team’s dismay, and cheers erupted all around you.

Annabeth who had been standing guard hugged you immediately and then followed after that multiple hands were clapped on you back and before you knew it the ares cabin had lifted you up into the air.

It was amazing, you felt so elated. And sooner or later the ares boys holding you up were chanting, “Y/N! Y/N! Y/N!”

You couldn’t help but laugh.

The flag was still in your hand and you couldn’t believe you had actually achieved it, percy did put up quite a fight- you were very sure if you hadn’t got rid of his sword he would’ve skewered you.

the campers of your team were gathered around you, parading their way out of the forest, carrying you along with them.

Over the crowd you saw the other team clapping- at least they were good sports, you saw chiron laughing and grover who was blowing a conch horn. And then, you saw percy- leaning on a tree with his arms crossed.

He was still drenched- and you laughed at the thought, and laughed even more when you imagined the surprised look on his face when he realised that was your doing.

His eyes were narrowed and a smug smile was plastered on his lips as if to say, well played.

You shot him an apologetic smile but it gradually turned into a grin of pure happiness as he slowly began to clap for you, joining in with the cheering campers around you.

And he slowly drifted out of your view as the ares cabin rallied you down to the pavilions, the blue flag still displayed in you arms.

#percy jackson #percy jackson x reader #percy jackson and the heroes of olympus #percy jackson and the gods of olympus #percy jackson imagine #percy x reader #percy jackson fanfiction #percy jackson fanfic #percy jackson fandom #the heroes of olympus

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knuffled · 4 years

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just practice - chapter seven

so hopefully this chapter punched you in the gut and stole your lunch money because that means i did my job. if you liked the chapter, please do reblog or drop a comment on ao3 - i would really appreciate it!

here’s the ao3 link

bonus link to the song i was playing on repeat while writing this chapter

Annabeth’s lungs burned from exertion as she made her way out of the woods behind the high school. To her right, the lake was calm like always, but there weren’t any geese floating atop the water this time of the year. Darkness was already beginning to encroach upon the sovereignty of the setting sun, turning the sky an inky purple, and apart from the sound of her own ragged breathing and swift footsteps, it was blissfully silent.

With the invitational only a week away, Coach Davis had freed her from her responsibilities as captain until it was over, which was why she had the luxury of running this far ahead of everyone else instead of having to slow down to keep watch of the underclassmen. It felt so liberating to run without the weight of responsibility hanging over her head. In her darker moments, Annabeth sometimes found herself wondering if being captain was actually keeping her from reaching her full potential, but despite all her complaining, she did take great pride in her role.

Coach Davis was waiting for her at the end of the trail, stopwatch in hand. When she saw Annabeth approaching, her eyes flitted from the stopwatch to Annabeth and back to the stopwatch again, a smile beginning to break across her face, but Annabeth was too focused to notice it. Within seconds, Annabeth came to a stop in front of her and crouched over with her hands pressed against the top of her thighs and swallowed deep lungfuls of air.

“Look at your time!” Coach Davis said, unable to repress the excitement in her voice.

Annabeth blearily looked up at the stopwatch inches in front of her face and took a few seconds to register the time before knitting her eyebrows.

“Are you sure that’s accurate? There’s no way I finished three minutes earlier than normal,” Annabeth said, still trying to catch her breath.

“Oh, it’s accurate alright!” Coach said, grinning manically. “You’ve really improved over the course of this past month, unbelievably so.”

Three minutes didn’t sound like a long time in most contexts, but for long distance running making such an improvement was nothing short of miraculous. Not for the first time, Annabeth mentally thanked herself for being brave enough to reach out to Reyna. The minor improvements she had picked up on during their run together was paying dividends now. Theoretically, Annabeth knew that the tweaks she made would help but seeing the evidence right before her eyes, especially when the improvement was so stark, was beyond gratifying.

“If you go at a race pace, your time should be even better,” Coach added.

Annabeth stood up and brushed aside the strands of golden blonde hair that had escaped from her ponytail and lay matted on her forehead.

“I sure hope so,” she said.

Today she had done a tempo run, which meant her pace had been around 15% less than her typical race pace. With her veins shot full of adrenaline during an actual competition, her time should improve theoretically, in ceteris paribus at least.

“I’m sure it will. Alright, I’ve got to stick around and finish timing everyone else. Do your cooldown run and stretch. Be sure to get plenty of rest the next few days,” Coach ordered.

Annabeth huffed and said, “I’ve been on the team for four years, Coach – you don’t need to remind me to cooldown and stretch.”

Coach Davis shrugged her shoulders with a smirk. “Force of habit, I guess.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes and made her way closer to the high school track where she jogged a lap before starting her stretches. The coolness of the grass against her flushed skin felt wonderful, eliciting a sigh of relief from her. Annabeth took her time with her stretches and enjoyed the thoughtless, almost trance-like, state she felt after a strenuous run.

It didn’t last for long, however, and she soon found herself thinking about the dream for the umpteenth time that week. Interacting with Percy felt more stilted than ever, much to her dismay. For the first time in her life, she didn’t know what to say around him anymore.

Well, that and Reyna’s confession both made things more awkward than usual. Annabeth knew that she would have to tell him at some point that Reyna had asked her out, but she didn’t know how to broach the subject, especially since Percy didn’t seem to like Reyna that much. There was a part of her that wanted to hide it from him altogether, insisting that she was entitled to keeping secrets if Percy could, but she always felt guilty afterwards for thinking that.

Annabeth had just finished her final set of stretches when Jason flopped on the ground beside her with an exaggerated groan, covering his eyes with his forearm.

“You’re done early,” he said breathlessly.

“Three minutes early, to be precise,” Annabeth said, trying not to sound smug.

He moved his arm to peek at her with one eye, a huge grin splitting across his face. “Holy shit, seriously? That’s amazing!”

“Thanks, I’m just hoping it’s a good omen for the invitational,” Annabeth said.

Jason huffed and said, “Ugh, don’t remind me. I don’t even want to think about it.”

Annabeth patted his arm affectionately and said, “You’ll do fine. I’m sure of it.”

“Easy for you to say, Ms. Three Minutes Early,” Jason scoffed.

“Don’t be an ass,” Annabeth said, laughing.

Jason rolled his eyes and asked, “What’s your secret, oh wise one?”

For a brief moment, Annabeth considered telling Jason that Reyna had asked her out, but it would’ve been difficult considering he didn’t know about the whole fake-dating thing.

Instead, she opted for a half-truth and said, “I ran with Reyna, the girl who won State last year, over the weekend and picked up on some inefficiencies with my form. Didn’t think it would help as much as it did.”

“Oh, Reyna!” Jason said. “I went to summer camp with her in middle school.”

Annabeth raised an eyebrow and said, “Really?”

Jason sat up and nodded, wiping the dirt off his palms against his shorts. “Yeah, she was intense. Beat me at pretty much every camp activity – canoeing, rock climbing, capture the flag – you name it. She was even better than me at arts and crafts!”

Annabeth laughed and said, “Yeah, that sounds like her.”

“It’s gotta be exhausting to live like that. Treating everything as a competition means you can never do anything just for fun,” Jason said.

“She probably thinks that the competition is the fun part," Annabeth said, shrugging. "At least, that’s how I feel, and she and I are kind of similar."

Jason looked at her closely, his head cocked to the side, before a small smile broke across his lips. “Now that you mention, you two are scarily alike,” he mused.

“She’s faster than me,” Annabeth said lightly.

Jason nudged her with his shoulder and shook his head fondly. “I can’t believe you sometimes. I’m pretty sure I would go insane in minutes if I had to live in your head.”

“Saying you’d last minutes is a bit generous,” Annabeth teased.

“Ok, that’s enough bullying for one day,” Jason said, standing up. “I still need to do my cooldown run or Coach will hunt me down.”

A sudden thought occurred to her, prompting Annabeth to catch Jason’s arm before he left.

When he looked down at her quizzically, Annabeth said, “Before you go: what do you know about Kara Mayfield?”

Jason furrowed his brow and said, “Percy’s ex?”

“Yeah, do you know what happened between them?” Annabeth asked.

He looked away from her and coughed surreptitiously. “Uh, no.”

Annabeth narrowed her eyes and said, “I know you’re lying, Jason. You’ve always been dogshit at it.”

When he remained silent, Annabeth sighed and said, “Piper’s already gotten to you, hasn’t she?”

Jason gave her a pleading look and said, “Look, I don’t want to keep anything from you, you know that, but this is a special circumstance. I agreed with Piper when she told me not to tell you. It’s something you need to hear from Percy himself.”

A spark of anger blazed in her chest, but Annabeth forced herself to breathe and nod instead. It was hard not to be frustrated when everyone refused to tell her and insisted she ask Percy when she knew Percy wouldn’t tell her either. No matter what she did, she lost.

“I’m sorry,” Jason said. “We’re not trying to do it to piss you off or anything. It’s just not our business to tell you.”

Annabeth sighed and said, “Yeah, I get it. Thanks anyways.”

Jason offered her an apologetic smile and jogged back to the track to finish his cooldown lap. Annabeth sat there for a while longer before sighing and making her way to the showers. She stayed under the water for longer than usual, trying to stomach the bitterness that had been brewing in the pit of her stomach all week. It was made harder by having to hold the dream in perilous tension at the same time. She almost wished she could just give in and allow herself to be bitter, but she felt too guilty when twelve year old Percy’s promise still echoed endlessly in her mind.

When she finished her shower, Annabeth made her way to the parking lot. She was in the process of fishing for her keys in the front pocket of her backpack when she noticed Percy sitting on the hood of her car, a brooding look on his face.

Annabeth's stomach churned as she tried frantically to think of her best course of action. She didn’t want to have a confrontation with him now while she was still trying to work through how she felt, but she could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t going to let her escape without at least admitting something was going on. With a sigh, she decided it would be best to get it over with and made her way towards him.

Once he saw her, Percy offered her a small smile and pushed off the car. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Annabeth said, gripping her backpack strap.

“Can we talk?”

Annabeth blinked. She hadn’t expected him to get straight to the point, but she supposed it was better this way.

“Sure,” Annabeth said tightly.

Percy raised an eyebrow and said, “Do you want to tell me what’s going on? You’ve been acting weird all week. Almost like you’re trying to avoid me.”

Annabeth was silent for a few seconds, trying to decide how much she wanted to tell him. Part of her wanted to immediately jump to asking him about Kara, but her intuition was telling her that she wouldn’t get any answers out of him that way. She also briefly considered denying that there was anything going on altogether, but she could tell by the intensity in his eyes that he would call her bluff immediately.

She sighed and decided to go with a half-truth again. “I went running with Reyna last week, and she asked me out.”

Percy’s face was perfectly blank, and his body language didn’t betray anything about his emotional state, despite what she had said. There was a brief silence, and when Percy spoke, there was a hint of trepidation in his voice along with something else, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

“And what did you say?”

Annabeth scuffed her converses against her ankle, her hands wrapped even tighter around her backpack straps.

“I turned her down at first, but she insisted that I think about it.”

“And you’re still mulling it over?” Percy said slowly.

Annabeth nodded and said, “I want to make sure that I take my response seriously because she asked me out seriously. If I was offhanded about it, I’d feel like a dick.”

There was another pause before Percy deflated a bit and said, “So I’m guessing you want to call the whole fake-dating thing off then?”

“What? No!” Annabeth said, frowning. “Unless you want to call it off.”

Percy blinked before he said cryptically, “I want whatever you want.”

Annabeth hesitated and swayed in place before saying, “Well, I’m not going to go out with her. I mean, I barely know her.”

“I’m confused,” Percy said, furrowing his brow. “If you’ve already decided on that, then what is there to think about?”

Annabeth sighed and leaned against her car, hugging her arms against her chest. “I don’t really know either. It’s just that– well, I’ve never been asked out by a girl before, and I never imagined that I would actually consider saying yes in that situation.”

Percy softened a little bit and said, “That sounds confusing. I think it makes sense that you’re feeling a little conflicted about it.”

“I’m trying to think of what this means. Like, am I straight? Am I bi? Does being attracted to just one girl make me bi or is it a one-off? I don’t really know,” Annabeth said, trying not to sound frustrated.

“So you’ve never been attracted to any other girls in the past?” Percy asked.

Annabeth was about to say that she hadn’t before she caught herself and thought about it some more.

“Well, I mean I think Piper and Rachel are attractive and stuff, but it didn’t really occur to me that I could date them,” Annabeth said, shrugging. “Maybe it’s purely aesthetic?”

“If it was, I feel like you wouldn’t be giving it this much thought right now,” Percy noted. “Like, if you were absolutely straight, you would have known immediately that dating a girl wasn’t for you, I think. The fact that you’re still mulling it over makes me think you might not be entirely straight.”

Annabeth was silent for a bit before she slowly said, “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

Percy leaned against the car right beside her, close enough that their elbows knocked against each other.

“It’s not like you need to immediately think you’re bi, anyways. Piper always says sexuality is more like a gradient than a binary, right? I don’t think you need to be in a rush to label yourself or anything. Take your time and figure it out. It’s okay if you’re wrong or realize differently in the future. It’s not like you aren’t allowed to change or anything,” Percy said.

Annabeth took some to digest what he had said before she turned to him and smiled. “Thanks, I think I feel a bit better now. I mean I’ll still have to think about it more but yeah,” she said.

“Of course you do,” Percy said fondly.

Annabeth shot him a mock-glare, but there wasn’t any venom behind it. All at once, a lump formed in her throat. She had really missed this. When things were just normal and easy and she didn’t have to swim through twenty layers of subtext to understand what the fuck was going on. She missed when they were just Annabeth and Percy.

“What are you thinking about?” Percy asked softly.

Annabeth swallowed and tried for a laugh, but it sounded strained even to her own ears.

“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head. “Nothing. Just that it’s been a while since we were like this and stuff. It made me realize how much I missed this.”

“Yeah, me too,” Percy whispered, sounding suddenly weary.

Annabeth blinked in surprise – she hadn’t expected him to agree with her. She had assumed he was going to say that nothing had changed at all and that they were still the same. Hearing Percy also admit that things were different hurt a lot more than she thought it would.

Percy gently bumped his shoulder into hers, a small, wistful smile on his lips. Annabeth tried to return the smile but knew it wouldn’t reach her eyes.

“You sure that’s all that’s going on?” Percy asked gently.

The familiar warmth and kindness in his voice nearly made her crumble and admit all the pain and resentment she was holding inside, but she forced herself to stay strong and shake her head instead.

She needed some time to figure this out on her own before she confronted him. For some reason, she knew that if she tried to ask him now without knowing enough that he would just weasel his way out somehow. Whatever he was holding back would take a lot of effort to break through, and she needed to be more prepared for when that time came. At the very least, she knew that it wasn’t a battle she could win right now.

Percy looked at her skeptically but otherwise nodded and stepped away from her car. He ruffled his hair before he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“Well, that was all that I wanted to talk about, I guess. I know things haven’t been great between us and stuff, so I just wanted to make sure we were still good,” Percy said.

“Yeah, we’re still good,” Annabeth lied, her voice catching on the last word.

Percy looked at her for a while, his brow ever so slightly furrowed, like he was going to say something more, but then he shook his head and stepped backwards.

“Well, I’ll let you get going then,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Annabeth.”

Annabeth cleared her throat and nodded. “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

:::

After shutting the car door, Annabeth fiddled with her green cape for what felt like the thirteenth time since she’d put on her costume. The damn thing kept getting caught underneath her feet when she tried to walk, constantly making her trip. She swore darkly under her breath and made her up the driveway to Rachel’s house.

Annabeth rang the doorbell and wondered how anyone would even be able to hear it over the rumbling bass blasting inside, but it wasn’t long before Rachel opened the door, a bright grin on her face. Annabeth had to do a double take when she saw Rachel’s costume. She was painted entirely orange and there was a large yellow mustache taped under her nose.

“Annabeth! I’m so glad you could make it.” Rachel said brightly. “Cool costume! You’re a quidditch player right?”

Annabeth nodded and said, “Thanks! I would compliment your costume too, but I honestly don’t have a clue what you’re supposed to be.”

Rachel put her hands on her hips and lowered her voice. “I’m the Lorax! And I speak for the trees!”

That managed to get a laugh out of Annabeth. Every year, Rachel threw a Halloween costume party, and without fail, she always wore the most bizarre costumes. Last year, she had been Chewbacca from Star Wars, complete with the wookie cries and everything, and the year before that she’d been Vincent Van Gogh after he had cut his ear off.

Rachel craned her neck and looked behind Annabeth. “I don’t see Percy. Is he not coming?”

Annabeth rolled her eyes and said, “He could’ve driven himself here, you know. It’s not like we’re always attached at the hip. Anyways, he couldn’t come because he has a swim meet tomorrow morning.”

Rachel held her palms up in surrender and said, “Alright, sorry, sorry. Just thought you guys were going to do a couple costume or something.”

“That’s not happening in a million years,” Annabeth said, snorting.

Rachel patted her arm benignly and said, “Love makes people do all sorts of strange things, darling. Now come, enjoy the festivities!”

“People in the 21st century don’t say festivities,” Annabeth said, unable to help herself.

“Well, I am honored to be the first,” Rachel said glibly. “There’s food and drinks in the kitchen. You already know where the bathrooms are so I don’t need to give you that spiel. I think I saw Piper and Jason near the backyard. I’ve gotta go greet people, but I’ll find you later! Go have some fun!”

Annabeth only had the chance to nod before Rachel disappeared into the crowd once more. There were a lot of people at the party, some from Westwood, some from Rachel’s private school, and some from other schools that Annabeth couldn’t recognize. She made her way through the throng of dancing teenagers in the living room and made a beeline for the backyard, hoping she’d find Jason and Piper there.

She spent a few minutes looking for them before giving up and heading back inside. Luckily, she ran into Hazel shortly after and joined her in the living room to dance a bit. Annabeth hated dancing with a burning passion, but she was more willing if she was with friends. After all the tension from the past weeks and with the invitational bearing down on her, she figured it was a good time to cut loose.

Dancing in a quidditch costume proved to be more logistically difficult than she could’ve anticipated. She nearly tripped on her stupid cape five more times before she finally called it quits and made a break for the kitchen.

Hazel joined her and watched as Annabeth reached for a bottle of water, downing it in one giant gulp before opening another. Once she finished her second bottle, she wiped her lips with the back of her hand and turned to Hazel, who was still looking for something to drink.

“Have you seen Piper and Jason? Rachel told me that they were here,” Annabeth shouted, trying to be heard over the music.

“Yeah, I think I saw them in the basement a while ago,” Hazel said.

“Weird, I couldn’t find them,” Annabeth said, frowning.

Hazel shrugged and said, “Maybe they don’t want to be found.”

Annabeth pulled a face that made Hazel giggle.

“As long as they’re out of sight,” Hazel said mildly, eyeing the food on the countertop.

She looked like she was going to get something to eat when she paused and fished her phone out of her pocket.

Her face lit up and she turned to Annabeth and said, “Just got a text from Frank saying he just got here and that he brought Leo with him too. I’m gonna meet them at the front door. See you in a bit!”

“Yeah, I’ll see you later,” Annabeth said.

Hazel nodded before leaving the kitchen. Once she was gone, Annabeth sighed and leaned against the counter top, already contemplating going home. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t bring herself to enjoy parties unless she was with close friends the entire time. She found herself wishing Percy were here, telling her some snarky joke about some of the other party goers, but the thought only soured her mood even more.

She was about to leave the party altogether when Kara Mayfield walked into the kitchen, clad in a Sansa Stark costume. Annabeth watched, unable to hide her astonishment, as Kara sifted through the drinks before deciding on a bottle of Jim Beam. Throughout most of her life, Annabeth had pretty terrible luck, but at that moment, she couldn’t help feeling that the universe was presenting an opportunity on a silver platter for her.

Annabeth approached her before she could talk herself out of it. “Hey, Kara,” she said.

Kara looked up, noticing Annabeth for the first time, and took a step backwards, a nervous smile on her face. “Oh, hi, Annabeth,” she said.

“Nice costume,” Annabeth said, nodding to her outfit.

Kara looked down and breathed a laugh. “Thanks. It would be more accurate if my hair wasn’t brown though. Yours is neat too. Repping Slytherin, huh? That’s pretty bold of you.”

“What can I say? I like to live dangerously,” Annabeth said, shrugging.

There was an awkward pause before Kara cleared her throat and busied herself pouring a drink.

“I heard that you and Percy were finally going out. That’s great!” she said with strained enthusiasm.

“Yeah, since the start of the school year,” Annabeth said carefully.

The fact that Kara was steering the conversation exactly where Annabeth wanted it to go only reaffirmed to her that she had to take advantage of this golden opportunity, but in the back of her mind, a small voice whispered that she would be going behind Percy’s back if she continued.

Kara’s lips quirked upwards in the semblance of a weak smile. “That’s good. It was a long time coming.”

How many times had someone said that to her now? “What do you mean by that?” Annabeth asked, frowning.

Kara looked up from the table sharply, her facsimile of a smile dropping, and searched Annabeth’s eyes with a cold stare.

“Are you fucking with me?” she asked lowly.

Annabeth blinked and held her palms up in surrender. “What? No, I’m genuinely curious. I’ve been hearing other people say the same thing, and I don’t know why.”

Kara barked a harsh laugh. “Are you fucking serious? You don’t know why?”

Annabeth’s jaw tightened involuntarily before she forced herself to close her eyes and exhale slowly. “That’s why I’m asking,” she said.

For a few moments, Kara simply stared at her before her eyes widened. “Holy shit, you actually don’t know. Well, that explains a lot of things.”

“I’ve tried asking, but no one will tell me what happened,” Annabeth said, shaking her head. “I wanted to hear it from you.”

“It’s not something you want to hear,” Kara muttered, looking away.

Annabeth bit back her frustration and said, “I can decide that for myself.”

There was a pause before Kara deflated in front of her, and when she looked at Annabeth again, she reminded Annabeth of a lamb being led to slaughter.

“Oh well, you’re going to find out eventually. Might as well get it over with,” Kara muttered. “Let’s go outside. I can’t hear myself think in here.”

Annabeth nodded in agreement, and they both left the kitchen but not before Kara paused and took the entire bottle of Jim Beam with her.

When Annabeth gave her a quizzical look, Kara smiled grimly and said, “Trust me, we’re both going to need this soon.”

A flicker of apprehension began to burn in the back of her mind. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. Annabeth shook her head, trying to dispel the thought. This was the best chance she had to find out what happened between Percy and Kara. She couldn’t afford to back out now.

Kara sat down by the edge of the empty pool, setting the alcohol beside her, and took her shoes off so she could dip her toes in the water. The lights at the bottom of the pool cast smudged beams that swiggled when the water was even remotely disturbed. Kara kicked her feet under the water, forming bubbles that rushed to the surface, and the ensuing ripples sent the fallen leaves floating in the water into a slow waltz.

She leaned back on her palms and stared up at the night sky for a while before suddenly speaking. “So, how much do you know?”

Annabeth sat down beside her and hugged her knees to her chest. “Almost nothing.”

“Well, I guess I’ll start from the beginning then,” Kara said, sighing. “I’ll give you some context, so you can better understand everything. I’m not trying to make excuses, but I do want you to know that I was in a really fucked up place back then, and that led me to making some really bad decisions, decisions I still deeply regret.”

Once Annabeth nodded in acknowledgment, Kara took a sip from the bottle. “Okay, so I had a boyfriend during my first two years in high school that I really liked. I’d known him since we were kids and stuff. We went back a long way,” she said, a forlorn tinge in her voice.

“Kind of like you and Percy, now that I think about it,” Kara mused, looking at Annabeth. “Anyhow, towards the end of sophomore year, he cheated on me for some whatever reason.”

“Shit, I’m sorry to hear that,” Annabeth said.

Kara gave her a terse smile and shrugged. “Yeah, well it happens. We broke up after that, of course, but it was really rough. I remember crying almost everyday after school, wondering desperately what I did wrong, why things happened the way they did. What fucked me up the most was the fact that I’d known him since we were like six years old. I kept asking myself: was I just unaware that he had always been like this, or had he changed somewhere along the way?”

“It got really bad,” Kara admitted softly. “I kind of developed an eating disorder and started drinking a lot, but nothing helped. Instead of waiting to get over it, I thought I just needed to be in a new relationship. Like, more than anything, I wanted someone to make me feel like I mattered.”

“And that’s when Percy came in,” Annabeth said, understanding finally dawning on her.

Kara nodded and said, “Yeah, we had history class together. He was always really sweet. Funny in a dorky way. And really hot. I asked him out at the start of junior year, and I still remember him asking me if I was sure about it. He told me that he knew I had just broken up with my old boyfriend and that he didn’t want to be someone’s rebound. I stupidly said yes, which was the first in a long list of mistakes.”

She paused to take another sip from the bottle, but when she set it down again, her eyes were distant and unfocused.

“We started going out after that, and for a while it was good, but I was still hurting a lot from my previous relationship. Percy was really nice about it though,” Kara said wistfully. “He listened to me vent a lot. It probably wasn’t pleasant hearing your girlfriend talk about her ex all the time, but he was really sweet about it.”

“I think it was the first time in a long while that I felt like I meant something to someone, and not long after, I legitimately did start to fall for him. Like, it was just easy being around him, I can’t explain it,” Kara said, shaking her head.

Annabeth found herself smiling. “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.”

“Like I said, for a while things were good,” Kara said, sighing. “Only issue was that you were all he talked about. Always ‘Annabeth said this, Annabeth did that.’ It was like he worshipped the ground you walked on. Needless to say, hearing your boyfriend constantly talking about how amazing another girl is, can really make you feel like shit.”

Despite the context, Annabeth couldn’t help feeling a rush of affection for Percy. “I had no idea he talked about me that much.”

“Well, I wasn’t the only one – the other girls he’s dated have said the same thing. It was particularly hard on me, especially when he would sometimes cancel dates to be with you. After what happened with my ex, I felt like it would be monumentally stupid of me to ignore all the red flags popping up,” Kara said bitterly. “So, over time, I slowly became convinced he was cheating on me with you.”

“Percy would never cheat on someone,” Annabeth said reflexively, unable to hide how offended she felt. “If you knew him at all, you wouldn’t think for a second that he would even be capable of that.”

Kara barked a harsh laugh and shrugged. “Well, I thought I knew my old boyfriend, and I was spectacularly wrong about that, so you’ll have to excuse me if I didn’t exactly trust my judgment at the time.”

Her immediate instinct was to protest, but when she was unable to think of a response, Annabeth clenched her jaw and nodded sharply for Kara to continue.

“When I confronted him about it, he insisted that you both were just friends. I really wanted to believe him, but I just couldn’t and honestly I can’t blame myself for that. I mean, anyone could tell that he was super in love with you,” Kara said.

Whether it was through teasing comments made by friends or whispered rumors among classmates, people had been telling her since middle school that Percy was in love with her, in some form or another. Annabeth had always dismissed it as drama stirred by people who had nothing better to do, but hearing it come from Percy’s former girlfriend, even if Annabeth didn’t fully believe it, still knocked the air out of her lungs.

“Percy didn’t love me – he liked me – and that was it. It wasn’t long till I realized that he loved you more than he ever would love me, and, once I did, it just– it just fucking broke me,” Kara said, her voice cracking at the end.

Annabeth’s heart clenched in her chest. She didn’t like where this conversation was heading, but it was already too late to stop it.

“You can probably guess what happened next, but I’ll spell it out anyways,” Kara said, taking a shuddering breath. “Through some demented logic, I convinced myself that I had to cheat on him to get even. So I did.”

Annabeth had already begun to suspect as much, but actually hearing it come from Kara’s mouth hit her in a way she was utterly unprepared for. Time seemed to stop, and her throat felt like it was sewing itself shut. Suddenly, even the act of breathing felt painful.

Kara cleared her throat and stared down at the bottle in her hands, tracing the outline of the Jim Beam logo with her finger, for a few seconds.

“Of course, I told him about it later. He had to know if I wanted to get even, after all. He just sat there and listened quietly. Can’t tell you what he looked like because I couldn’t bring myself to look at him,” Kara said, chuckling humorlessly.

“And, after that, I told him we should break up, but in the middle of that, you texted him. I can still remember exactly what happened, like it was yesterday. There I was, telling my boyfriend I had cheated on him and wanted to break up, and he stops and checks his fucking phone while I’m talking, and do you know what he told me after that?”

Kara gave Annabeth a sidelong glance, cold fury burning in her eyes, but Annabeth didn’t dare speak or move. Before she continued, Kara took a long swig from the bottle and screwed her eyes shut.

When she spoke, Kara sounded utterly dead inside. “He looked at me and said in this super emotionless voice, ‘Annabeth needs me, so I have to go now’. And then he just stood up and left. Just. Like. That.”

Annabeth couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The sound of the party in the background bled into nothingness, replaced by the frantic pounding of her heart beating inside her skull. Bile rose to her throat, bringing with it the sudden urge to vomit.

What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck

Kara leaned back on her palms again and laughed humorlessly, shaking her head. “I remember being so fucking stunned. Like, your girlfriend is telling you she’s breaking up with you after cheating on you, and your response is to go be someone else’s fucking therapist?”

If Kara was right, then Percy must have come to see her right after this happened. Annabeth desperately combed through her memory, reviewing all her interactions with Percy that year, searching for a hint or a sign, anything that could possibly betray that something was amiss, but nothing stuck out to her.

Annabeth bit her bottom lip in a vain attempt to stop it from trembling, cutting into her palms with her fingernails.

If Percy had seen her that day, he had acted as gentle and kind as he always had, never letting her know what he had been through, just so he could help her with whatever the stupid thing she’d texted him about.

Then another terrible thought occurred to her. What if Percy was showing signs that he was hurting that day, but she had been so self-absorbed with her own issues that she hadn’t even noticed?

The thought made her want to retch.

Kara tiredly said, “I’ve been trying to apologize to him ever since, but Piper doesn’t let me get anywhere near him, which is really fucking frustrating. If Percy doesn’t want to see me, then that’s fine – I deserve that – but like, let him make his own decisions. He doesn’t need a fucking babysitter.”

Annabeth shook her head and said, “Piper is doing that because despite all this messed up shit that you did to him, if you talked to Percy and apologized, he would still forgive you. Piper knows that and doesn’t want to let that happen.”

For the first time since their conversation began, Kara looked genuinely shocked. “There’s no fucking way he would-” she began, but Annabeth interrupted her.

“I know Percy. That’s exactly what he would do. If I were in Piper’s shoes, I wouldn’t let you within a mile of him,” Annabeth said, anger creeping into her voice.

“Ah, there it is,” Kara said, a mordant smile dancing on her lips. “I was wondering when you’d get angry. I spent all of junior year dreading what would happen once you found out, you know? I mean, Piper was hostile enough, but I didn’t want to imagine how you were going to react.”

She was right. If Annabeth had known about this back then, there was no telling what she would’ve done. Even now, Annabeth balled fists trembled with fury, itching to hurt Kara. Annabeth wanted to hurt her more badly than she had ever wanted anything in her life, but she screwed her eyes shut and steadied her breathing instead.

“I’m surprised he never told you,” Kara muttered. “I figured you’d be the first to know.”

“He knew I’d come for you,” Annabeth said, her eyes still closed. “He did it to protect you. Despite everything you did, he still tried to protect you.”

There was a pause before Annabeth continued, and when she did, her voice cracked with barely suppressed rage, “Percy was good, and you-you!”

Kara fell silent at that, pressing her lips together tightly so they wouldn’t quiver. Annabeth caught a glimpse of the pained look in Kara’s eyes before she turned away from Annabeth to hide her tears, but the way her shoulders shook and she sniffled gave her away.

Despite everything, a tiny part of Annabeth couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for her. Kara made some terrible mistakes, but as she herself admitted: she was in a really fucked up place. That didn’t mean for one second that Annabeth would forgive her – every molecule in her body burned with the need for vengeance – but it did make her feel a small amount of sympathy for her.

In the back of her mind, however, some tiny part of her felt a sick sense of elation after hearing Kara’s story. Percy had chosen her over his previous girlfriends – she had meant more to him than any of them. Annabeth had always known she was important to him, but to see such an obvious, direct comparison made her giddy, and she hated herself for it.

Still, to know exactly how much he cared about her made a lump form in Annabeth’s throat. She couldn’t help feeling that she was partially responsible for this mess too. If she hadn’t taken so much of his time when she knew he had a girlfriend, maybe this would never have happened.

Was it her own selfishness to see him, to have him in her life without thinking about his own circumstances, that had caused him so much pain, so much suffering?

“Will you tell him that I am sorry,” Kara said, her voice raw and bleeding.

Annabeth’s immediate instinct was to refuse – she had no right asking for absolution – but this wasn’t about her: it was about Percy and Kara.

After a while, Annabeth slowly said, “I won’t promise anything, but I’ll think about it.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Kara muttered.

A minute of silence passed, and the sound of thumping bass coming from inside the house rushed in to swallow it, reminding Annabeth that she was, in fact, at a party. The whole thing was so surreal and it overwhelmed her all at once.

Annabeth felt sullied, like she’d failed Percy when he needed her most, and she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to forgive herself for that. It was made worse by the fact that she’d gone behind his back to hear this story to begin with. Annabeth knew now that he had tried to hide it from her because he knew she would blame herself if she ever found out.

He was too good for her.

He had always been too good for her. She was only now realizing just how much.

Annabeth took a deep shuddering breath and her voice was hoarse when she spoke. “Thank you for telling me all this, but I don’t think I will ever forgive you.”

Kara offered her a pained smile and whispered, “I thought as much.”

When Annabeth stood up, Kara cocked her head to the side and looked up at her. “You’re taking this a lot better than I imagined you would.”

“I don’t know how I feel right now,” Annabeth said. “But this isn’t about me – it’s about Percy. It doesn’t really matter how I feel.”

Kara nodded in a clipped manner. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

There was a pause before Annabeth said, “I’m gonna head home now.”

“Okay,” Kara said. “Thanks for not breaking my nose.”

Despite the situation, a laugh managed to escape Annabeth before the pain settled in again immediately. “I wish I could be offended by that, but that’s fair,” she said.

Kara smiled again, but this time it was actually genuine. “Take care, Annabeth.”

“You too,” Annabeth said quietly.

She lingered there for a few seconds longer before heading back inside the house. Annabeth jostled through the party-goers, barely registering them as they passed by. If anyone spoke to her, she didn’t hear them. At some point, she found herself sitting inside her car. Then she was home. Then in her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

The clock that hung over her bedroom door ticking the seconds as they passed was the only sound she could hear, the seconds piling atop another, suffocating her underneath their weight. It was only after surrendering to sleep that she could actually breathe freely – the guilt was too much when she was conscious.

#knuffled fic #percabeth fic #percabeth #percy jackson #annabeth chase #ho boy i am so nervous i worked super hard on this #i really hope everyone likes it #i toned down the angst a bit #it was even worse in the original draft

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dyde21 · 5 years

Note

Please please please percabeth marching band AU from the prompt list

Boy oh boy, this reminds me of the mechnic!AU prompt I got for Arkos that turned into my longest fanfic and still most successful one Arc’s Metalworks. Hearing about this prompt for some reason murdered me with inspiration. This is just a short one-shot but I’m super tempted to make this into a longer piece as well...

XxXxXxXxX

Hip checking the the band room door to open it, Percy yawned as he held open the door, letting Leo and Jason enter. The band chairs had all been pushed away, forming a big circle to let their friends sit together. Looking around, Percy pouted slightly when he couldn’t see a certain blonde he was particularly attached to.

“McDonalds, again?” A voice cut in behind him suddenly, making him jump about a foot in the air as he spun around, trying not to spill his coke.

“I didn’t have lunch made today! So I needed something! It was Leo’s idea! It was close by.” Percy took the shotgun approach to excuses, hoping if he said enough of them that one would stick, or his girlfriend wouldn’t care enough to rebuttal all of them.

“You’re almost an adult. You can make your own food. 2, Leo always wants junk food. That doesn’t mean you need to indulge him. 3, It’s always close by. So is the grocery store that has fresh options.”

She shot him down, making his shoulders droop.

“I wanted fries.” He confessed to the blonde with gray eyes that was in the process of staring him down intently.

Smiling, satisfied with his honesty, she just patted him on the cheek. “Was that so hard? Tomorrow you’re eating something healthy, or else.” She threatened him.

The sigh of defeat that left Percy’s mouth was apparently enough of a confirmation for her.

Kissing his cheek in a peace offering, she leaned down to take a sip of his coke before moving past him to the circle with everyone else.

Frank and Hazel were already tucked away to a side, Hazel offering Frank one of the cupcakes she had made the night before, before sliding the large bin towards the center for people to take one as they pleased.

Leo was already cracking open his energy drink as he fished out a burger from his bag.

Jason took a seat next to Piper, giving her an apologetic look as she scrunched up her nose at the meat he was eating. For as much meat as Jason ate, Percy was still surprised he managed to date a vegetarian.

Reyna was next to Hazel, taking a bite of a homemade sandwich as she flicked through a few pages of sheet music, keeping time with one hand as he memorized the score.

A soft piano song wafted through the room, and Percy didn’t even need to look up to know what was happening.

Still, glancing over he saw exactly what he expected. Tyler was tucked away in the corner on the baby grand, playing what sounded like a piano version of a song from Hamilton that Annabeth had been singing recently.

“I have never been the type to try and grab the spotlight.

We were at a revel with some rebels on a hot night”

Ashe’s voice started singing in a voice that really made Percy wonder why she wasn’t in choir. Annabeth took her seat next to him, humming happily along.

Ashe swayed in place slightly next to Tyler on the bench as she sang.

“Laughin’ at my sister as she’s dazzling the room” She sang as she looked over at her boyfriend next to her.

“Then you walked in and my heart went”

*Boom*

The piano stumbled a bit at the sudden loud noise as they looked over to see Leo grinning, having hit the concert bass drum in time with the song.

Most of the group started laughing as Tyler managed to recover his piano playing, but Ashe was far too amused to sing properly anymore.

Leo rejoined them, going back to his food as he looked proud of himself.

“Don’t use percussion equipment if you aren’t in the section for a joke.” Reyna warned half-heartedly, her own smile betraying how amused she been at seeing Ashe jump at the noise.

“Yeah, yeah.” Leo offered, not really affected considering it wasn’t the first time he had heard that warning, and he severely doubted it would be the last time. He earned a bit of good will with the band and drum majors considering he was the resident expert on fixing any problems with the instruments.

The song wound down eventually. Precy noticed Ashe leaned over and kissed Tyler’s cheek and looked away, seeing Annabeth smiling as she dipped an apple slice in peanut butter and his gaze lingered on her lips, the little gob of peanut butter stuck on her lip he kinda wanted to kiss off.

“Stop flirting at the piano and make sure you eat properly. We’re marching outside today, it’s hot, and I don’t want to hear you complaining cause you’re hungry.”

Annabeth called out suddenly, making the pair at the piano flinch before they stood up after a moment and made their way over.

Tyler took a seat as Ashe went to her locker, emerging with two containers of food that she heated up in the microwave. Not long she sat next to Tyler, handing him one and laughing as he let out a dramatic sigh of appreciation and started digging in.

“How come you never cook for me?” Percy teased, nudging Annabeth to get her attention.

“Cause I don’t believe in spoiling my boyfriend like Ashe does. I prefer to let you learn for yourself.”

She offered, smirking at the girl across the circle.

Ashe narrowed her eyes. “I’m not spoiling him, he’s a terrible cook and I’m trying to get him to eat healthy. Something your boyfriend could stand to do.” She said, motioning at the array of fast food spread out in front of Percy.

“Why am I being thrown under the bus here.” Tyler complained half-heartedly.

“Cause you get amazing food hand-delivered to you every day by your girlfriend and we’re jealous.” Piper chimed in.

“Frank gets sweets though!” Leo chimed in, earning an approving nod from Tyler.

“I would eat healthy if Annabeth cooked for me.” Percy offered, before glancing at his girlfriend and pausing. “Maybe…”

Annabeth gave him a dangerous glare. “I’m not that bad of a cook.”

“Most of the time, no. Sometimes…”

Ashe snickered as Annabeth flipped her off.

“It’s okay to be bad at cooking Annabeth…” Tyler offered trying to reassure her.

“Shut up and eat your girlfriend’s food.”

Tyler just grunted, pouting as he dug into his food.

“Don’t tell my boyfriend to shut up because you’re jealous.” Ashe countered, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m not jealous. I just haven’t really tried to learn to cook anything complex really before.” Annabeth defended herself.

Tyler put down his drink. “I’ve tried cooking lunch for Ashe before! A few times. It just doesn’t really go well…” His voice trailed off.

The group got quiet for a moment as they remembered the last time when Ashe went home because she had actually gotten a mild case of food poisoning when she was determined to finish the food he made even after it was clear it wasn’t done right.

Ashe leaned over and kissed her boyfriend's cheek, rubbing his arm. “You’re really sweet for trying. Besides, you know I love cooking. I’ll count on you for studying instead, deal?”

“Deal.” He offered as they grinned at each other with a look that made Percy roll his eyes at how sweet they were.

Ashe turned to Annabeth, her expression softer. “For real though, if you ever do want help cooking, I’d be happy to help you.” Her expression one of peace rather than teasing. It wasn’t a secret Ashe was pursuing cooking for a career so no one really tried to compare themselves to her.

Annabeth glanced at her for a moment longer before nodding and smiling. “That would actually be cool. I can show you some tricks I use for my notes too.”

Ashe grinned and nodded.

Percy nudged Annabeth’s arm before motioning with his head subtly towards Tyler who was still looking a little off-put. He could see a wave of guilt was over Annabeth’s features. It was no secret that the social butterfly Ashe’s boyfriend was more socially awkward than most.

“Did you ever get the hang of that piano riff in Mirror, Mirror Tyler?” Annabeth asked, a slight apologetic tone in her voice.

Tyler regarded her for a moment, before he offered her a reassuring smile that there were no hard feelings. “Mostly, kinda, yeah. I’m still like 40 BPM short of it the full speed but it’s definitely less clunky. My hands were starting to hurt yesterday though so I had to stop.”

Annabeth grinned at him. “Don’t hurt yourself practicing, but that’s pretty incredible. Make sure you let me hear it when you have it down. Ever since you got me hooked on RWBY that song keeps coming up in my music.”

Ashe was beaming now that people were no longer bickering and soon the rest of their lunch period had passed as they all scrambled to put the room back together, having not realized how late it had gotten.

Hours later when they were all returning from the marching practice. “It’s so hot out.” Percy muttered as he slipped his snare drum off and collapsed across a few band chairs. “Why do guys have to keep their shirts on?” He moaned, tugging at his to air it out from the heat.

“Cause if girls have to suck it up, so do you.” Reyna offered, taking a swig from her water bottle.

“Then let girls take them off too.” Leo added, earning a swat on the back of the head from Piper.

“Shut up Leo.” She said, before tousling his hair affectionately as she walked past.

“I’m starving.” Tyler complained as he set down his quads. “Quads are too heavy.”

“Told you to eat more earlier.” Annabeth scolded.

“Move, you’re on my folder.” Ashe complained, nudging her boyfriend half-heartedly who didn’t budge.

“It’s too hot.” Tyler moaned.

“You’re too hot.” She countered.

Making the boy pause, giving her a curious look before he sat up enough for Ashe to grab her folder.

A minute later and everyone was practically melted into a puddle in various places around the bandroom when Chiron finally walked in.

“It was a hot day today. Make sure you drink plenty of water, not just now, but as these weeks pass to stay on top of it.”

Everyone groaned some sort of affirmation.

“Besides, we want you all ready for our competition in a month!”

There was a pause before a wave of cheers erupted as life suddenly rushed back into everyone at the reminder.

Annabeth and Percy shared a glance as they grinned. They were going to knock it out of the park this time.

XxXxXxXxX

I hope you enjoyed it! I had a LOT of fun writing this. I still am super tempted to turn this into a full fledged multi chapter AU. If there is any interest in continuing this let me know. My time is just so split already.

As always if you are interested in supporting me, letting me write more check out my art commissions HERE or even my Ko-Fi HERE to get an instant prompt fill!

#percabeth #pjo #Percy Jackson #Annabeth Chase #HoO #Band!AU #I really shouldn't start another AU #I already have 3 I want to write for #but i like this one so much #I really shouldn't write it though #But I want to #BUT I NEED TO DRAW TO EARN MONEY #x.x

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rhodesmystery · 5 years

Text

with the evening sun

It’s a quarter past five when there’s a telltale flicker of activity outside. Enough of an issue that Ron has to admit he looks over at his mother, briefly, as her eyes fall to the old clock that returned to its old space by the wall. Nothing quite out of the ordinary, clearly. Even though it had been months, nearly a full year, since everything, alarm shot through the room.

Gripping his wand, Ron ushers Ginny back, trying to get her upstairs, before immediately buckling under the weight of her glare. A small ‘who was he kidding’ echoes in his mind, and he tries to make something apologetic out of the way he waves his hand. Whatever.

It’s only when his father trundles down the stairs, and notices that they were all on edge, that he seizes up too. “What?” Arthur whispers, fumbling with his robes as he tried to find his wand.

Molly points to the door, to the yard. And Ginny, she points to the clock.

“It’s Charlie.”

Enough to cut through the tension, and have just about everyone stumble. How did they read that wrong? was the question on their lips. But no, Ginny was right. There was Charlie’s hand, positioned quite proudly over the word that read HOME.

She’s first out the door too. Banging the screen against the counter, and Molly chased after her, Ron hot on his sister and mother’s heels. “Wait, Ginny—!” Not that the clock ever lied, but they hadn’t heard any voices. Just the shift.

There wasn’t anyone in the front garden, nor in the shed. “Ginny, come on, Charlie normally sends an owl if he visits. Which he doesn’t,” Ron has to add, for emphasis. Really, Ron couldn’t remember the last time Charlie had been around for more than a few days at a time without something going horribly wrong.

Ginny doesn’t listen, even as their mother tries to talk now. But they both see the shake in her hands, and how she smooths down the front of her skirt. Trying not to get her hopes up. Bill had made himself more available and around after the war. But Charlie had just packed up and left once again. Like always.

So she runs off towards the pond, and Ron has to chase after her. Didn’t know where she got the sudden attitude from, really. Arthur calls after them, but it’s all white noise by the time they’re far enough from the house. Where the silence begins to buzz in Ron’s ears, coupled with the sound of his own breathing.

“Come on, Ginny. You know as well as I do that he’s never here!”

A hand grabs him by the front, and yanks him into the scrub. Ron gives a yelp, that he would deny vehemently later, but Ginny shushes him immediately. “Look!”

Parting the growth just enough to see through, Ron had to admit he was a little surprised to actually see his older brother on their property. Okay, more than a little, considering everything. But he wasn’t alone, and the both of them recognised the second person immediately.

“Huh,” is all Ron can get out. This was weird. They seemed to be arguing, but Ron couldn’t make out a word.

Granted, Bill told him that all they ever did was argue, when he’d seen them at Shell Cottage last time. But that was also over a few shots of whiskey, and Charlie and Natasha certainly weren’t arguing then.

“What do you think it’s about this time?” Ginny asks, furtively, as if the two of them would notice anything other than themselves.

“No clue, honestly. Why bring it here though?”

Why not stick to Romania? Far, far away, as they had been doing for the last few years. This was doing Ron’s head in. Too many questions, and no way for answers. Didn’t want to announce himself, because he could just imagine what Charlie would do to him if he found out he was being listened in on. And it was just him and Ginny at the Burrow anyway, everyone else off doing their own thing.

Ron wished Fred and George were here. They’d know how to sort those two out. Natasha always had a weirdly fond spot for them.

“They’re getting closer!”

And Ginny was right, even if she didn’t have to tell him. Pushing themselves back into the scrub, it’s like their voices broke through a bubble.

“We have to tell them.”

“Do we really though, I mean—”

“Nat, better late than never. You know that.”

“I don’t want to. I’d rather just go back to Romania…”

“I know. I know. But this involves me too. And my family.”

“Yours are going to be happy about it. Mine won’t be.” A long pause, before, “Merlin, I’m just like my bloody mother.”

Charlie laughs, and Ron barely makes out him putting an arm around Natasha. Turns his head enough to miss the next part, and sees Ginny had done the same. They had to get out of there, and back in the house, for whenever Charlie arrived as if to surprise them.

It’s like Charlie had forgotten there was a clock in the house that announced arrivals. Ron grit his teeth, and told himself not to think like that. Not to do that. There had already been a few good weeks of moping around once people started to scatter back to their own homes, leaving the Burrow feel more and more empty. He didn’t have enough time for that.

Now they just had to focus on getting back to the Burrow, everyone none the wiser. For now, the best they could do was wait until Charlie and Natasha had removed themselves from earshot. Which would hopefully not take more than another minute, because Ron was this close to just standing up and ruining his great plan.

Okay, it takes another two. They’re whispering, and Ron makes a face at the tone, which Ginny just mimics back. He had seen more than enough of that at Shell Cottage, thank you. Between Bill and Fleur, and Charlie and Natasha, Ron knew exactly why he’d run out of there when he did (no, that was just talking it down, really, but it did help with his choice in the end).

Just as the couple begin to move away, giving Ron and Ginny some breathing room, do the hairs on the back of Ron’s neck stand on end. Turns, damn near shoving his wand up his eldest brother’s nose in the process. Bill gives him nothing if not the filthiest look he’d ever done, and swears something that even gets Ginny to shut him up with a “Bill!”

“What are you doing here?” This was just getting weirder and weirder. What was next? Percy?

“What are you two doing here?” Bill counters, still rubbing at his nose.

Ginny gives him another look, and a quick shot of eyes over the growth to notice that Charlie and Natasha were much further away now. “We saw the clock and assumed Charlie was by himself.”

Only then does Bill grin, with something that was vaguely suggestive of information far from them. “Not quite, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Ron drills back, rolling his eyes. “What’s going on, Bill, seriously?”

“Oh, you’ll find out soon enough.”

Ron does not comment on the wolfish smile, as he knew Bill often got more than one remark about it. Just how his brother was being purposely evasive, when he was supposed to be the good one out of the older two. Typical. Solidarity between Bill and Charlie only existed when it was to torment the rest of them.

“You know something.”

“I know lots of somethings.”

“Bill—” Ginny tries this time, straining her voice just so. “Tell us! Come on…”

“You’ll find out soon enough.” For good measure, Bill stands, and rubs both of their heads, mussing their hair. “Assuming you get to the house fast enough.”

And with a bark of laughter, he disappears.

“Prick.” Ron only gets one insult out, knowing that Bill was long gone, before he shares a nod with Ginny. Three, two, one. Pop!

Apparition sucked, and Ron would never let anyone tell him otherwise. Acutely aware of his arm once again, Ron at least doesn’t heave when the floor arrives under them. Ginny fared just a fraction better, and holds the door open for them.

“Well?” Ron hadn’t even noticed his parents had been hovering by the front window.

“Charlie and Natasha. They were talking out over there.” Ginny waves her hand past the tree. “Sounded kind of serious.”

Surprisingly, Arthur speaks up, eyes narrowing just a touch as he looks out over the garden. “Maybe they finally settled on a date.”

Molly positively shined at such a concept, but Ron can’t help the snort that leaves him.

“For the wedding? Yeah, right.” They couldn’t even decide when they were together or not. Sure, he’d been out of it for the most part, but he’d heard things. Been told things. Seen Charlie get emotional more than once about that sort of shit before he buggered off to the Sanctuary. Only then was it kept well away.

“Bill’s here too!”

“Is he?” That gets both parents’ attention, a snap of the head. Ron can see the cogs whirring in their heads, as they tried to work out just what this all meant. Their guess was as good as any.

Ginny goes to say something again, but Molly cuts her off with a “they’re here!”

A mad dash to resume positions, as if they weren’t all acutely aware of the clock, with Bill’s hand pointed over HOME too now. Ron couldn’t even remember what he was doing, before they first noticed. Reading a magazine? Polishing his broom? Can’t stop twirling his wand around in his hand, setting off a flurry of sparks as he nearly drops it when there’s a knock at the door.

Molly is up and off, a singsong “coming!” that was still far too strained to pass for being surprised. “Oh, Charlie dear! Bill! Natasha! We hadn’t been expecting you!”

Ron looks over the back of his chair, to see Bill practically roll his eyes at Charlie. “Yeah, right, mum.”

There’s an awkward laugh, and Arthur joins Molly in greeting everyone in the kitchen. Perhaps that was their cue, to stand and greet their brothers like they hadn’t been spying mere moments before. Like there weren’t grass stains on their knees, and a distinct smell of pond water in the air.

When Ron turns to Natasha, she only smiles in that way she always did. Set him on edge immediately, and he has to focus on her shoulder as he awkwardly shakes her hand. She knew. Of course she did. Charlie and Bill had shared a few glasses one night, after the Cup. Laughing about Legilimency. Ron had listened in then, never quite getting it until much later.

Ron knew about it, but every damn time he still managed to let shit slip.

Ginny was more than pleased to see Natasha, and actually had the most passable display of surprise compared to the rest of them. Enough so that even Charlie seemed remarkably placated by Ginny’s attitude, shrugging out of his coat in the process. Ah, so it would be a stay then. Not just a drop by.

“Are you hungry, dears? We’re not quite ready for dinner, of course, but I can put something together for all of us.”

“Let me help you, Mrs Weasley.”

“Molly, dear, I keep telling you.”

And Natasha was smoother still, easily getting at least one half of the parental unit sidetracked. Ginny gave Ron a quick nod, highly suggestive of a plan he wasn’t aware of moving forward, and joined them further in the kitchen. Ron was nudged back in the direction of the lounge, Bill keeping a hand on his shoulder as he did so.

“Don’t say a word,” was muttered into his ear.

Whatever amusement on Bill’s face existed before, was long gone. Returned to that thin, pinched look he always sported since the attack. Wary eyes on Charlie, who settled into one of the armchairs with a sigh.

“Something wrong, Charlie?” Bless his father, truly, for trying. Completely and utterly unsubtle about it, as Arthur hadn’t even moved to take a seat.

“Hm? Oh, nothing. Not really.”

Bill snorts from where he sat, near the fireplace. “Right.”

“Shut up.”

“Only when you tell everyone what’s going on.” There was no doubt that Bill was challenging Charlie on something, but the suspense was really starting to get to them. Ron could only look between his brothers, and how they stared at each other intently, having some sort of silent conversation no one else was privy too.

“What’s… going on?” Ron directs his question to Charlie, brow furrowed and words just a fraction loud enough for those in the kitchen.

For his part, Charlie sighed, breaking off his staring contest with Bill to shoot a look over towards the kitchen. Enough noise told them that dinner was well under way. “Fine, fine. Have it your way.” That was definitely directed towards Bill, who sat back with his arms crossed, rather smug. “We’re—I… Natasha’s…”

“Yes?” Their dad pressed, but there was a look on Arthur’s face that Ron couldn’t place. Something that said he knew, almost inherently, what was going to be said next. But Ron couldn’t tell if it was a positive look or not.

“Merlin’s beard… she’s pregnant.”

Ron was pretty sure his jaw met the ground, coupled with his incredulous “holy shit!” That just. Whoa. That was not what he was expecting. Not in a hundred years. Ron had to do a double take, because “holy shit!”

“Language, Ron! Charlie that’s, that’s wonderful! Isn’t it? It is, wonderful I mean?”

“Charlie’s going to pass out if you keep talking to him, dad.” Bill just laughs away.

Arthur gave Bill a classic withering look, before returning to Charlie. “This is good news, isn’t it?”

Something passes over Charlie’s face, something that looked rather out of place. Slapping his hands over his eyes, he groans out a “yes, it’s fantastic.”

“You don’t… sound happy.” Carefully picked words from Arthur, but never quite the level of tactful that Molly was. But it was true. Everything Charlie was saying, or, not exactly saying, wasn’t suggesting he was happy about it. If anything, Charlie looked ready to try to Apparate back to Romania without a backwards glance. Maybe somewhere else. Disappear once and for all.

“There’s a lot to figure out first.” His voice was odd. Like he was speaking from somewhere else. His mouth didn’t move, but the words were there. Ron didn’t know how to take it, didn’t know where to proceed next. What was the correct course of action when an older brother was having a breakdown over the pregnancy of his girlfriend-not-quite-wife-sometimes-off-sometimes-on-partner? Bill was being absolutely useless, happily smirking and not at all intervening.

Clearly, Arthur wanted to press him further, except Molly walks into the room, wiping her hands on her apron. “I’ll need you to prepare the table, dear—what’s the matter?” She noticed the tension, clearly. And how Charlie still hadn’t uncovered his face. And how Bill was still chuckling to himself.

Ginny peered around their mother then, eyes zeroing in on Ron in an instant. Did she hear? Did she know? Did Natasha tell her? Ron made a roll with his head towards their older brothers, and Ginny only smiled sweetly in the direction of Natasha.

“I believe Natasha and Charlie have something to tell us.”

“Dad—” Charlie warns, removing his hands then. “Later.”

“What—what is it? Is everything okay?” Ron could see Molly immediately move to grab onto something, as if preparing herself for the worst. In his expert opinion, Ron knew that he should probably vacate his chair regardless, as the news would no doubt knock his mother over, good or bad.

“Everything’s fine, mum. More than fine. Damn cheery over here.”

“Bill, enough. Let Charlie talk.”

Natasha practically glides over to stand beside Charlie. Funny, Ron could say that Fleur had the habit of doing the same thing. But she stands, smiling rather pleasantly despite how several pairs of eyes fall to her stomach then, knowing full well what was going on.

“It’s fine,” she says, to Charlie. Only to him, and he just nods. Sighs. Looks anywhere else but at her.

A wave of her wand, and the spell disperses.

“Holy shit!”

“Language!”

Well, Charlie wasn’t kidding about her being pregnant. Ginny goes between a shout, and a burst of laughter, complete with clapping hands as she goes to hug Natasha. Arthur chokes, Molly falls into the recently empty chair, and even Bill manages to shut up.

For half a second. “You look like you’re about to pop, Nat!” From the way he was looking, clearly Bill hadn’t expected her to be that pregnant.

Natasha just continued to smile, pleasantly so, one hand firmly on her belly. Charlie had sunk back into the chair, covering his face again. “Like I said, lots to work out.”

Ron remembers the conversation. About how Natasha had been the one to pull back, to argue against it. But the roles were reversed here. Charlie was on edge, unhappy at the attention. Natasha was absolutely angelic, as Molly threw any and all questions at her. Dates, times, places. Answered back in a completely civil, polite tone. She wanted to go back, and not tell anyone. Not Charlie.

“Can I—can I feel?”

“Hm? Oh, yes, sweet. He’s kicking.”

“‘He’?”

Another round of everything. Ron looked over at Bill, who had now moved to put his hands on Natasha’s belly as well, and how Ginny was completely taken. Oh, he might as well. A few strides across the living room, and Ron drops to a crouch beside Charlie’s seat. He still wasn’t looking at Natasha, or the accompanying band of merryfolk.

And so Ron asks the question that never seemed to be worded right. “Are you okay, Charlie?”

Charlie moves, and Ron can see the lines then, in his face. The tightness around his eyes. How his older brother smiles softly, but it doesn’t light up his face. “Yeah.”

“Are you sure?”

He shifts, so he was a little more upright. “Yeah. This is the easy part.” A nudge of the head. “Her family won’t be.” Ron had never met Natasha’s family — and could easily say he’d never heard much about them either. But just the thought of them sent Charlie into a dark mood.

“You don’t… seem happy.”

Making a face, Charlie seems to nod a little. “I know. I am, though. Promise.”

Ron could only take his word, even if everything said otherwise. Even as Charlie seemed to realise he wasn’t exactly being the most positive presence, as he takes Natasha’s free hand. As he finally forces himself to stand beside her, arm tentatively finding a place around her shoulders. Charlie didn’t shake the look in his eyes, the sheer terror, and Ron notices then, too, that Natasha looked just as positively freaked out as he did.

She just hid it better.

Ginny moves next to him then, clearly done with cooing over Natasha. “What did you say to him?” she whispers aside, but continues to smile and nod as if they weren’t talking about present company.

“Later. What did Natasha tell you?”

Only at the very knowing smile Ginny takes on, does Ron balk. “Later. When everyone’s asleep.”

Clearly, they had a lot to discuss. And a few letters to write.

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #charlie weasley #jacob's sibling #ron weasley #bill weasley #ginny weasley #molly weasley #arthur weasley #*my fic #*natasha #*snaps fingers*#here we go babey

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asher-blackwood · 5 years

Text

Here is the first chapter of my new HP story J.K. Rowling owns these characters. Hope you all like it.

Author's note: this is a chart to know what is what when you are reading my story.

1: italics someone is speaking

2: italics someone is thinking

3: {italics} Parseltongue

When I add this to the chart I will be putting it here and at the beginning of the chapter it happens. I hope you enjoy the story.

Harry Potter was perfectly sane, thank you very much. Though the Daily Profit, and other such rags would have you believe other wise. This abrupt change in opinion came about at the end of the Tri Wizard Tournament the year before. Along with the fact that Harry refused to recant his statement that " Voldemort had returned". The Ministry, now unwilling to see the truth, began a smear campaign against Harry and any one who believed him including Dumbledore.

This brings us to today. Harry is pulling weeds in the front garden while the news report pours from the open window. " And it seams water skiing has become the fashionable way to keep cool this summer...". He sighs, if they had gotten to water skiing then there was nothing more to hear. He had taken to doing his outside chores in the afternoon so he could listen to the news with out his relatives thinking he was up to something. So when his Uncle inevitably asks what he's up to Harry just holds up a hand full of weeds.

He was frustrated at the lack of news but couldn't blame his friends nor could he be angry at Sirius and Remus. The only one to blame infact was Dumbledore. Harry sat back on his heels and wiped sweet from his brow as he remembered the letters they had all sent only a week ago.

He had never read anything like it from Hermione before and it would have been funny if she wasn't so pissed. She ranted about how stupid it was that they couldn't tell him anything, that the Headmaster was going so far as to check Harry's mail. She also hoped the Headmaster knew she thought this was idiotic. Ron's was much the same, though with more swearing.

What was strange to Harry was he had a lot more people writing him this summer then he ever had before. The older Weasley brothers, except Percy, had all started sending letters two days into summer break. He didn't mind really and it was fun getting to know Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George. He could even tell which Twin wrote which letters now. They did all agree that keeping Harry in the dark was not a good idea, though Bill thought it was more to do with not wanting to mail the information. With that thought in mind everyone seemed to calm down.

The first weekend of summer break was when things really started looking up as Dobby had shown up in his room smiling madly. " Dobby is having Harry Potter Sir's letters, he is. Harry Potter Sir's is to be meeting his Pads and his Lupin at the normal place he is". Harry beamed at the little elf taking the letter out of his hand. "Thanks Dobby!" With that the elf bowed deeply and disappeared with a sharp crack.

Harry was grinning broadly as he opened the later.

Dear Harry,

First, please tell Dobby thank you for his help. We weren't Shure how we were going to get this to you till he offered. Second, we will be meeting up with you as normal for more training. We are both very proud of the progress you have made, but want to remind you to not show off to much in class. We don't want to give to much away Cub. Sirius is looking forward to being away from his parents house for a while and the Order. Though he's mostly just looking forward to seeing you. We will be at the same Hotel as last time and will meet up at the same time.

See you soon,

Moony

Harry has spent almost every bit of free time with them.

Sirius was furious at the fact that Harry had not been taught about wizarding culture or what his duties would be as Lord of the ancient and Noble House of Potter. The fact that he hadn't been told that he was a Lord at all was highly suspicious. So Sirius and Remus took it upon themselves to teach him. What they found was a boy hungry for knowledge and a very quick learner. Harry soaked up everything like a sponge and soon was showing that he had been playing at average for years. When Remus asked him why, the boy looked at him and smiled " If people knew what I could really do then I would loose the element of surprise." The two adults just stared at him till Remus spoke, " That's a very Slytherin way of thinking Harry." The boy just smiled back.

Harry had reached N.E.W.T leave long ago and was starting to work on non verbal spells. They got away with this by having the hotel sweet registered as Remus' summer residence so of course he would magic in his rooms. The hotel in question was a small one own by a squib who was very active in the equal rights movement in the Wizarding World. So he had a room in the basement for Remus' furry light problem. Making life during the summer a lot better for all of them. How ever they would be closer to Hogsmeade once school started.

Harry found this summer was shaping up to be the best one yet, at least till he had to sleep. Keeping as busy as possible had help keep his mind off of things but once the day end and he was alone it all came back. Cedric's blank eyes, Voldemort high pitched laughter, a young boy turned into a monster, it was enough to make any one not want to sleep. As the days passed, however more dreams got mixed it. Battlefield were he thought he knew the faces around him but the only one he could hang on to was Cedric's. Parties where he was alive and laughing with everyone else. Moments where he would comforting Harry telling him things would be alright. In some of the dreams it was the Cedric as he knew and in others he was older a bit more like his dad, those were the worst.

Harry once again had a ruff night and woke to the sound of a sharp crack in his room. Dobby stood there look apologetically at Harry. " Dobby is sorry Harry Potter sir, but Dobby is to be giving him a note Sir." He says hold the small bit a parchment out for Harry. Thanking Dobby he takes the letter and reads it. Then sighs, " No meet up today. Thanks a again Dobby, please let them know I got it." Dobby nods and leaves with a crack and Harry flops back down on the bed. " Stupid Order, what am I supposed to do now." Getting up he decided he would rather go to the park then wait for his Aunt to find him something to do.

An hour and a half later found Harry sitting on a swing. In one of the parks he thought had long since been given up on. Dudley and his little gang had been busting up the play parks for the last two summers. The ones to far gone were just left, so normally it was a safe place for him to hide out. Today however was just not Harry's day and Dudley, gang in toe, comes striding up the path. "There yeah see told you I saw him." Pierce shouts, " hiding like a little baby ahe Potter" Harry scowled as they began laughing. " You beating up anther 10 year old Dudikins?" Harry said his voice cold and sarcastic. Dudley glared, " He was 12 and deserved it. Any way at least I'm not afraid of my pillow ahe Potter. Don't kill Cedric, not Cedric. Who's that your boyfriend." Harry growled jumping to his feet pulling his wand as he went. The other boys were laughing harder but Dudley froze. Putting his wand under his cousin's chin he hissed "shut your mouth before I make you Dudley." As Harry spoke the sky darkened and the temperature began to drop. "Come on Big D it's just a stick, let's kick his ass." Dudley turned on his friend shouting for them to leave he would take care of Potter. Once they we're gone Dudley turns to his cousin shouting, " What do you think you're doing!? You better cut it out or I'll tell Dad!" " Are you crazy, I'm not doing this!" Harry was screaming back as he looked around fear etched on his face. Dudley had never seen his cousin look this freaked out before then suddenly Harry was moving towards him. "We have to leave Dudley. We have to run, NOW." Grabbing his cousin Harry pulled them along looking up at the sky and all around for what ever was chasing them.

Harry couldn't believe this how could Dementors be in Little Whinging. He had to get Dudley to safety. Finally the reach the Ally that would get them back on Privet Drive, half why down it however he realized his mistake. Rain was pouring down now and the air had chilled. At the far end of the ally Harry saw the hooded figure taking deep sucking breathes. He turn pulling Dudley with hoping to go the other way but it was cut off by another Dementor. "What are you looking at? What's that noise? " Pushing Dudley behind and drawing his wand.

" I got you Dud I won't let them hurt you." Harry could feel the rain freezing in his hair his cousin shivering at him back. They were coming, he had to work fast. Concentrating on his happiest memory he turned to the one on his right, "Expecto Patronum!" The stag erupted from Harry's wand charging the creature down, but at that same moment he felt Dudley being wrenched from behind him. Harry's Patronus made quick work of the first one then he turned it on the second Dementor as it leaned over Dudley. It changed again and the monster fled.

Taking his first good breathe since the attack began Harry ran to his cousin, " Dudley, Dudley can you hear me. Come on we have to get other of here." Putting his arms under the massive weight that is his cousin Harry halls him to his feet. They only take a few steps when his wand is out again pointing at the far end of the ally. A moment pass as Miss Fig of all people turns the corner. Harry puts his wand down at his side hoping she hadn't seen. Walking over to the two boys she hisses "Don't put your wand away Harry they may come back!" He nodded dumb struck at what was going on. Miss Fig puts her thin arms under Dudley's ham hocks, helping Harry move him.

They walk in silence for awhile till number four comes into view the she turns to him.

" Now get in the house boy and don't leave it for anything . Understand I'm not sure what those things were doing here but they might come back." He gaped at her, " you..your a squib aren't you." She nods, " Very good, glad to see you have a brain up there. Now get going and don't worry I only report the things I have to." She winks at him, he just nods. Pulling Dudley to the house he rings the bell and waits as Miss Fig disappears around the corner.

Aunt Petunia was rubbing Dudley's back as she tried to get him to talk while Uncle Vernon just kept yell. Dudley was now looking a bit green and Harry knew if he didn't get chocolate in him soon he would be sick. Looking coolly at his Uncle Harry shouted," Shut Up." Then he turned to his Aunt, " Dudley need chocolate Aunt Petunia, do we have any?" Vernon tries to interrupt, but Petunia just nods and points at an unmarked tin on the coffee table. Harry walks over and opens it up. " Now wait just one second..." Vernon bellows. " Hush." Petunia say sternly.

Vernon stairs at his wife numb plussed as Harry begins feed him his cousin chocolates. After a few bites his color improves and his breathing slows. Harry sighs in relief. "You ok now Dud? Feel any better?" The smaller boy asked looking at his cousin with concern. Dudley just nods and whispers a Thank you before nibbling on another piece of chocolate. By this time Uncle Vernon was nearly purple in the face and begins shouting for an explanation. Harry take steading breathes but before he can even get the first word out an owl flies in through the open window. It drops a letter in front of Harry and swoops back out again. Harry looks down at the letter feeling numb his hands shaking, it has a Ministry seal on it. He picks it up reading through it quickly. "What does it say Harry?" The scrawny teen looks up at his whale of a cousin suppirsed. " It says I've been kick out of school for using magic and they are coming to snap my wand." He says this all very fast his voice shaking. Dudley stands up wobbling slightly. "Oh no they won't, you saved me from, from what ever they were they can't do that." Both his parents stair at him then Petunia spoke, "Is that what you are in trouble for saving my Dudikins." He nodded and is about to speak when yet another owl flys in this one from Remus.

Cub, we are on our way. Don't surrender your wand and don't leave the house Dumbledore has gone down to sort this out we will be picking you up tonight. Everything will be alright don't worry be a there soon.

Harry stood looking at his Aunt and cousin. " I have to pack Aunt Petunia. Some people are coming to help me. The Headmaster is at the Ministry try to straighten this out."

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jflashandclash · 6 years

Text

Traitors of Olympus: Fall of the Sun

Eight: Ajax

How to Quiet a child of Poseidon in Two Seconds Flat

Pax was impressed: no one punched anyone during his recap of their early adventures, from kidnapping Rachel Elizabeth Dare, to stealing the coals of Kronos’ sword and stealing the Golden Net from Bunker Nine, to the trials of Psyche, to tricking Leo into reforging Backbiter, and to Santiago’s Mayan temple, where their father killed Joey, and Euna killed their father.

Axel, Calex, or Kally chimed in to explain parts where Pax wasn’t there or where he exaggerated how important the weasels, Hunnie and Baller, were to the mission—always vitally important, even when unconscious. Pax was sad Axel didn’t give the full rendition of how he fought off Aphrodite’s giant doves with a frying pan[1] and how Euna got temporary god pills out of it, but Pax figured they could save the long version for Axel and Reyna’s children to assure the kids that their father was versatile with all weapons and cookery.

They got through the misunderstandings of what led up to their fight against the heroes of Olympus and why Jack had murdered his half-brother, Will. Well, that last part was less a misunderstanding and more a psychotic break, but Pax hoped they got the picture.

When Pax mentioned the Princess Andromeda, that’s when things went down a tiny, Everest-sized hill.

“The Princess Andromeda?” Travis interrupted before Pax could explain in full. “I thought that sunk after Beckendorf…”

Yep, that was the weird part, Pax thought. That and not that the passage of stairs in the middle of their cabins that led down to an ocean. Or it used to. Pax had to wonder if magical passages like that got bored and moved places. He would if he were a magical passage.[2]

Alabaster set his glass of strawberry flavored water down.

Pax was pleased that Merry had commanded the satyrs bring everyone drinks, especially since—with his hand condition—the satyrs had taped three straws together so Pax could sip from his without leaning forward or using his hands.

While blowing bubbles into his drink, which took awhile and required three straws-worth of backwash, Pax glanced over to Alabaster’s side of the table.

The child of Hecate’s knuckles were white as he clutched one of the ingredient satchels that dangled from his neck. His other hand casually clinked the ice in his glass. “Beckendorf?” he repeated. “Was that the name of your suicide bomber?”

Clarisse choked in rage.

Most of the other counselors went still.

“Charles Beckendorf was a hero,” Percy said, scowling.

“As were the kamikaze pilots in Japan and the jihadists for ISIS,” Alabaster said, his eyes boring into Percy with a scary intensity. If Pax had some, he was pretty sure he could roast marshmallows between the two of them.

Percy’s face went red. He shot to his feet, had a foot on the table, and Riptide in hand before Jason and Hazel grabbed him.

A baby cried.[3]

All eyes turned towards the mirror at Percy’s side.

Throughout the explanation, Hiro had finished several puzzles and eaten a full pizza. When Percy stood, Hiro snatched Percy’s little sister from the crib-cage, where he’d put her down for a nap.

With his other hand, Hiro snapped out a switchblade the size of her arm.

He pinched her hand and dabbed one of her fingers.

For the first time since Hiro had gotten his hands on the baby, she squealed and squirmed.

The color drained from Percy’s face as he scrambled back into his throne of Saturnalia. Baby Cry Shock Collars—highly effective against children of Poseidon.

“I’m sorry—I—I didn’t mean—” Percy stammered.

Hiro pointed the knife at Axel. Then he carefully set the whining baby back into her crib and folded the knife up beside her—the proper way to store weapons around tiny children. Pax swallowed as Hiro made a motion, like he was holding a zucchini in one hand and his other hand were a butcher knife chopping it. To finish the comment, he held one hand out, grabbed his index finger, and shook it.

Although Pax doubted anyone needed translation, Axel puffed up and popped his cheeks. “He says he’ll start cutting fingers off if you stand up again.”

“I won’t,” Percy said through gritted teeth. “Just don’t hurt my little sister.”

After reading both of their lips, Hiro nodded cheerfully. He turned back to the baby, made a goofy face at her, and wrapped her up in his arms, careful to dodge around the darts lining his suspenders. Hiro gave her finger an apologetic kiss and rocked her to some unknown tune.

“Man, maybe we really shouldn’t have left Hiro with Dad for those years,” Pax muttered. He waved a hand at Hiro and made sure his lips were fully visible as he said, “Hiro, do you want someone to take you to the park to play ball? Or get you ice cream or a puppy? That you won’t kill—okay, maybe not a puppy—I guess I’m trying to say that Axel and I will give you attention without you committing several felonies and doing the whole, ‘creepy villain…’”

Pax trailed off when he saw the look in Hiro’s eyes.

Pax liked to remember Hiro as the tiny, happy child that would crawl onto Pax’s shoulders to pretend Pax was a horse and followed Pax around Frasco’s circus to learn everything Pax knew.

But now, Hiro’s eyes weren’t alight with admiration. They were narrowed with malice. The look told Pax that no number of hugs, or hand knit sweaters, or crazy moon bounce parties would let Hiro forgive each night that Axel and Pax hadn’t come to save he and Lapis from their father.

“--ait until I can get out of this chair—”

Pax felt numb as he tuned back into Percy’s threat.

Alabaster cut him off with a shrug. “We never bombed any of your living quarters, neither cabin nor barracks. We didn’t want to support that kind of blind murder.”

Clarisse snorted. “You probably couldn’t think of a lot of different tactics.”

Something, Pax thought, one really ought to be proud of, Oh damn, I’m so uncreative in my terrorism.

“No, we did,” Axel said, as calm as Alabaster. “Luke didn’t want to fight that kind of war.”

“I find that queer, coming from the Cloven Terror and Leonis Caput,” Reyna said. She appeared to regret throwing her knife at Pax, as she now resorted to twirling a ring on her finger. As a show of good faith towards a future sister-in-law, Pax almost considered tossing it back to her, but—judging by the tense environment—that might not be the best way to express his positive emotions.

Axel didn’t buckle under her scrutiny. “You pick your battles. We would carefully chose and eliminate a few selective leaders to immobilize an army and minimize overall killing instead of attacking a majority, especially not an area with noncombat units.”

Alabaster sighed and Pax found himself wishing he had his headphones so he didn’t need to hear this argument again. “Grassroots versus trickle down approach. Axel strongly believed in trickle down.” Alabaster rolled his eyes.

“Hey!” Kally’s shout made Pax jump in surprise. “This isn’t helping the camp full of kids that are going to be obliterated at sundown. Plenty of which know nothing of the Titan war.”

The table quieted. Everyone but Axel and Alabaster looked off to the side and grumbled.

“Sorry,” Kally said as an afterthought, exhaling.

As best Pax could, he rested his hand atop hers under the table.

Merry gave Kally an encouraging nod from across.

Although Pax didn’t want to talk after seeing Hiro’s expression, he managed, “If I were an evil goddess with an amazing fashion sense and great monologue skills, this is exactly the kind of internal fighting I would want to cause to waste time and distract everyone.”

“The daughter of Apollo and counselor of Eris are right,” Reyna said. “We can discuss ethics and wartime philosophy later.” Her gaze lingered on Axel.

Axel raised an exhausted eyebrow at her.

Pax wondered if Axel could find a way to make a discussion on ethics and wartime philosophy into some weird flirting. Twenty Reese’s said he could, and could make it end with some weirder make out/wrestling session.

Moving on from his brother’s creative Top Ten Questions to Ask a Girl on the First Date, and the debate of who murdered whom more ethically, Merry directed them back onto the subject at hand.

Pax finished off his story and Percy filled in the gaps from his party.

Hazel chimed in on Will’s behalf—since he still couldn’t speak for himself—narrating Will and Joey’s adventures through the Underworld before Joey became real competition for Medusa’s Best Statue of the Year award and about how the dead told Will that something had upset Nyx.

Merry’s jaw jutted to one side as she watched Hiro tuck the now-sleeping baby back into her crib-cage. “Gothic architecture… Everyone else heard some lovely chimes this morning, right? Just after sunrise?”

Percy groaned and glared sideways at the mirror. “Yea, they were right in my ear.”

Annabeth’s eyes went wide. “Chiming as in bells? Like church bells?” She turned to Percy, looking more awake than she had the whole meeting. “Did Eris say anything else? Anything when she was threatening your sister?”

Pax was glad Athena had decided to click on some lights above Merry and Annabeth’s heads, because his mind was still skipping in the dark as were the minds of the other fifteen or so cabins present.

“I didn’t exactly take notes,” Percy said.

“Anything could be important, Water Muffin,” Merry said.

Percy’s brow furrowed, though Pax wasn’t sure if it was from Merry’s nickname or from thought. “No warriors can be sent after her or he’ll drop her three hundred feet onto concrete…”

Annabeth and Merry made eye contact. Merry grinned. “Annabeth, what Gothic churches are three hundred feet tall or above in the USA?”

“Not many.” Annabeth pushed some of the curls out of her face. “The Washington Cathedral, the Riverside Church…”

Percy’s face brightened, in direct contrast to his words. “She also said something about falling to concrete to put more weight onto Atlas’s shoulders. Last I checked, Atlas is stuck on Mount Tams. Any of those churches in California?”

Annabeth frowned. “No—”

Merry snapped her fingers. “Our little Hiro and bae are right next door.”

Annabeth blinked for a second before saying, “Of course! Saint Patrick’s Cathedral by the Rockefeller Center.”

“The weight of the world is on the Rockefeller Center?” Travis whispered loudly to Connor.

“Talk about performance pressure,” he responded in kind.

Merry chuckled. “Only when they’re putting up their Christmas tree. No. There’s a pretty statue of Atlas between it and the cathedral.”

A slow, methodical clap chilled their celebration at the discovery and reminded everyone that they had forgotten to cover their mouths when facing the mirror. Hiro gave them a half-grin, one a little too close to Pax’s devilish smiles.

“So we know where she is,” Clarisse said. “But what good does that do us? No one can go there.”

“I can go.”

Everyone glanced over to where Merry had leaned forward, stretching her hands out in front of her in a way that—Pax suspected—she did to distract Calex with how much it pinched her chest between her arms.

Merry relaxed, so she could put an elbow on the table and lean her head against that hand. “Eris specified big bad warriors, right? I’m not a big bad warrior. I’m a demigod contradiction: a pacifist. I will only lift a finger for dancing, partying, and sacrificing good grades to Annabeth’s mom—not to violence.”

Her gaze switched from the counselors over to the mirror. “And, I’ll bet Hiro and Lapis saw that when they were creeping on our group. What do you think Hiro? I won’t bring any weapons. Can Aunti Merry drop by for a hug without you having a baby shower?”

Pax wanted to hug Merry for the ill-timed pun, but he sensed a flaw in her plan, one that Axel stated perfectly for the group. “That will probably just give Hiro two hostages.”

Calex swallowed. “No offense, Merry... but Axel is right.”

She winked. “Trust me. I got this. How’s about it, Hiro?”

Hiro considered, bobbing his head from side-to-side and making his long, black hair flutter. Then, Hiro rapidly signed something that Pax didn’t catch.

“Hiro!” Axel snarled disapprovingly in a way that made Pax want to say, Oh yea, NOW is when you want to chastise him for being rude.

Hiro signed slower.

Pax frowned, wishing his brother was a bit more like a cute panda. “So you won’t defend yourself if attacked?” he translated in place of Axel.

Merry’s honey skin paled a shade, but her relaxed smile stayed strong. “Won’t lift a finger,” she repeated.

Hiro clapped giddily and jumped in place. Pax imagined—if Hiro were an animated character—that his hair would take more time to draw then the background.

“Augh, what a creep,” Miranda grumbled.

There was a grumble of agreement, especially from the victory twins. Though Pax still didn’t know what people were expecting from someone who had threatened to play Fruit Ninja with a baby’s fingers.

Calex gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles paling. He whispered something into Merry’s ear. She gently touched one of his hands to calm him.

The pit in Pax’s stomach had grown from a baby stream to the size of the Grand Canyon. When Hiro began to sign again, Pax wondered if he could pretend he’d experienced sudden amnesia and could now only sign the words Doritos are awesome. “No weapons. No backup. Only mortal transportation. We can have lunch. Tell Pax and Axel that they are dumb f—hey!” Pax huffed. “My face is adorable!”

Merry folded her hands in front of her, straightened her shoulders, and closed her eyes. “Axel. Pax. You are dumb faces.”

Hiro’s shoulders shuddered with a giggle.

Axel sighed. “Hiro, when this is all over and I get my hands on you, I’m dragging you all the way back to Chiich and making you tell her everything you’ve done.”

Pax’s ear hurt at the thought and he wasn’t even the one who would be in trouble.

Hiro huffed, crossed his arms, and turned his back to the mirror.

With Hiro’s back turned, Merry’s smile weakened. Even from where Pax was sitting, he could tell she needed a huge hoard of weasels to hug her. That always made him feel better.

Percy glanced at the mirror back to the daughter of Dionysus. “Do… do you really think you can help my little sister?” he asked. “Especially with the whole no-kicking-ass thing?”

“Who needs to go fisty-cuffs when you’ve got a noggin?” She tapped her forehead.

Clarisse scoffed, “Hippie.”

Annabeth gave Merry an exhausted smile of appreciation. “I assume you have a plan?”

Merry nodded.

Axel scowled. “Don’t let your guard down just because he’s a child. He can throw darts as quick as Ajax and I don’t know what Santiago has been teaching him… I refuse to let you be the next Joey.”

The cheer in Merry’s face erased at the mention of their ghostly, petrified friend.

Pax could feel Kally trembling violently under his hand. “Merry… are you going to be okay?” she asked. Although everyone else might not notice, Kally had put her other hand on the table in a thumbs down position.

“I’ll be careful, sweeties,” Merry said, looking across the counselor table to make eye contact with Kally, Pax, Axel, and ending on Calex. Subtly, she put a thumbs up on the table in response.

From the looks of it, Calex was two seconds away from exploding into a panicked array of shiny, Eros arrows, hopefully putting on the best fireworks show Pax had ever seen and ending with the least PG twist for any demigod.

Except that ex-Roman son of Jupiter was here.

Pax vetoed the non-PG Eros ending for this counselor meeting.

“I don’t like this, but we don’t have any choice except to trust that Merry knows what she’s doing.” Thalia drummed her fingers along the table. Pax found it weird to look at Thalia’s silvery camo and dark hair in full daylight. When Matthias was feeling better, they would have to make a little moonlight screen to put behind the Lieutenant of Artemis during all meetings, complete with deer-shaped nightlights and cartoon constellations. “We don’t have a ton of time, and I think we need to talk about how a demigod with god-power eye drops and a singing head that can blow a hole in the camp are on their way to Tartarus.”

Axel’s eyes narrowed. “We do. The longer we wait, the more distance Euna puts between here and Tartarus, and the harder it will be for me to catch up with her.”

Pax felt like Phobetor had snuck up on him and used that piccolo-hatchet to hack out his heart. “You’re going back there? To the happy land of fratricide and cheesy, cop out villains?” he said, not realizing until the very end that his squeak had come out in Mayan. “What are you going to do if Mrs. I-want-inside-your-pants and Mr. And-I’ll-cut-off-what’s-in-your-pants show back up?!”

Those dark, Mist-covered eyes sank down to his hands. “I think they got what they wanted. Besides…” Axel cleared his throat and returned his gaze to the table. “I’m not sure if Euna’s stairwell has connected with the labyrinth yet or what is down there, but if I enter the labyrinth via Zeus’s fist, I should be able to navigate it easily and avoid godly confrontations.”

Pax prayed no one would connect that knowledge with the Battle of the Labyrinth.

A few displeased grumbles came from Frank, Hazel, and Reyna.

“Assuming we let you go,” Reyna said, twirling her ring while scrutinizing him, “Someone needs to go with to assure that you’re not convincing Euna to join the gods attacking camp—”

Pax thought nothing could distract Calex from fretting over Merry, but those words made him gawk. “Euna wouldn’t do that. She blames Eris for her sister’s death.”

“And,” Reyna said, her eyes flashing over to Calex to silence him before returning to Axel. “If you were stricken with madness again, you would need someone that can hunt you down in the event that you rampage and attack allies.”

Although Axel maintained eye contact and posture, Pax knew Reyna could hurt Axel less by putting her metal greyhounds into a ballista and firing them at Axel than by saying that. Axel didn’t try to defend himself; his expression broke.

The worst part: Pax couldn’t defend Axel either. She was right.

At least one good thing could come out of this: maybe Axel and Reyna could take a romantic vacation to Tartarus to talk about their feelings, punch daimons, and—

“I can,” Thalia said. “Euna was close to joining the ranks of Artemis. If Artemis isn’t around to do so, it is my responsibility to help a maiden in my goddess’ absence. And,” Thalia raised her fingers, snapping them so a burst of static electricity arched. “I can take Axel.”

Axel, though still looking appropriately sulky, raised an eyebrow again in amusement.

Calex cleared his throat. His wary gaze shifted from Merry, back to Axel in uncertainty. “I can come too. I know Euna, a medic is always useful, and three is a sacred quest number.”

“That would outnumber Thalia two to one if you decide to turn on her,” Frank said.

“Frank!” Piper chastised, touching her nephew’s shoulder to show her disagreement.

“Uh, Calex is pretty cool,” Percy said. “But… going to Tartarus…” He trailed off, looking to Annabeth for help.

She gave an exhausted sigh. “I don’t think Calex would betray us. But, without Chiron’s healing, we need all the medical assistance and fighting power we can have here. You shouldn’t go to Tartarus.”

Those words were like putting a parental lock on Calex’s quest options. Although none of them said it, Pax had the distinct feeling, from the glance Percy, Annabeth, and Axel exchanged, that none of them thought Calex would enjoy the walk through the River Acheron. However, Pax wanted to point out that Calex had probably been an Arsenal hooligan at a West Ham stadium after West Ham lost a match, and which likely had similar conditions.

“I think your skills are better suited here,” Axel agreed.

Calex looked unsettled, but was unwilling to contradict both Annabeth and Axel.

“It’s alright,” Axel said, “We’ll get her home safely.” He scooted his chair back, stood, and rested one hand on Alabaster’s shoulder. “If we have any hope of intercepting Euna, Thalia and I need to pack up now.”

Pax caught Axel’s eye. They both puffed up their cheeks and popped them. Pax wanted to tell Axel not to go, that there were scary bad guys in Tartarus, that Pax had no way of keeping Alabaster from pigballing Percy to make bacon for the group, and that Pax would inevitably stuff his face with tree nuts without Axel around, puff up to the size of a condo, and fly away into the sun. And they all knew how that turned out for Icarus.

But Pax also didn’t want to go anywhere near Axel. He got the distinct feeling this was Axel’s big boy version of needing a stroll to cool off.

Thalia stood up and unslung a silvery backpack from one side of her chair and her unstrung bow from the other. “Done packing,” said the huntress. She rolled her eyes at Axel’s half-smile. “Ugh, boys always take so long to get ready.”

There was a brief vote, something that clearly made Miranda and Butch uncomfortable without Chiron’s approval. The overwhelming majority voted in favor of their departure, with Clovis abstaining due to a nap, and Jason the only one uncomfortable with sending his sister to Hell with a beast.

As his brother walked away with little more than an awkward wave, like Pax’s mother, Hiro, and Lapis had abandoned him previously, Pax realized that he’d need to learn how to take care of himself and he’d have to learn fast.

Thanks for reading! Anyone surprised by the Tartarus promenade pair? Tune in next week for Axel’s chapter: Hot Women Need to Stop Sneaking Up on Me.

Also! Sorry if my edits were sloppy this round. Mel was awesome in giving me a rush delivery on betaedits, and I completely butchered them XD

Footnotes:

[1] Mel Betanote: “I was about to say ‘PAX, THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN’ but then I remembered that it did and now I can’t tell the difference between what actually happened and Pax’s exaggerations because they sound the same!”

Jack’s response: My work here is done.

[2] China Mieville.

[3] So, if I had more sleep, I could more artfully slip this in here…. But sound can come out, it just can’t go in. This footnote is to remind Jack not to be a lazy jerk and clarify this properly in writing! *tsk tsk* to Jack’s lazy footnoting.

#Heroes of Olympus #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #fanfiction #Traitors of Olympus #council of elrond #SOOO many characters!#So little sleep!#Must.... eat..... poptart....

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