#June... I've been spoiled about her
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only one 999 ending to go (true end (+ coffin end by technicality)). anyway.
#note: I am playing the DS version via emulator!#gave in to temptation and looked at one (1) thing on the wiki I thought wouldn't spoil me#...I got spoiled again#my guess about the coffin was completely wrong btw#I thought the third dead was in there. but no. they were dead.#trying to specify who I mean without spoiling it for others lol#anyway I still love Ace's design but Snake has just risen up in my favourites#Santa. I like Santa. good character. great design. one of my faves. enough said.#Clover. oh boy. her design's cute. there's a weird implication made by Ace at one point but I'm ignoring it#but there's not much to say about her? like yup. Snake & Clover's connection sure is strong#but Clover doesn't get much development outside of it. I like her but she's not making my faves list#Junepei himself? he's not a blank protagonist. I like that. however he's not that far off from being a blank protagonist#he has some good moment. his design is eh. that's all#June... I've been spoiled about her#she's nice & I love her design! her and Junepei's relationship fleshes both of them out a lot#I also find the constant interruption of the flow for June and Junepei's special romantic tension time really fucking annoying#they're cute! I get it! I get that it's plot relevant! I think that these scenes highlight Junepei's flaws!#but also shut upppp about her hair smelling good. I don't Care#they do have some good banter at points though#Seven has actually really surprised me - I thought I was going to hate him but he keeps becoming even more likeable#Lotus... I think we're supposed to think she's a terrible person. and she definitely has her moments#but although she is selfish and values her self-preservation above everything else#I think her motivations explain a lot of that#wrote these out of order then reordered them to fit the number order. was just feeling silly goofy#to finish off the cast for good measure... contestant 9 sucks in all of the ways. his design is bad. his actions are realistic#but that entire sequence feels like some kind of ableism to me. it just really rubbed me the wrong way
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Pen Pal
Pairing: Ellie Williams x reader
Warnings: Slight mentions of homophobia
Summary: You've been Pen Pals with Ellie since you were in 5th grade. Will you finally get to meet her in person?
*Not Proof Read* TLOU Masterlist
Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Pt. 3
*****
November 3, 2028 (10 yrs old)
Dear Y/N,
My name is Ellie. I'm a fifth grader in Miss James' class in Wyoming. I like Savage Starlight and cookies. My best friends' name is Riley.
Do you have a best friend? Do you like Savage Starlight?
Sincerely Ellie Williams
November 10, 2028 (10 yrs old)
Dear Ellie,
Hi! It's nice to meet you! I love Savage Starlight! My brother hates them though. He never takes me to buy them at the book store :(
My bestfriends' name is Julie! Cookies are cool! I like ice cream. I have a dog. Do you have a dog? Do you like frogs? I like the color pink. Do you like pink?
Sincerely Y/N L/N
June 20, 2030 (12 yrs old)
Dear Y/N,
How's your dog? Joel's teaching me how to play the guitar! I learned how to play a song yesterday! I'm so happy.
Riley and I are planning on going to the fair tomorrow. I wish you could come. I bet you'd love Riley! Maybe some day you could meet her.
I finished the new addition of Savage Starlight yesterday and I'm so fucking sad. Did you finish it? I won't spoil. Let me know if you did so we can talk about it!
Sincerely Ellie!
June 28, 2030 (12 years old)
Dear Ellie,
I have bad news. Pepper died.
She died last night. Mom said she got really old and died in her sleep. Pepper was a good dog. I'm going to miss her.
I'm really sad. I wish she was still her.
I haven't finished Savage Starlight yet. I'm waiting until I feel happy. Maybe in a few days.
Sincerely Y/N
August 3, 2032 (14 years old)
Y/N,
Riley's moving away. She came over and told me today. I'm really sad about it. She's been my friend ever since kindergarten.
She's moving to Boston.
I found an a cute ice cream shop yesterday and thought of you. Maybe some day you can see it. We could get ice cream there and then look at the comic book store.
I can't believe Savage Starlight is fucking ending. I've been reading it since fourth grade. I don't want it to end. How do you feel about it ending?
Love, Els
August 9, 2032 (14 years old)
Els,
I'm so sorry about Riley. That sucks. I hope you guys can still talk.
I'd love to go to the ice cream shop and comic book store with you one day. My brother went off to college today. He's studying to be a doctor. Cool right?
I don't want Savage Starlight end either. I wish it could go on forever. Fucking sucks.
I think you're my best friend.
Love, Y/N
September 12, 2032 (16 yrs old)
Y/N,
I won first place in the art show! I'm so fucking happy. Joel took me out for ice cream with Sarah yesterday. We had so much fun.
Do you think we should start using email? Or texting? Joel got me phone yesterday! I'm so excited! Here's my number if you want to text xxx-xxx-xxxx and my email: [email protected]
I've started working out at a local gym. I love it. I'm going every day. I think I might do something with space when I'm older. I really like space.
Also, I'm gay.
Love, Els
September 18, 2032 (16 yrs old)
Receiver: [email protected]
Subject: Hi
Els, this is my email! I'll send you a text right after this. I'm so happy for you! First phone yay!! Also congrats on the art show!
The gym is fun! And space is so cool! I'm not sure what I'll do yet when I'm older. I'm still deciding. I'm glad you know what you want to do though.
Also, cool! I'm glad you feel comfortable telling me! I love you, Els. <3
My brother's being a fucking asshole. He refuses to come to my birthday party because his girlfriend's parents want to have dinner the same day.
I wish you could come. Maybe some day.
Love, Y/N
May 2, 2034 (18 yrs old)
Receiver: [email protected]
Subject: So
I think I might not be straight. I'm not sure. I've only told you. I can't tell my parents. I don't know how they'd react. I know my brother would hate me. He's a fucking dick now. I don't know why he's the way he is.
My parents have started fighting a lot. Money problems I think. I think my dad might have cheated on my mom too.
I'm excited to go to college next year. I'm glad we got into the same school! We'll finally be able to meet. I've been wanting to meet you for years. Maybe I can finally get away from all the shit that's been going on lately.
I don't know why this all happened so fucking fast.
I hope you're well.
Lots of Love, Y/N
May 2, 2034 (18 yrs old)
Receiver: y/[email protected]
Subject: So
Hey, so I know how you're feeling. It'll take some time to figure out, but you'll get there. No matter what, I'll love you.
You're family sounds like a bunch of dicks. I'm sorry you have to go through that.
I've been talking with Joel and he said I could do this.
Do you want to come stay with me and my family over the summer? Maybe get a break from your family? We could idk finally fucking meet?
Let me know if you want to come to Wyoming. You could meet my friends. Then we could drive up to school together. It's not too far from my house. Maybe day or two away.
Also, I got a girlfriend. her name is Cat. She gave me this cool ass tattoo. I'll send a pic.
__Pic Attached__
Love, Els
My eyes scan over the email again, making sure I didn't imagine what I just read. Ellie just invited me to Wyoming for the summer! There's no fucking way I'm missing this opportunity.
I'm finally going to get to meet her!
My eyes land on the last line. I got a girlfriend.
Fuck.
#fanfiction#fanfic#ellie williams x reader#ellie the last of us#ellie williams x you#ellie x you#ellie williams tlou#ellie williams x female reader#ellie williams#ellie tlou
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Stargirl ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
I made a poll asking if you guys wanted smut in this part and everyone who voted said yes so I hope this is good 😇
Part 1, part 2, part 3!!
Ellie x reader
You and Ellie are friends. You're hanging out with your other friends again. You've even meeting new people. Everything's working out for you finally. But you aren't fully over Ellie, and after a certain night at her apartment you don't think you ever will be.
Content warning - jealousy, sexual themes... Use of a strap-on, a little bit of mean Ellie 🤭!!
You check yourself in the mirror one last time before opening the door, nervous about your second date with Abby. She's standing there smiling, with a small bouquet in one hand and the other in her back pocket. She's wearing some jeans and a plain white tee-shirt.
"Hi" she says, handing you the bouquet, "you look amazing."
You smile and take the flowers from her, "thank you Abby. You don't look too bad yourself." You wink and open the door further, inviting her to come in while you put the flowers in water.
She follows you to the kitchen and seat on one of your barstools. "Are you excited? I heard this place has such good pasta and lobster." You nod and rearrange the flowers in the vase before looking up at her.
This was only your second date and you guys weren't dating yet. But Abby has already spoiled you so much.. with that surgeon salary 😋😋
"You ready to go? We should make it before the dinner rush." You hum and smooth out your dress before following her out to your car. Making sure to lock your door on the way out.
She opens the passenger seat door for you and helps you step into the car. She gets into the drivers seat and starts to drive to the restaurant.
"So, you like to read?" Abby asks after a few minutes of silently eating. You look up at her and nod, "yeah.. I've loved reading ever since I was little."
She smiles, "I was never much of a reader. I love to listen to audio books in the car though." You hum in understanding and take another bite of food. "This is so good. I gotta take a picture of this." Abby laughs as you pull out your phone and snap a few pictures of you expensive meal.
"Tag me in those!!" She says playfully pointing her finger at you. You smile, "yes sir."
You quickly post a picture of the food with her tagged on your instagram story before turning off your phone and getting back to your conversation.
Ellie was happily getting high and scrolling on her phone until she saw your newest instagram story. Who was this Abby girl 🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐
Ellie had clicked on her username and was scrolling through her posts. She had recently graduated and became an official surgeon, she was at a pride festival in June so she's fruity, and she was super fucking buff.
Ellie scoffed. She doesn't even have the right to be jealous. You guys were friends. You made it very clear that you only wanted to be her friend. But Ellie couldn't help the way her stomach turned when she saw the fancy table with the expensive food and the buff lesbian in your picture.
She took another hit of her blunt before opening your messages.
heyyy, are you free tonight? i want to finish the ultimatum
She didn't even know why she was texting you. Was she trying to prove that you didn't need Abby? Did she actually just want to finish the season you started watching together? Or was she just needing your attention after you went out on a date? Ellie didn't fucking know, all she knew was that she wanted to see you.
After a few minutes you respond.
Hi els that sounds perfect. I can be there around 10 if that's good for u
mkay, i'll see you then.
Ellie smiled at the messages and decided to get some snacks ready.
You sigh as you close your apartment door. Your dates with Abby have been fun, but you haven't been connecting romantically. She tried to kiss you goodnight and you literally swerved so she'd kiss your cheek instead...
It just felt wrong for some reason. It was hard for you to put yourself out there ever since you and Ellie broke up and Ellie texting you in the car wasn't helping. You can't help the butterflies you get when she texts you asking if you wanna hang out 💁♀️
Just you and her..
You felt like how you felt when you first met Ellie. 18 years old and so in love. But you were 24 now and Ellie and you were just friends.
Buuuuut, wearing a matching set under your shorts and t-shirt never hurt anybody.. (and wearing one of the t-shirts you never returned to Ellie 🤭🤭)
You get changed and wash the makeup off your face before getting a tote bag and putting some extra clothes and a phone charger in it.
You catch yourself GIGGLING on the way over to Ellie's..
Jesus christ....... you were so beyond saving.
You make it to Ellie's after a 10 minute drive, knocking on her door softly.
When the door opens you're met with a smiling Ellie who def looked a little bit faded..
"Damn. You couldn't have waited to share?" You fake a pout and Ellie snorts, "shut up, I was bored waiting for your ass."
You laugh and come in her apartment, you take your shoes off before following her into her room and getting comfy against her pillows. She throws you the remote so you can turn on Netflix and goes to get the snack from the kitchen.
"So what were you up to today?" She asks as she walks back in with some popcorn and you favorite candy. You get under her comforter and pat the spot next to you. "I had dinner with someone."
Ellie nods and puts down the snacks to get cozy next to you, "someone I know?"
You shake you head, "I met her on a dating app. Abby, she's nice."
Ellie scowls slightly, even though she already guessed all of this. But her scowl makes your butterflies double.
"Ready to press play?"
You say yes and play episode 9 as you snuggle closer to her.
"What the fuck did I just watch?" Ellie looks over at you but you sit there with a shocked face.
It was now 12:53 and you and Ellie had finished the season. You were both flabbergasted to say the least.
"I can't believe she was even allowed to be there.. whatttt.."
Ellie shakes her head and leans on your shoulder, "I'm so glad that no matter how much shit we put each other through we never tried to get on this show."
You laugh in agreement before sighing, "do you think we could've worked?"
Ellie turns to look at you and smiles sadly, "I think we were only hurting each other by the end. We needed to seperate so we could grow without each other for a while."
You look her in the eye and nervously mess with the blanket. "Do you think we could work now? Now that we've healed?" You watch as Ellie's eyes widen and she starts to pick at her nails. You grab her hand to stop her.
"Ellie?"
She looks down at your hand on hers and takes a deep breath. "I don't think we'd know until we tried."
You get move so your sitting in front of her and get closer, "can we try?"
Ellie gulps and looks at you, her eyes trail down to your lips before she runs her hand up your arm and pulls you into herself. You squeak as her lips meet yours. One of her hands rests on your back and pushes you closer to her as the other holds your cheek. Your arms wrap around her neck so you can move to straddle her lap.
Ellie moves one of her hands down to squeeze your thigh, you moan and she uses that as her invite to explore your mouth with her tongue.
You pull away after a while and immediately feel her lips start to attack your jaw. "Ellie, please.."
She smiles and continues to press sloppy kisses against your neck, "please what?"
You whine and grind against her thigh, "I need you.. needed you for so long.." You slide your hands up to lightly pull on her hair. Ellie moves her hands down to your hips, helping you move against her. "Really baby? Has my poor girl not been getting fucked enough?"
You bite your cheek and nod, "els, you're the only one who knows what I need." Ellie kisses you again and flips you over so she's hovering over you.
She pulls at your t shirt, "can I take this off baby?" You nod eagerly and help her as she slips it off your body. She takes a second to stare at your figure before going back to kisses your neck, gently sucking in the places she knows make you whine.
You buck your hips up to meet hers as she trails her lips all the way down to your waistband. She presses one last kiss on your stomach before touching your shorts, "these too?"
"Please-"
She immediately pulls your shorts down, noticing your matching lacy underwear and bra. "You fucking whore." She laughs, "you had this all planned? Wanted me to see you in your set? Even chose my favorite color." You squeal when she pulls on your under wear band and watches it snap back against you skin.
"Please els, only for you.."
She licks her lips and looks at the needy expression on your face. "Want do you want first pretty girl?"
You look down at her and try to rub your thighs together but she keeps them open. "Your mouth, please els"
She smiles up at you and starts to pull down your underwear. "Take off your bra for me sweets." You obey her and unclasp your bra, tossing it in your pile of clothes on her floor. She bites her lip as she looks down at your figure, "fuck baby, missed you so fucking much." She brings her hands up to squeeze your tits as you whine and buck your hips up again.
"Missed you too el-" you're cut off by Ellie's hands leaving your chest and her tongue on your cunt. You moan at the feeling.
You've had hook ups since you and Ellie broke up, but no one has ever managed to get you to cum the way Ellie can.
Ellie starts to kitten lick your cunt, bringing her lips up to close around your clit. She starts to suck your clit as she teases you with her finger. You grab onto her hair with on hand, pushing her head deeper into your pussy while your other hand gropes your tits.
"Ellie.. Oh my god.." She grins into your skin and pushes her middle finger into your tight hole, she feels like it's getting pulled deeper and deeper inside of you. You bite down on your lip due to the pleasure.
Ellie continues to eat you out like she's been starving. She tongue circling your clit as she's adds another finger, pumping then in and out of you at the same pace of her tongue. You moan as you back arches off the bed, "please els! 'M gonna-"
She works her fingers faster and moans against your cunt, "do it baby, cum on my fingers." You feel her start to suck on your clit again and you reach your breaking point.
You feel the chord in your stomach snap and Ellie works you through it as you come down from your orgasm. Ellie smiles up at you and pulls her fingers out, politely cleaning up your cum with her tongue.
"Fuck Ellie" you try to catch your breath, pulling her head away by her hair. She comes up to straddle you, kissing you passionately as she runs her hands up and down your sides.
She rests her forehead against yours once you break the kiss. "Was that okay? I didn't do anything that made you uncomfortable?" She asks as she traces shapes into your skin. You shake your head, "no you were perfect. Do you want me to return the favor?"
Ellie smiles at you and perks her head up like a dog, "do you feel like you can ride?"
You playfully roll your eyes and hit her arm, "of course that's what you want."
She shrugs and pecks your lips again. You laugh and nod, "just give me a minute."
Ellie's smile gets bigger and she gets off of you, going to her night stand to get out the purple strap 😈😈👽😈😈
You watch as she strips in front of you. Showing off her toned body and cute black sports bra and boxers. You sit up and watch as she sits back down on the bed and lubes her fake dick. "Ready baby?" She smiles as you get closer, nervously hovering over her strap. "It's gonna hurt els."
She kisses your forehead, "promise I'll help you babe, we don't have to use it tonight if you don't wanna." You shake your head and wrap your arms around her neck.
"I want to."
Ellie squeezed your ass and grabs your hips to help guide them down, "that's my fucking girl." You whine as you start to feel her strap stretching you so well. You nails dig into Ellie's back as she helps you bottom out. You bite her shoulder to help you as you start to tear up. Ellie moans at the pain.
Once she's the full way in she kisses you, moving her tongue against yours so perfectly. "Did so good, pretty girl. Are you ready to move?"
You nod and start to lift your hips, Ellie helps you form a rhythm as you kiss her neck. Her strap is filling you so perfectly as you hear her praises. "So good baby, feels so good." You start to speed up, making sure to grind against her a little bit every time you bottom out so you can see her reaction every time you bump her neglected clit. "Oh my god els" you whine.
Ellie smiles at you and starts to meet your hips as she trusts up into you. One of her hands move from your hips and you bite your lip so hard it starts to bleed when you feel her fingers start to rub circles on your clit and she takes one of your nipples in her mouth.
All you can say is her name. She smiles at you and slaps your ass. "You think Abby could make you feel like this?" She brings her hand up to force you to look at her. You moan, "els!!"
She slaps your cheek. "Answer me."
You whine and shake your head rapidly, "no!! She couldn- Els!! 'M cumming!"
You slam your lips into hers as she helps you ride your second orgasm. "So good baby. You did so good. Everything okay? Did I go to rough?"
You shake your head as you come down and kiss her shoulder, your eyes starting to droop."I love you els."
She wraps her arms around your sides and gives you a kiss. "I love you too y/n. I think you need some water and some sleep. We can talk more about us tomorrow?"
You shake your head, "what about you els? I want to make you feel good too.."
She laughs and slowly lifts you up off of her and onto the bed. "Don't worry about me right now pretty girl. All I needed was to see you." You smile at her and she kisses your temple before getting off the bed and leaving the room.
You eventually get up and go to the bathroom and when you come back into Ellie's room you see her sitting in bed with a cup of water for you. She's in a new shirt and boxers and has laid out your pjs that you packed in your tote bag.
You smile at her and change before getting in bed and immediately hooking onto her side. She kisses the top of your head before turning off her lamp and laying her head down. "Good night gorgeous."
"Night els."
That was my first time ever writing smut..... Lmaooo I hope it wasn't awkward 😭😭😭
Raaaahhhhhh they kissed!!!!!!!! And fucked but that's irrelevant. Part 4 is gonna be the last part I think!!! Should I might it a time skip? Tell me if you wanna be added to the taglist for the next part my loves (^з^)-☆Chu!!
Taglist <3
@gold-dustwomxn @catostrophiclesbian @ellieswifee @unstablefemme
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Promised Part 6 - Tom Riddle x reader
Info: This is a rewrite of a story I've posted on my old account years ago. If it sounds familiar, that might be why :)
Summary: In this story, Tom didn't grow up as an orphan, but with his grandfather and uncle. Reader's sister got very sick and the Gaunts offer their help. But not without asking for something in return.
Warnings: Arranged marriage
Word count: 2k
Masterpost | Masterlist | Part 5 | Part 7
Part 6 - Of Vows and Wrangles
Winter came suddenly this year, and so did Christmas. With all the schoolwork you had been doing for the upcoming N.E.W.T.s in June, the weeks had passed by as quickly as a snitch on the Quidditch field. The holidays were a much-needed break and to see your family again was an even bigger delight.
Elsie did great. She looked like nothing had ever happened to her. No curse, no apparent illness that had almost taken her life, apart from some occasional coughs here and there. She ran around the house like the years before, excited for Christmas to finally come. The house elves seemed glad to have her and all her shenanigans back as well, much to your parent’s dismay, but they let most of it slide. They were thankful their daughter was healthy enough to fool around again.
Christmas day was as cosy and joyful as ever. You spent the whole day with Elsie and your parents, exchanging gifts and playing together. Elsie got her first broom and started her first attempt at flying, which resulted in a knocked-over vase, that split into a million pieces, and a crash landing into the fireplace. Some tears were shed and dried again, and a “no flying inside” rule was established, which resulted in another crying fit. Oh, how you had missed it all.
Mother had waited until the late evening to tell you that the Gaunts would come to visit for lunch the next day. She must have known that you would pepper her with questions again. It was necessary and polite, she said, to invite the future family and show them your interest.
There was certainly no interest to be given to Tom’s grandfather and uncle, but now that you thought of Tom, you had to admit that you missed him. How he had held your hand, how surprisingly cautious and gentle he had been. This memory was embedded in your brain. You would have expected anything but this from him. Anything but that soft and coy demeanour. And still, it made you nervous thinking about meeting him along with his family again. They were the ones that must have made him so cold. So you fell asleep, anticipation and tension crawling through your every vein.
The Gaunts arrived in a rush and brought in a whiff of cold air that couldn’t even be drowned out by the fire in the chimney. Tom acknowledged you this time though. Not like months before when they had come to your house. You could have sworn that there was even a hint of a smile on his lips when he laid his eyes upon you. A smile that you reciprocated, rather faintly as well.
Lunch was alright. A lot of forced formalities and small talk, some tired attempts to get to know the future family. Tom was quiet, as usual, only talked when someone asked him something directly, while Morfin and Marvolo ate so voraciously, the house elves had trouble filling up their plates in time.
The Christmas spirit was spoiled when presents were brought up. Marvolo asked about Elsie’s new broom and why on Merlin’s green earth your parents would gift such a thing to a girl. He held back his laughter and shook his head when Elsie explained so excitedly that she couldn’t wait to learn how to fly in Hogwarts. Bastard.
Marvolo noticed the look you gave him and seemed to take it as a challenge, so he stared back at you, his filthy grin still in place. His head leant sideways as he waited for you to say something, his eyes squinted as if to tell you to go on and tell him what bothered you.
How you would have loved to smash his face against the table or curse him into oblivion. Your teeth hurt from how hard you clenched your jaw. You couldn’t. You wanted to tell him so badly what an awful, disgusting, obsolete excuse for a man he was. But you mustn’t. He still had Elsie’s life in his hands. So you stayed silent when he whispered, “That’s what I thought.”
“Anyway,” Father said in an attempt to ease the tension. “What are your plans for the remaining holidays?”
“There’s not a lot to do these days, is there?” Marvolo answered. “But now that you bring it up, we had something special planned for today.”
Morfin grinned as he shoved the last spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.
“And what is that?” Father asked.
“Well now that your little one is doing much better, which I assume you’re very thankful for,” he paused to wait for your parents to agree. “We decided to accept your invitation for today to bring our mutual pact to the next stage.”
Mother quickly told the elves to take Elsie upstairs, while you looked over at Tom in question. He only shook his head, letting you know he didn’t know what was going on either.
“The next stage?” Father asked. “What do you mean by that?”
“Since we’ve done our part of the agreement already, exceedingly fast and precise might I add, and the wedding is still months away, we want to make sure we will get what we asked for. You see, I respect you and your family of course, but one can never be sure enough. We don’t want to be tricked or exploited. So we’re asking for an unbreakable vow. Between Tom and your daughter.”
“A vow?” Mother was appalled. “What for?”
“For the marriage of course,” Marvolo said. “A promise that the marriage will be solemnised, that cannot be withdrawn from either side.”
A breath got stuck in your throat. First the marriage and now this? If you agreed, the Gaunts would have both Elsie and you under their control. Infringing an unbreakable vow resulted in death and they would never stop asking for things if you agreed to this.
“Marvolo,” Father sighed. “Don’t you think it’s enough? That we agreed to do this for the sake of my youngest child? You haven’t broken her curse entirely so you can use her as leverage. And now you expect me to bring my eldest daughter in mortal danger as well?”
“There’s no danger if the plan proceeds as we agreed,” Marvolo answered. “The vow can’t harm her if she plays by the rules.”
“She played by the rules,” Mother said. “She still does. Everyone’s been playing by your rules, so why do you want to add the vow?”
“As I said, I don’t want to be tricked. It’s merely a way to protect my family. And with all due respect, your reaction makes it seem like you’re up to no good already. Who knows? Perhaps you’ve changed your minds.”
Protect his family… He would sell both Tom and Morfin for a galleon and a half if he could. He was paranoid. Tom watched you in silence, his face void of emotion as your eyes met. What could you possibly reply to such an insane proposal? Every word that could leave your mouth right now would be filthy and full of anger, and Marlovo was already waiting for you to burst.
He turned to you. “What do you say, child? Don’t you want to prove your loyalty?”
You sucked in a breath and were about to answer when Tom suddenly stood up.
“Enough! I want a word.”
“You want a word?” Marvolo laughed disparagingly.
“Now,” Tom turned to your parents. “Is there a room we can go to?”
“The reading room, right across the corridor,” Mother said and showed them the way.
You followed the three men and watched them enter the reading room before Mother turned towards you. “Don’t eavesdrop, darling,” she said. “Give them some privacy.”
“Do you really think Marvolo deserves privacy?”
“No. He’s an awful man.”
“He is,” Father said as he joined you.
“We’re not going to let him do this to you,” Mother promised. “You’ve already done enough. Marvolo is out of his mind.”
“He’s greedy,” Father added. “Unreasonable.”
You leant your head against the door to the reading room and pressed your ear onto it, trying to hear what they were talking about. Mother motioned for you to stop, but didn’t prevent you from listening.
First, you heard nothing. Silence, then footsteps tipping across the room. Mumbled words that were so washed out you could barely understand what they meant.
Tom’s voice echoed from the walls. “You can’t be serious. Why would you ask for more? And why didn’t you tell me?”
Marvolo answered quietly. You could only guess what he was saying. Something like “Why would I?”
Mother appeared next to you, visibly displeased with herself as she flicked her wand and cast a spell that diminished the sound barrier, so you could hear every word that was spoken inside the room. Privacy has to be earned in this house.
“I’m not going to let you go through with this,” Tom said.
Marvolo snickered. “And you think I care what you’re allowing me to do?”
“I know you don’t,” Tom answered. “But I won’t comply. You can’t force anyone to make an unbreakable vow. Not even with the Imperius curse. And you know that.”
“What are you doing this for?” Morfin suddenly participated. “For the girl? You know things will only get worse if you refuse.”
A moment of silence occurred.
“Oh would you look at that,” Morfin chuckled. “You do like her, don’t you? Well, at least Father’s letter wasn’t in vain then.”
Tom didn’t answer.
“And her? How will you make her fall for you?” Morfin asked. “If you need a little love potion, I can provide that.”
“How dare you bring that up?” Tom spat. “You're very brave today, uncle. Comparing me to her.”
“Well, Father,” Morfin went on. “Looks like Tom thinks he can do it all on his own.”
“Now listen to me, son,” Marvolo said. “If you think you can disobey me like that, without any consequences, you must take me for a fool. To say that I’m disappointed is an understatement. Just know that there will be more to it.”
They scurried around. Marvolo and Morfin seemed to leave through the Floo Network. You assumed Tom would follow them but could hear him roaming around the room for another minute until his steps wandered towards the door.
Both you and your mother stepped away quickly. Mother fixed her hair and you had suddenly found a deep interest in your nail beds, studying them as if your life depended on it.
Tom stood in the door frame, chest heaving slightly, with the doorknob in his hand.
“Grandfather and uncle left through the fireplace,” he said. “I’ll go too, I just need a minute, if you’ll allow.”
Mother looked at him like she looked at Elsie when she grazed her knee or hit her head. Her eyes weren’t as stern as you expected them to be, but soft and full of pity.
“Why don’t you stay for a bit, Tom?” she asked. “We still have so much food left from lunch, we could need a bit of help before it goes to waste.”
Tom looked at her and nodded slowly. He must have known that she didn’t invite him to prevent wasting food. But apparently, he didn’t care what her reasons were. He just accepted it and that was fair.
“Would you show him around, darling?” Mother asked you. “While I tell the elves to prepare the guest room.”
Masterpost | Masterlist | Part 7
#tom riddle#tom riddle x reader#tom riddle imagine#tom riddle fanfiction#tom riddle fluff#tom riddle angst#tom riddle AU#harry potter imagine#harry potter fanfiction#voldemort#voldemort x reader#hp#hp fanfiction#reader insert#fanfic#fanfiction#harry potter#imagine#imagines#fluff#angst#x reader
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Chapter 2: THE BRONZE DRAGON
Magnus saw that last word and just stopped. Just sat there frozen and looked like he wanted to cry. Why? Why was Percy's life like this?
"Magnus?" Under any other circumstances, Magnus would have been equally confused and delighted why Alex sounded so concerned over him.
"The, Bronze, Dragon," he slowly drug out every word like he was trying to suck the water off of a rock. A very pointless and disgusting task.
"Whatever nice things were said about Hephaestus need to be revoked right now!" Percy agreed with every dreaded line on Magnus's face.
Nico made a little yeep noise as well, his first thought being Bianca leaping into that thing's mouth and making it do the chicken dance as well.
"Please let this be an adventure about you getting shrunk down and fighting an armadillo lizard*," Jason was the only one who sounded excited. Then Percy considered for a moment and even nodded like that could have some fun before Magnus read on in dread before anybody else got crazier ideas.
One dragon can ruin your whole day.
"One dragon can ruin someone's whole life Percy!" Magnus groaned. He begged of the following words to please be something like Peleus with a stomach ache! An actual, made-up bad dream? A very oddly themed birthday party for some kid not cursed by the universe?!
"Surely that's why I'm there, to make it go from one to the other," Percy offered with half-hearted hope of his own he just had to help a dragon egg hatch or something cute and innocent... like his life was ever that easy.
Trust me, as a demigod I've had my share of bad experiences. I've been snapped at, clawed at, blowtorched and poisoned. I've fought single-headed dragons, double-headed, eight-headed, nine-headed and the kind with so many heads that if you stopped to count them you'd be pretty much dead.
"Nobody was ever going to ask you to reminisce about the hydra Percy," Thalia sighed. Why couldn't that have been his worst dragon experience?
"Frankly all that just made me think to ask you, again, how are you alive?" Jason nodded.
"Luck and some mild skill," Percy reminded.
But that time with the bronze dragon? I thought for sure my friends and I were going to end up as Kibbles "n" Dragon Bits.
The evening started simply enough.
"It always does with you," Will nodded without surprise. He alone seemed to have a pretty good idea what this one was about, and aside from rubbing Nico's arm to help chase those shivers away he didn't want to spoil the fun for anyone.
It was the end of June.
"Oh," Percy said in surprise as he did a double take. "This happened, before that thing with Clarisse though! That explains the weird smell!"
Nobody else had a clue what he was talking about, they just all kind of assumed Clraisse smelled like motor oil.
I'd come back from my most recent quest about two weeks before, and life at Camp Half-Blood was returning to normal. Satyrs were chasing the dryads. Monsters howled in the woods. The campers were playing pranks on one another and our camp director, Dionysus, was turning anyone who misbehaved into a shrub. Typical summer-camp stuff.
Magnus stopped cold like he'd been the one turned into a shrub. Which was ridiculous, he didn't have a single leaf on him.
"He turns them back Magnus," Will shrugged.
Magnus counted to ten in his head before deciding against asking for further details.
After dinner, all the campers were hanging out at the dining pavilion. We were all excited because that evening capture the flag was going to be totally vicious.
The night before, Hephaestus's cabin had pulled off a huge upset. They'd captured the flag from Ares – with my help, thank you very much –
"Nobody was thanking you Percy," Thalia scoffed.
"Well maybe more people should," Percy tried to give her big pouty eyes, but it was ruined by everybody laughing to much and he couldn't begin to hold it.
which meant that the Ares cabin would be out for blood. Well... they're always out for blood, but this night especially.
On the blue team were Hephaestus's cabin, Apollo, Hermes and me – the only demigod in Poseidon's cabin. The bad news was that for once Athena and Ares – both war god cabins – were against us on the red team, along with Aphrodite, Dionysus and Demeter. Athena's cabin held the other flag and my friend Annabeth was their captain.
"I need politics and details stat!" Jason turned and pleaded to Percy like he was going to fall on his knees.
Will lit up, clearly all for going into the latest drama that had caused such shifts in dynamics to occur, but Thalia and Percy groaned in sync, quite loudly. Seems as if unless they were the ones running the teams they weren't going to happily sit around and play back who had pranked whom, what revenge was needed, and the height of impressing others.
Jason sighed but reluctantly gave in that could take hours just to get caught up on a week's worth, but gave Will a very obvious look as if book marking him for later.
Annabeth is not somebody you want as an enemy.
"Which is why Percy seems to make a life goal of it!" Alex chuckled with a very pointed gesture at him like they'd missed her target.
"I only aim for the best," Percy puffed his chest up with pride and swooped back his hair.
Thalia smacked him in the stomach, causing him to deflate and the gray strands of hair to fall back in place as she smirked, "in everything except grades."
Right before the game, she strolled up to me. "Hey, Seaweed Brain."
"Will you stop calling me that?"
"I didn't call you anything," Will said innocently.
Only Nico laughed while the others groaned even louder at the terrible pun. Though Magnus ignored them all with interest. That was, in fact, the first time he'd heard Percy wanted her to stop that, and as far as he could tell from the light-hearted smile on his face now and the passive eye-roll, Percy hardly meant it.
She knows I hate that name, mostly because I never have a good comeback.
"The worst atrocity I could name," Alex sighed.
"You should never be brought to a comedy show," Percy said with a hint of dread. She'd heckle anybody and get herself thrown out...though Percy wouldn't believe that wasn't her goal going in.
She's the daughter of Athena, which doesn't give me a lot of ammunition. I mean, "Owl-head" and "Wise Girl" are kind of lame insults.
"Lame but classics," Alex nodded contemplatively. "Surely you could get creative with all the world of nerd insults. Poindexter might suit her, or-"
"We are not going to sit around and make up insults about her, or her cabin," Thalia sighed.
"Just trying to keep the playing field even," Alex said, though raised her hands quickly in surrender.
"You know you love it." She bumped me with her shoulder, which I guess was supposed to be friendly, but she was wearing full Greek armour, so it kind of hurt.
"Both," Jason snorted.
"Definitely both," Percy agreed as he rubbed his shoulder with the biggest smile.
Her grey eyes sparkled under her helmet. Her blonde ponytail curled around one shoulder. It was hard for anyone to look cute in combat armour, but Annabeth pulled it off.
"Cute, huh?" Will's little laugh was so infectious even as he rolled his eyes hard. "How, on earth, Travis ever bet against me that you two would end up together I'll never know when you literally had these thoughts running through your brain."
"Why were there bets?!" Percy seemed to be missing the teasing part of that as he once again frowned at Will. "Where is this magical bulletin board?"
"Right next to the one with play tryout dates," he said saintly. "Up in the Big House, don't know how you've missed it."
Percy didn't seem able to close his mouth to properly get anything back and Magnus took pity on him and moved on before he'd have to.
"Tell you what." She lowered her voice. "We're going to crush you tonight, but if you pick a safe position... like right flank, for instance... I'll make sure you don't get pulverized too much."
"Retreat! Re-treat!" Jason enunciated very clearly. "This is a trap! Percy, please run for your life!" He said it in a pretty bad imitation of a robotic alarmed voice for some reason like a crappy fire drill.
Probably because it would have had as much effect on Percy then as it did now, who was to busy grinning at the challenge to hear a word.
"Gee, thanks," I said, "but I'm playing to win."
She smiled. "See you on the battlefield."
She jogged back to her teammates, who all laughed and gave her high fives. I'd never seen her so happy, like the chance to beat me up was the best thing that had ever happened to her.
"Percy is doomed," Thalia agreed casually. "Apparently even without fighting with me he can't avoid screwing up these games."
"I helped win the last one!" He spluttered, breaking out of his delusion of her hair escaping its helmet to glare at Thalia non-effectively. "You could have a little faith in me, I know her, her tricks!" He ended with a pretty sad stutter and crossed-eyed concern if this was a trick in a trick to make that any kind of believable.
Beckendorf walked up with his helmet under his arm. "She likes you, man."
"Sure," I muttered. "She likes me for target practice."
"Both," Jason said again with absolute confidence.
"Definitely both," Alex chuckled.
"I almost believed you that time," Percy sighed.
"Oh we're serious," Jason and Alex assured.
"Nah, they always do that. A girl starts trying to kill you, you know she's into you."
"What is this, playground rules?" Magnus sighed. He was no fool, he knew full well his cousin liked Percy back, but it was clearly complicated with her for several reasons and he assumed that's why she didn't act on it more. Who was this ding-dong, whose name he only vaguely recognized, trying to assure Percy of anything?
"Makes a lot of sense."
Beckendorf shrugged. "I know about these things. You ought to ask her to the fireworks."
Percy sighed. He'd really been wanting to talk to somebody about this back then, and Beckendorf seemed like the guy all of a sudden, but now that the moment was here...it felt like a waste of breath. What could he say Percy didn't already know?
I couldn't tell if he was serious. Beckendorf was lead counsellor for Hephaestus. He was this huge dude with a permanent scowl, muscles like a pro ballplayer, and hands calloused from working in the forges. He'd just turned eighteen and was on his way to NYU in the autumn. Since he was older, I usually listened to him about stuff, but the idea of asking Annabeth to the Fourth of July fireworks down at the beach – like, the biggest dating event of the summer – made my stomach do somersaults.
Then Silena Beauregard, the head counsellor for Aphrodite, passed by. Beckendorf had had a not-so-secret crush on her for three years. She had long black hair and big blue eyes, and when she walked the guys tended to watch. She said, "Good luck, Charlie." (Nobody ever calls Beckendorf by his first name.) She flashed him a brilliant smile and went to join Annabeth on the red team.
"I think she was beckoning to him," Alex said with a brilliant smile. Will and Nico both laughed hard at the pun while Jason and Magnus joined the groaning this time.
"Uh..." Beckendorf swallowed like he'd forgotten how to breathe.
I patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks for the advice, dude. Glad you're so wise about girls and all. Come on. Let's get to the woods."
Percy laughed along loudest of all. Finally, somebody else's girl misshaps wasn't at his expense!
...it felt a tad forced in his throat for some reason though he didn't like. A nagging idea in the back of his mind that had sporadically been cropping up. Now here, thinking of the beach, talking to Silena, the thought tried so hard to crystalize into something- but the idea was gone as his stomach pitched in pain and his skin felt a great flush of heat. He knew that feeling, he knew better than to mess with a memory like that.
Naturally, Beckendorf and I took the most dangerous job.
"Naturally," Will repeated in a very posh, british voice.
"Because if we gave Will the most dangerous job he'd stop to sniff the oranges to much," Nico smirked.
"We all have our strengths," he agreed without batting an eye.
While the Apollo cabin played defence with their bows, the Hermes cabin would charge up the middle of the woods to distract the enemy. Meanwhile, Beckendorf and I would scout around the left flank, locate the enemy's flag, knock out the defenders and get the flag back to our side. Simple.
Why the left flank?
"Because Annabeth wanted me to go right," I told Beckendorf, "which means she doesn't want us to go left."
"Please tell me you at least considered a double cross? Then a triple cross. Then a quadruple cross-"
"Jason!" Percy groaned. "I'm well aware Annabeth's going to pull one over on me, but I had to pick a lane! I'm sure I threw off her whole plan by just showing up."
Jason just shook his head at him, but then, he also would have been interrogating Annabeth about every layer of her plan if she were here and refused to tell him, so Percy didn't feel that bad about stopping him from pitching every way he was going to be wrong.
Beckendorf nodded. "Let's suit up."
He'd been working on a secret weapon for the two of us – bronze chameleon armour, enchanted to blend into the background. If we stood in front of rocks, our breastplates, helms and shields turned grey. If we stood in front of bushes, the metal changed to a leafy green. It wasn't true invisibility, but we'd have pretty good cover, at least from a distance.
Alex threw her head back laughing. "Somebody got jealous of Annabeth's hat!
"Ooo," Thalia said with interest. "Where's mine?"
Percy had some half-baked remark about her doing extra chores for him to help get Beckendorf's favor, but he choked on the words and nothing really came out except some spit while Thalia patted him on the back with a troubled smile she tried hard to look real.
"This stuff took forever to forge," Beckendorf warned me. "Don't mess it up!"
"You got it, Captain."
Beckendorf grunted. I could tell he liked being called Captain.
Thalia was still listening with great interest, and clearly decided she had her own turn at co-captain with him stuck in her craw more than letting him dwell on why he kept pressing his thumb between his eyes.
"Oh sure, him you just conceded the throne to! I was born to be a righteous, mighty warrior to lead armies, but this guy you just hand the crown."
Percy's shaking hand fell, a teasing smile instantly back. "Try getting accepted into college Thals, then maybe I'll watch you run your own team right into the river."
They even started bartering back and forth about who would get which cabin before Magnus bravely cleared his throat and waved the book around before they realized Annabeth would have to pick a side. That was a blood bath waiting to happen.
The rest of the Hephaestus campers wished us well, and we sneaked off into the woods, immediately turning brown and green to match the trees.
We crossed the creek that served as the boundary between the teams. We heard fighting in the distance – swords clashing against shields. I glimpsed a flash of light from some magical weapon, but we saw no one.
"No border guards?" Beckendorf whispered. "Weird."
"Overconfident," I guessed. But I felt uneasy. Annabeth was a great strategist. It wasn't like her to be sloppy about defence, even if her team did outnumber us.
Jason was over there muttering, "trap, this is a trap," and even spelling it out under his breath repeatedly while Thalia was still smirking and muttering about Percy botching this up like he had to hers. Percy sighed again about what great faith his friends seemed to have in him, but at least the headache was staying at bay.
We moved into enemy territory. I knew we had to hurry, because our team was playing a defensive game, and that couldn't last forever. The Apollo kids would get over-run sooner or later. The Ares cabin wouldn't be slowed down by a little thing like arrows.
"What about trick arrows?" Alex asked with interest. "Tip them in all kinds of fun stuff, or attach any number of things to activate-"
"I think we should just ban Alex's desert privileges before she even gets there," Percy grinned.
"Take away my chocolate, dudette, see what happens," she smirked.
"That sounds like a Chiron problem," Percy shrugged, picking at the hem of his shirt without concern.
We crept along the base of an oak tree. I almost jumped out of my skin when a girl's face emerged from the trunk. "Shoo!" she said, then faded back into the bark.
"Dryads," Beckendorf grumbled. "So touchy."
"Am not!" a muffled voice said from the tree.
Magnus was pretty proud of himself for laughing along at the mild moment instead of, say, freaking out the tree's could decide to kill them all in their sleep. Again.
We kept moving. It was hard to tell exactly where we were. Some landmarks stood out, like the creek and certain cliffs and some really old trees, but the woods tended to shift around. I guess the nature spirits got restless. Paths changed. Trees moved.
"They what?" Magnus yelped like his tail was on fire. "They just, move their whole tree, and roots, and plant them, and, they what?"
"It's pretty funny to watch, they just hike their leaf skirts up and their branches get top heavy sometimes so they-"
Thalia finally smacked Percy to get him to stop while the others couldn't stop snickering at the look of miserable acceptance on Magnus's face when he couldn't decide if Percy was telling the truth, or worse, nobody had any clue how or why the dryads did that and it was just another level of crazy.
Then suddenly we were at the edge of a clearing. I knew we were in trouble when I saw the mountain of dirt.
"A child of the ocean's worst enemy," Thalia snorted. "Take notes Nico."
"I've never tried just throwing soil around," he admitted with a smile that didn't mean he wouldn't be willing.
Percy narrowed his eyes contemplatively who would beat whom, earth-shaker versus child of the Underworld. He'd just have to challenge him to a digging competition to prove it later.
"Holy Hephaestus," Beckendorf whispered. "The Ant Hill."
"Do you all take your parent's names in vain?" Jason startled in surprise.
"Well it would just be weird if he said Holy Aphrodite, now wouldn't it," Percy shrugged.
"So who should Jason pray to? Merlin's Mankini," Alex smirked.
"If I've ever dabbled in witchcraft Alex, I would use whatever spell I could to burn that image from my mind," Jason sighed.
I wanted to back up and run. I'd never seen the Ant Hill before,
Why is Ant Hill capitalized, Magnus let the stray thought flit through his mind without interrupting to point it out. He just wanted a few more seconds of delusional peace this was just a sacred place and they were in awe of all its nonlethal help.
but I'd heard stories from the older campers. The mound rose almost to the treetops – four storeys at least. Its sides were riddled with tunnels, and crawling in and out were thousands of...
"Myrmekes," I muttered.
"Oh this is bad," Jason already realized. Percy never remembered the name of a monster otherwise.
That's Ancient Greek for "ants", but these things were way more than that. They would've given any exterminator a heart attack.
"Me too," Magnus promised with an opener like that.
The Myrmekes were the size of German shepherds. Their armoured shells glistened blood-red. Their eyes were beady black and their razor-sharp mandibles sliced and snapped. Some carried tree branches. Some carried chunks of raw meat that I really didn't want to know about. Most carried bits of metal – old armour, swords, food platters that had somehow found their way out here from the dining pavilion. One ant was dragging the glossy black hood of a sports car.
Magnus face planted the pages and groaned with misery. He'd been expecting a dragon, he'd been trying to mentally prepare himself for scaly beasts that could eat them! Now there were two, or more likely two thousand more deadly things running around! Why was Percy's life like this?!
"Now those are the kind of bugs that can take over the world, survive the apocalypse and become our new lords of the land," Alex grinned with wild delight, wondering if she could turn into something metal.
"They have to work on their infrastructure before I'd consider it," Percy said, resisting the urge to plug his nose through memory.
"They love shiny metal," Beckendorf whispered. "Especially gold. I've heard they have more gold in their nest than Fort Knox." He sounded envious.
"Don't even think about it," I said.
"Now that's a roll reversal if I've ever heard one," Nico chuckled in surprise. His stomach was pitching in disgust at the idea of mounds of treasure, he could all to easily picture Bianca in there picking up a hair pin and his old figurine again...so it was much more fun to imagine Beckendorf holding Percy's straps back at the idea of these things getting their jaws on a gold skateboard.
"I was not one of those weird kids who tried to drown and burn ant hills," Percy sniffed.
"Dude, I won't," he promised. "Let's get out of here while we..."
His eyes widened.
Fifteen metres*50 feet away, two ants were struggling to drag a big hunk of metal towards their nest. It was the size of a refrigerator, all glittery gold and bronze, with weird bumps and ridges down the side and a bunch of wires sticking out the bottom. Then the ants rolled the thing over, and I saw a face.
Magnus was about one word away from throwing this book in that trashcan that vanished things to nowhere. He'd give Percy better memories, he'd make up ones that didn't involve...all of this.
I just about jumped out of my skin. "That's a –"
"Shhh!" Beckendorf pulled me back into the bushes.
"But that's a –"
"Dragon's head," he said in awe. "Yes. I see it."
"So it's only his head," Magnus sighed in relief, the book's saving grace. "I can live with that."
"Right, buddy, you keep thinking that," Will muttered low enough Magnus only squinted suspiciously at him. What on earth made the poor guy think the rest of the body wouldn't come with the head?
The snout was as long as my body. The mouth hung open, showing metal teeth like a shark's. Its skin was a combination of gold and bronze scales, and its eyes were rubies as big as my fists. The head looked like it had been hacked from its body – chewed by ant mandibles. The wires were frayed and tangled.
"Robot dragon," Magnus sighed, trying to decide if that made this horror better or worse. On one hand he could imagine Tyson punching it in the face a little easier. On the other...robot dragon!
"I bet Percy sticks his head in that and tries to scare Annabeth," Alex snickered.
"I'm worried where the rest of the body is," Jason frowned how a camp had a whole dragon buried somewhere in there and what else was just under their feet.
"Hey, I just realized," Magnus looked a little extra miserable now for some reason. "Where's Tyson? I'd feel better with a fire-breathing machine around if he was."
"He went back to the Cyclops forges the week before," Percy said reluctantly. "Trust me, I was missing him right about then too."
The head must've been heavy, too, because the ants were struggling, moving it only a few centimetres with every tug.
"If they get it to the hill," Beckendorf said, "the other ants will help them. We've got to stop them."
"I take it back," Nico said with a puzzled frown. "Everybody at your camp is just nuts."
"So glad to not be the exception for once," Percy nodded his agreement.
"What?" I asked. "Why?"
"It's a sign from Hephaestus. Come on!"
Magnus dropped the book in his lap and pressed his hands to his ears. "I never want to hear of another sign from your parents!"
"This is a good one," Will tried to soothe, though his voice hitching a bit gave away the lie, so he finished, "eventually."
Magnus gave him a baleful look and wondered how many people the robot dragon killed just by stepping on them before that eventually happened. There really was just no point arguing though he should skip to that, Percy's reaction was probably going to be worse than whatever the dragon did.
I didn't know what he was talking about, but I'd never seen Beckendorf look so determined. He sprinted along the edge of the clearing, his armour blending into the trees.
I was about to follow when something sharp and cold pressed against my neck.
"Surprise," Annabeth said, right next me. She must've had her magic Yankees cap on because she was totally invisible.
"I guess that makes sense," Jason chuckled. "She'd know better than to take her eyes off of you."
"She just wanted to jack that armor for herself," Alex smirked.
"She doesn't need it," Magnus said blankly.
"But I'm sure she has a whole speech ready about Percy stealing her thing," Alex insisted.
I tried to move, but she dug her knife under my chin.
"You've been held at knifepoint enough in your life," Nico shook his head, "I think I'm with Alex, she's just jealous she never got her turn at that too."
"I'm sure Annabeth has a list somewhere of what she wants revenge on Percy for and this was just a convenient outlet," Will chuckled.
Silena appeared out of the woods, her sword drawn. Her Aphrodite armour was pink and red, colour coordinated to match her clothes and makeup. She looked like Guerilla Warfare Barbie.
Thalia laughed way to hard at that one, but she'd been making Barbie jokes about that cabin for years and was probably just mad and appreciative of Percy getting to that one first.
"Nice work," she told Annabeth.
An invisible hand confiscated my sword. Annabeth took off her cap and appeared before me, smiling smugly. "Boys are easy to follow. They make more noise than a lovesick Minotaur."
Magnus looked newly traumatized at that sentence. "Who, who would he be lovesick after?"
"Geryon probably, he's the only monster with enough heart and a love of cattle," Alex said slyly.
Most of the others didn't seem to know whether to laugh or gag at that input and Magnus decided to read around her for it.
My face felt hot. I tried to think back, hoping I hadn't said anything embarrassing.
"You did not actually," Jason said helpfully, for once. "Though I'm sure it's just a matter of time."
There it was.
No telling how long Annabeth and Silena had been eavesdropping.
"You're our prisoner," Annabeth announced. "Let's get Beckendorf and –"
"Beckendorf!" For a split second I'd forgotten about him, but he was still forging ahead –
"Right towards the deadly ants," Will sighed.
"Annabeth truly will block out any other thought," Nico sounded grudgingly impressed.
straight towards the dragon's head. He was already twelve metres *40 feet away. He hadn't noticed the girls, or the fact that I wasn't behind him.
"Not the, greatest backup," Jason frowned.
"Credit for determination," Thalia shrugged.
"I bet he invents something that forces people to eat his dust," Alex chuckled.
"Come on!" I told Annabeth.
She pulled me back. "Where do you think you're going, prisoner?"
"I imagine her dragging you all the way back to Alcatraz and throwing you in the cell Braries used to be in just to prove her point," Magnus admitted.
"Labyrinth or no Labyrinth," Percy agreed.
"Look!"
She peered into the clearing and for the first time seemed to realize where we were. "Oh, Zeus..."
Beckendorf leaped into the open and struck one of the ants. His sword clanged off the thing's carapace. The ant turned, snapping its pincers. Before I could even call out, the ant bit Beckendorf's leg, and he crumpled to the ground. The second ant sprayed goo in his face, and Beckendorf screamed. He dropped his sword and slapped wildly at his eyes.
The collective shudder that went around the room may have knocked a few more support beams off their hinges. That went from zero to a hundred real quick from a friendly game to a death sentence. If this kid died, or even was maimed from these horrible injuries Percy was going to take that very personally...
I surged forward, but Annabeth pulled me back. "No."
"Charlie!" Silena yelled.
"Don't!" Annabeth hissed. "It's already too late!"
"What are you talking about?" I demanded. "We have to –"
Then I noticed more ants swarming towards Beckendorf – ten, twenty. They grabbed him by the armour and dragged him towards the hill so fast he was swept into a tunnel and disappeared.
Magnus was left sitting there shivering for several moments at the brutality of that. Bianca's and Zeo's deaths had been blunt, but not so much an out of the blue considering who they'd been fighting and the quests they'd been on. They didn't even know this guy, and it had just shot out of nowhere, like all those shrouds at camp were still waiting to float up.
"No!" Silena pushed Annabeth. "You let them take Charlie!"
Jason took an uneasy breath, trying to keep well off his face he wasn't sure how to take that. She'd saved Percy and Silena's life by doing so, but the cost felt ruthless.
"There's no time to argue," Annabeth said. "Come on!"
I thought she was going to lead us on a charge to save Beckendorf, but instead she raced to the dragon's head, which the ants had momentarily forgotten. She grabbed it by the wires and started dragging it towards the woods.
Percy's mouth was a fantastic showing of his feelings for that. She had never once shown an inclination for stuff over somebody's life, she hadn't even blinked at throwing Deadlus's wings away, she was as much a figurehead in that camp as him for kids to look up to. He'd follow her lead, but not exactly without hesitation when she was going to be crazier than an automaton about it.
"What are you doing?" I demanded. "Beckendorf –"
"Help me," Annabeth grunted. "Quick, before they get back."
"Oh, my gods!" Silena said. "You're more worried about this hunk of metal than Charlie?"
"Did that sign from Hephaestus involve some part of saying a child of Athena would become addicted to dragon heads?" Magnus asked in absolute concern for her mental health.
"You'd be lucky if a sign from a god had a message that clear," Thalia scoffed.
Annabeth spun around and shook her by the shoulders. "Listen, Silena! Those are Myrmekes. They're like fire ants, only a hundred times worse. Their bite is poison. They spray acid. They communicate with all the other ants and swarm over anything that threatens them.
"I liked my world better when I didn't know all of that," Magnus huffed, doing a poor job of ignoring Alex grinning in fascination and studying her hands like she was already imagining them with feelers.
If we'd rushed in there to help Beckendorf, we would have been dragged inside, too. We're going to need help – a lot of help – to get him back. Now, grab some wires and pull!"
Will watched as Percy clenched his hands and prepared to do as asked. He'd been about to follow Beckendorf without a clue. As much as everyone at Camp considered him a leader, it was really they all followed Percy's lead. Annabeth keeping Silena's head on was something to be proud of, Percy was the camp's beacon of who to shine the light on.
I didn't know what Annabeth was up to, but I'd adventured with her long enough to figure she had a good reason for what she was doing. The three of us tugged the metal dragon's head into the woods. Annabeth didn't let us stop until we were fifty meters* 55 yards from the clearing.
Magnus whistled in appreciation. "You drug that thing half a football field!"
"Almost a full blue whale," Alex grinned.
"At minimum as long as these books are laid out," Thalia rolled her eyes.
"It felt as long as the Jersy Turnpike," Percy groaned as he rotated his shoulder in vivid memory.
Then we collapsed, sweating and breathing hard.
Silena started to cry. "He's probably dead already."
"No," Annabeth said. "They won't kill him right away. We've got about half an hour."
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"Is she an entomologist too?" Jason sighed with envy.
"She's a Greek-ologist," Percy reminded with pride.
"I've read about the Myrmekes. They paralyse their prey so they can soften them up before –"
Silena sobbed. "We have to save him!"
"What Silena's siblings are probably thinking of her being in Annabeth's company for to long," Nico muttered. That girl didn't have an ounce of tact...and he was kind of annoyed he probably would have gone into details of their eating habits too without realizing that wasn't helping.
"Silena," Annabeth said. "We're going to save him, but I need you to get a grip. There is a way."
"Call the other campers," I said, "or Chiron. Chiron will know what to do."
"I don't think an exterminator has enough bug spray for this problem, let alone him," Magnus shivered.
"Where's a monster ant eater when you need one," Jason agreed.
"Why would you want Echidna back right now?" Will looked at him strangely.
Annabeth shook her head. "They're scattered all over the woods. By the time we got everyone back here, it would be too late. Besides, the entire camp wouldn't be strong enough to invade the Ant Hill."
"Then why is it there?!" Magnus cried in exasperation, he looked very near tears. "I demand an explanation why you and your entire nutjob of a family feel the need to have this in your backyard!"
"Lots of monsters got in before Thalia's tree was blessed," Will shrugged, completely unphased by his minor tantrum. "As you just read, we can't exactly kick them all out even if there was a reason to."
Magnus sighed and muttered an apology, reminding himself there was just no point in arguing any of this.
"Then what?"
Annabeth pointed at the dragon's head.
"Okay," I said. "You're going to scare the ants with a big metal puppet?"
"Annabeth does love taking part in our play, she's nearly always the star," Will snickered.
Percy gave him a long-suffering sigh. He was not going to strangle Will, he promised himself. He was just having fun, that was overkill, he would not strangle this idiot because of a joke...
"It's an automaton," she said.
That didn't make me feel any better. Automatons were magical bronze robots made by Hephaestus. Most of them were crazed killing machines, and those were the nice ones.
"What does that make Daedalus?" Alex mock whispered.
"The best of the worst," Percy snorted.
"So what?" I said. "It's just a head. It's broken."
"And sadly, I think the mermaids realize that, considering they dragged it there," Magnus sighed.
"Myermeks," Thalia corrected.
"Not if they're going to kidnap people back to their lair and drown them in acid they're not," Magnus sniffed.
"Percy, this isn't just any automaton," Annabeth said. "It's the bronze dragon. Haven't you heard the stories?"
I stared at her blankly.
"How to sum up these books in one sentence," Nico smirked.
Annabeth had been at camp a lot longer than I had. She probably knew tons of stories I didn't.
"Percy, you really don't have to keep repeating yourself," Jason shook his head.
"We just assume Annabeth knows every story ever, she's read every book and probably sleeps on a throne of them," Magnus rolled his eyes.
"I bet her favorite is probably still something mundane, like Star Wars," Alex said with a little wrist wave.
"Star Wars has a book?" Percy asked blankly.
"Would you guys stop trying to confuse the poor guy," Thalia said with a tragic expression as she moved to cover his ears, "you're crumbling his entire worldview!"
Percy smacked her away and called them all clowns and a few other choice words.
Silena's eyes widened. "You mean the old guardian? But that's just a legend!"
"Whoa," I said. "What old guardian?"
Annabeth took a deep breath. "Percy, in the days before Thalia's tree – back before the camp had magical boundaries to keep out monsters – the counsellors tried all sorts of different ways to protect themselves. The most famous was the bronze dragon. The Hephaestus cabin made it with the blessing of their father. Supposedly it was so fierce and powerful that it kept the camp safe for over a decade. And then... about fifteen years ago, it disappeared into the woods."
"Ooooh," Nico said in surprise. "Beckendorf's reaction actually does make sense now."
"Better than some other ancient prophecy about the end of the world," Percy agreed.
"And you think this is its head?"
"It has to be! The Myrmekes probably dug it up while they were looking for precious metal. They couldn't move the whole thing, so they chewed off the head. The body can't be far away."
"But they chewed it apart. It's useless."
"Not to mention, um, why did its batteries run out?" Magnus frowned. What did these things even run on? He'd never thought to ask.
"I'm pretty sure Annabeth could make a toadstool useful," Percy reminded.
"Not necessarily." Annabeth's eyes narrowed, and I could tell her brain was working overtime. "We could reassemble it. If we could activate it –"
"It could help us rescue Charlie!" Silena said.
"Hold up," I said. "That's a lot of ifs. If we find it, if we can reactivate it in time, if it will help us.
"I'm surprised that has you pausing," Thalia said. "Your life is a big series of what if's."
"What if I die, what if I die, what if I die?" Jason repeated, throwing up a finger for each.
"The day I stop worrying about that is the day I get cursed with immortality," Percy reminded with nothing but dread.
You said this thing disappeared fifteen years ago?"
Annabeth nodded. "Some say its motor wore out so it went into the woods to deactivate itself. Or its programming went haywire. No one knows."
"Do they hibernate?" Alex grinned. "Did it go off looking for a mate? Maybe he wanted to go on a better adventure where some poor farm boy finds him and saves the world."
"I need you to keep your ideas far away from Cabin 9," Will frowned at her. "If they make these things any more realistic, I will cry right along with Magnus."
"I'm just trying to foster encouragement and creativity," but Alex batted her eyes in a purely menacing way, a clearly deep want to have a robot dragon that she could ride into battle and slay the entire planet.
"You want to reassemble a haywire metal dragon?"
"I want Annabeth to have normal hopes and dreams," Percy sighed.
"Sorry Perce, wanting to date you doesn't fall on that list," Jason smirked.
Percy considered for a moment if the trade would still be worth it for his bladder's sake, but he didn't get the chance to linger on it.
"We have to try!" Annabeth said. "It's Beckendorf's only hope! Besides, this could be a sign from Hephaestus. The dragon should want to help one of Hephaestus's kids. Beckendorf would want us to try."
"Never have I yet heard being related to any of this stuff has made it more friendly! With the exception of Tyson!" Magnus balked.
"Exactly, I think some of the other kids are due for some," Thalia shrugged.
I didn't like the idea. On the other hand, I didn't have any better suggestions. We were running out of time, and Silena looked like she was about to go into shock if we didn't do something soon.
Will had a very unpleasant bubbling feeling in the pit of his gut. Wondering at Silena's decisions, if she'd been considering calling Luke for help in some deluded idea. He'd gotten a first hand look at the kind of despair that had been on her face for days and had no wish to keep thinking on all this in the slightest, but it's not like he could boot her out of Percy's memories.
Beckendorf had said something about a sign from Hephaestus. Maybe it was time to find out.
"All right," I said. "Let's go find a headless dragon."
"Maybe if you don't attach his head back he'd be less scary?" Magnus sighed.
"I hope they name him Reid!" Alex grinned.
We searched forever, or maybe it just seemed that way, because the whole time, I was imagining Beckendorf in the Ant Hill, scared and paralysed, while a bunch of armoured critters scuttled around him, waiting for him to be tenderized.
"To bad you can't start a bucket brigade from the kitchens," Jason frowned, "dish soap and lava would probably clear this problem up easier."
"We'll call that plan B," Percy shivered, well aware they only had one chance at plan A for Beckendorf to live...and there was a really horrible feeling deep inside him that made him worry if he even did...
It wasn't hard to follow the ants' trail. They'd dragged the dragon's head through the forest, making a deep rut in the mud, and we dragged the head right back the way they'd come.
"Talk about going around in circles," Percy sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "this head's doing full 360's."
"And somehow still making more progress than you on your capture the flag game," Jason muttered, well aware that wasn't on anyone's radar right now, but a part of his mind that never stopped working regardless.
We must've gone five hundred meters* over 500 yards – and I was getting worried about the time – when Annabeth said, "Di immortales."
We'd come to the rim of a crater – like something had blasted a house-size hole in the forest floor. The sides were slippery and dotted with tree roots. Ant tracks led to the bottom, where a large metal mound glinted through the dirt. Wires stuck up from a bronze stump on one end.
"You just know that thing would have some crazy rumors about it if you didn't know what it was," Alex chuckled. "Zues's wifi hotspot, tree that used to house a magic tree house that went evil, flying fish spawn from there."
"I am convinced you are the child of whatever god of stories is out there," Thalia shook her head in pure endearment of her.
"And I love it!" She threw her arms wide and smacked Magnus in the face while the others got a mild laugh from her antics.
"The dragon's neck," I said. "You think the ants made this crater?"
"Ant's are great at excavating their own mounds, but how well do they dig up stuff?" Magnus agreed in surprise that sounded kind of deep in the earth for them to have just found.
"Annabeth would know," Percy frowned he had no clue what was really going on, as usual.
Annabeth shook her head. "Looks more like a meteor blast..."
"Though now I am absolutely over here wondering if Hepeahsuts's big sign was his recreation of the dinosaur event or something," Nico grumbled if he'd thrown a meteor to take this thing out and his kids were just uncovering the remains.
"Hephaestus," Silena said. "The god must've unearthed this. Hephaestus wanted us to find the dragon. He wanted Charlie to..." She choked up.
Jason winced, that didn't seem very in line with these gods he'd heard of. Heaphusts hadn't even flinched when told the camp might be overrun, but he wasn't going to argue the point with anyone right now.
"Come on," I said. "Let's reconnect this bad boy."
Getting the dragon's head to the bottom was easy. It tumbled right down the slope and hit the neck with a loud, metallic BONK!
"I wonder if he enjoyed the ride," Thalia chuckled.
"That had to have been better than getting dragged away from his body," Will nodded, while Percy shivered at the idea of this thing being awake while all that happened.
Reconnecting it was harder.
We had no tools and no experience.
Annabeth fiddled with the wires and cursed in Ancient Greek. "We need Beckendorf. He could do this in seconds."
Alex took a deep breath before saying, "The man who built it doesn't want it, the man who bought it doesn't need it, the man who needs it doesn't know it."
"Are you seriously invoking the freaking sphinx right now?" Percy groaned. "One monster at a time isn't enough?"
"Oh, I know!" Jason waved his hand.
"Poor timing Alex," Magnus agreed while Jason was still glaring at Alex with his hand raised.
"I just thought it particularly appropriate right now," Alex said with the whole hope it didn't actually come true. "And since when do you need permission to talk around here Jason?" She shot at him in exasperation.
"The answer's kind of morbid, just making sure I should," he finally lowered his hand with a shrug.
"No morbid jokes until after the person is rescued," Thalia said swiftly as Percy started looking a little gray around the edges again the longer this dragged on.
"Isn't your mom the goddess of inventors?" I asked.
Annabeth glared at me. "Yes, but this is different. I'm good with ideas. Not mechanics."
"There's an I in both of those words though, so I'm kind of surprised to hear that," Jason chuckled.
"Annabeth's never claimed to be a solo act," Magnus reminded with a hopeful smile. "Even from Percy's first quest she knew she needed someone to get her out of camp rather than trying to go it alone."
Percy grinned with delight at that nugget while Jason nodded his agreement in mild apology.
"If I was going to pick one person in the world to reattach my head," I said, "I'd pick you."
I just blurted it out – to give her confidence, I guess – but immediately I realized it sounded pretty stupid.
"Well at least you finally realize the stupid shit that comes out of your mouth," Thalia chuckled. "Progress."
"Will it stop him from doing it? No," Nico smirked.
"Stop me from doing what?" Will asked innocently.
"Stop encouraging him Nico! You did that on purpose!" Percy groaned in protest to every word of this. Nico was to busy snickering to even pretend otherwise, and it was so far removed from the depressed little kid Percy only had memories of he didn't have the heart to act on that strangling threat again.
"Awww..." Silena sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Percy, that is so sweet!"
"Was it?" Nico asked blankly. Well crud, he clearly had no idea how to flirt.
"Annabeth wasn't impressed, so it's anyone's guess," Percy sighed, a slight blush still on his cheeks.
Annabeth blushed. "Shut up, Silena. Hand me your dagger."
I was afraid Annabeth was going to stab me with it.
Causing very unfair laughter around the room while Percy hung his head. He already had no clue what was going on, did he need a live audience for it?
"Does she kiss you again?" Alex asked eagerly, leaning on the edge of her seat.
"Then we'd have to call her out on bad timing," Magnus shook his head. "Beckendorf's about to die, not him."
Percy was rubbing his lip with a mosh pit of butterflies in his stomach, he couldn't make himself speak or they'd all come out. It's not like he was opposed to the idea, though that was ten times more morbid than even Alex could probably ever be if it was some odd new tradition like holding his hand underground was...
Instead she used it as a screwdriver to open a panel in the dragon's neck. "Here goes nothing," she said.
And she started to splice together the celestial bronze wires.
It took a long time. Too long.
I figured capture the flag had to be over by now. I wondered how soon the other campers would realize we were missing and come looking for us. If Annabeth's calculations were correct (and they always were), Beckendorf probably had five or ten minutes left before the ants got him.
"I trust Percy's internal clock pretty accurately too," Thalia shivered for that poor guy, even knowing the other Huntresses would consider her a traitor for doing it. "He always gets to the microwave right before it goes off."
"The one thing I've never managed to explode, it was to vital to my life," Percy agreed.
Finally Annabeth stood up and exhaled. Her hands were scraped and muddy. Her fingernails were wrecked. She had a brown streak across her forehead where the dragon had decided to spit grease at her.
Percy's fingers curled tight around his camp necklace to try and hide the fact his heart skipped a beat. How was it possible the worse she looked the more he couldn't look away?
"All right," she said. "It's done, I think..."
"You think?" Silena asked.
"It has to be done," I said. "We're out of time. How do you, uh, start it?
Alex frowned and paused and sighed. She knew she shouldn't get offended at them calling the dragon an it, but she'd have preferred if they just kept referring to the creature as the dragon, or even used they, them pronouns. This was a machine though, and she didn't want to start picking fights about that kind of topic right now.
Is there an ignition switch or something?"
"I really hope nobody left the key in their pocket, we don't have time to find out where the hotwire is," Nico frowned.
Annabeth pointed to its ruby eyes. "Those turn clockwise. I'm guessing we rotate them."
"Are we sure she doesn't have a manual shoved up her sleeve somewhere," Jason looked fascinated how she'd found that out from some wiring and was probably going to be picking up a new hobby soon...hopefully not specifically of the metal dragon variety.
"If somebody twisted my eyeballs, I'd wake up," I agreed.
"Good to know," Thalia nodded to Percy's eyeballs great concern. "My next course of action was to start cutting out teeth if you didn't soon."
"I wake at the drop of a hat," Percy tried to defend.
"When your life's in danger," she completely agreed while Percy looked pleadingly at the ceiling.
"What if it goes crazy on us?"
"Then... we're dead," Annabeth said.
"I always admire her confidence!" Will burst out laughing.
"Yeah, because you've never been on the receiving end of it," Nico muttered.
"Great," I said. "I'm psyched."
"Psyched as an ADHD kid in a filing cabinet," Thalia snickered.
Together we turned the ruby eyes of the dragon. Immediately they began to glow. Annabeth and I backed up so fast we fell over each other.
"Awww, the first thing it sees is what we all put together in the first five seconds too," Alex said with a posh wave of her hand. "So sweet of you guys not to leave him out!"
"You're lucky that dragon's probably color blind Alex, or you'd be his dessert," Percy rolled his eyes.
The dragon's mouth opened, as if it were testing its jaw. The head turned and looked at us. Steam poured from its ears and it tried to rise.
When it found it couldn't move, the dragon seemed confused. It cocked its head and regarded the dirt. Finally, it realized it was buried. The neck strained once, twice... and the centre of the crater erupted.
The dragon pulled itself awkwardly out of the ground, shaking clumps of mud from its body the way a dog might, splattering us from head to toe.
Percy had gotten some in his mouth and he spat nothing out in here in disgust. Silena had looked more like Mud Bath Barbie, and Annabeth seemed to have gone brunette there for a strange moment she was so caked down.
It was, by far, the least important thing to be happening in this memory, but struck Percy as strange all the same why he couldn't get the idea out of his head.
The automaton was so awesome, none of us could speak. I mean, sure it needed a trip through the car wash,
"Which Percy has ample practice in," Jason chuckled.
"I still might need a few test runs to make sure I get the settings right," Percy gave him an obvious look. "Are you volunteering?"
"Only if you promise no flesh eating horses or robot dragons are in there at the same time," he sighed because he knew he wasn't getting out of it now.
and there were a few loose wires sticking out here and there, but the dragon's body was amazing – like a high-tech tank with legs. Its sides were plated with bronze and gold scales, encrusted with gemstones. Its legs were the size of tree trunks and its feet had steel talons. It had no wings – most Greek dragons don't – but its tail was at least as long as its main body, which was the size of a school bus. The neck creaked and popped as it turned its head to the sky and blew a column of triumphant fire.
The longer the description dragged on the quieter Magnus's voice got, until he was sunk far enough back into his seat it looked like it was eating him and he was whispering.
Alex sighed and had no other clue how to get him out of this silly funk, it's not as if a dragon was going to appear in here. So she leaned very close to his ear, he didn't even notice as his eyes never left the page, and casually said, "boo."
Magnus startled, fell out of his chair still hugging the book to his chest, and then lay across Alex's feet for several moments glaring up at her before raising the book to hide her face and continuing to read in a normal volume like nothing had happened.
"Well..." I said in a small voice. "It still works."
"Thank you Percy!" Magnus jabbed at him, letting the book fall against his nose for a moment without care.
"Here to help man," Percy nodded, studying him in concern what they were supposed to do if Alex stepped on his face.
Unfortunately, it heard me. Those ruby eyes zeroed in on me, and it stuck its snout five centimetres* an inch from my face.
Magnus shivered from head to toe, probably causing a new crack in the floor where he lay. He was likely to curl up into the fetal position in moments, and Percy couldn't blame him as he gagged on the remembered smell of gasoline and tabasco filling his nose and the pitiless hunger in those ruby sockets.
Instinctively, I reached for my sword.
"Dragon, stop!" Silena yelled. I was amazed her voice still worked. She spoke with such command that the automaton turned its attention to her.
Silena swallowed nervously. "We've woken you to defend the camp. You remember? That is your job!"
The dragon tilted its head as if it were thinking. I figured Silena had about a fifty-fifty chance of getting blasted with fire.
"The other half is getting her head ripped off like a real Barbie," Thalia informed in case they'd missed that.
"Nah, she's got this," Will grinned. There was a lingering sadness to his smile nobody else understood, but he had full knowledge she could lead anyone into battle, even a dragon.
I was considering jumping on the thing's neck to distract it
"Percy!" Thalia smacked him upside the head. "Why, in the gods names, is that, your, first, thought?" She started smacking him repeatedly on the arm.
"Because I'm pretty sure it would work," Percy shrugged, watching in mild fascination as it seemed to hurt her hand more than he felt it the longer she kept going.
when Silena said, "Charles Beckendorf, a son of Hephaestus, is in trouble. The Myrmekes have taken him. He needs your help."
At the word Hephaestus the dragon's neck straightened. A shiver rippled through its metal body, throwing a new shower of mud clods all over us.
The dragon looked around as if trying to find an enemy.
"We have to show it," Annabeth said. "Come on, dragon! This way to the son of Hephaestus! Follow us!"
Just like that, she drew her sword, and the three of us climbed out of the pit.
"For Hephaestus!" Annabeth yelled, which was a nice touch. We charged through the woods. When I looked behind us, the bronze dragon was right on our tail, its red eyes glowing and steam coming out its nostrils.
It was a good incentive to keep running fast as we headed for the Ant Hill.
Magnus's voice was pitching in and out like bad reception now, ignoring the glitter of Alex's toenails in the corner of his eye easily enough as he still wasn't as convinced as Percy seemed to be that dragon probably wasn't so much as following them but chasing them.
When we got to the clearing, the dragon seemed to catch Beckendorf's scent. It barrelled ahead of us, and we had to jump out of its way to avoid getting flattened. It crashed through the trees, joints creaking, feet pounding craters into the ground.
It charged straight for the Ant Hill. At first, the Myrmekes didn't know what was happening. The dragon stepped on a few of them, smashing them to bug juice.
"Good dragon," Alex crooned.
Then their telepathic network seemed to light up, like: Big dragon. Bad!
"Somebody get me a magnifying glass!" She yelped.
"Alex, it was dark out when this was happening," Nico reminded.
"I can use the moonbeams, I'll get creative," she promised.
Nobody was really sure how that was going to start or end, and they were kind of scared to ask. Magnus, however, finally sat up and leaned against his seat now that at least the dragon's focus wasn't on Annabeth and Percy anymore.
All the ants in the clearing turned simultaneously and swarmed over the dragon. More ants poured out of the hill – hundreds of them. The dragon blew fire and sent a whole column of them into a panicked retreat. Who knew ants were flammable?
"Every psychopath I've ever met," Magnus scoffed.
"Guess you meet more interesting people than I do Magnus, and that's saying a lot," Percy said with a raised brow. The place had been lit up like a bonfire in seconds, how the rest of camp hadn't come running was an honest mystery.
But more kept coming.
"Inside, now!" Annabeth told us. "While they're focused on the dragon!"
Silena led the charge; it was the first time I'd ever followed a child of Aphrodite into battle.
A hiss of pain fell from Percy's lips this wouldn't be the last, but though he rubbed his temple he was almost smiling at the bad feeling too. It was kind of cool to realize in the moment this was Silena coming into her own, getting a chance to realize a memory was so awesome the first time doubled.
We ran past the ants, but they ignored us. For some reason they seemed to consider the dragon a bigger threat. Go figure.
"Their mistake," Jason scoffed.
"I'm not arguing the point," Percy rolled his eyes.
"Because you're an idiot," Thalia chuckled with nothing but affection.
We plunged into the nearest tunnel and I almost gagged from the stench. Nothing, I mean nothing, stinks worse than a giant ant lair. I could tell they let their food rot before eating it. Somebody seriously needed to teach them about refrigerators.
"Would Chiron and Mr. D be okay with them piggy backing off their electric bill though?" Nico smirked. "I already don't think they're holding up their share of the rent."
"It smelt worse than Smelly Gabe," Percy insisted. "I would donate- okay, I don't even get an allowance there, but if this is a recurring problem I'd flip the breaker switch or something!" He smiled at the others getting a laugh out of this while he fought the urge to gag. He was happy for them, truly, they only had to hear about this and not live it...though it only made him miss Annabeth more every word she'd be plugging her nose same as him.
Our journey inside was a blur of dark tunnels and mouldy rooms carpeted with old ant shells and pools of goo. Ants surged past us on their way to battle, but we just stepped aside and let them pass.
"To bad they're not all storming out to argue which is better, Antz or Bugs Life," Alex sighed.
"I'm sure they'll go back to their clubs and debats as soon as their home isn't under attack and the kiddos are full of goo," Nico said with her level of chipper, which was kind of starting to concern Percy. He hadn't sounded depressed in hours.
The faint bronze glow of my sword gave us light as we made our way deeper into the nest.
"Look!" Annabeth said.
I glanced into a side room, and my heart skipped a beat. Hanging from the ceiling were huge, gooey sacks – ant larvae, I guess – but that's not what got my attention. The cave floor was heaped with gold coins, gems and other treasures – helmets, swords, musical instruments, jewellery. They glowed the way magic items do.
"That's just one room," Annabeth said. "There are probably hundreds of nurseries down here, decorated with treasure."
"That's kind of cute," Magnus grudgingly admitted, all of his long, messy blonde hair still mostly on one side he was ignoring and reading through. "I wonder if they burst out and pick a favorite toy or something."
Alex resisted the urge to run her hand through the mess and straighten it out for him as she instead hummed in agreement.
"It's not important," Silena insisted. "We have to find Charlie!"
Another first: a child of Aphrodite uninterested in jewellery.
"I bet if it was cursed jewelry she'd at least hesitate," Jason said in mild defense.
"Nah, she'd find a way to work that curse with her outfit, it's their own magical gift," Percy sighed.
"Right up there with yours getting into trouble," Thalia shook her head.
We forged on. After six more metres* 20 feet, we entered a cavern that smelled so bad my nose shut down completely.
"I'm going to be sick," Percy promised, his stomach rolling at the memory alone.
"This is not class Mr. Jackson," Alex said in a snooty voice. "You were not excused!"
"Does anything get us out of your class Miss Fierro?" Will asked curiously.
She thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "Nope, you will all sit and listen to my brilliance or so help me you will get homework!"
"You're not even reading," Magnus frowned up at her accusingly, giving her the excuse to swat his bangs into his face and watch him for a moment shake his long hair out to fix it.
"You're more evil than Mrs. Dodd's," Percy frowned, though his hand fell lax from his stomach at the distraction.
"I'm not the one forcing you to read this," she reminded with a touch of hurt, "and the homework is encouraged to be worked on together."
"Okay, just as evil as Chiron," Percy chuckled.
The remains of old meals were piled as high as sand dunes – bones, chunks of rancid meat, even old camp meals. I guess the ants had been raiding the camp's compost heap and stealing our leftovers. At the base of one of the heaps, struggling to pull himself upright, was Beckendorf. He looked awful, partly because his camouflage armour was now the colour of garbage.
"Damn, I don't even think Silena could find a way to match shoes with that," Jason heaved a tragic sigh.
"Hospital gown," Thalia said flatly.
"Charlie!" Silena ran to him and tried to help him up.
"Thank the gods," he said. "My – my legs are paralysed!"
"It'll wear off," Annabeth said. "But we have to get you out of here. Percy, take his other side."
Silena and I hoisted Beckendorf up, and the four of us started back through the tunnels. I could hear distant sounds of battle – metal creaking, fire roaring, hundreds of ants snapping and spitting.
"What's going on out there?" Beckendorf asked. His body tensed. "The dragon! You didn't – reactivate it?"
"Afraid so," I said. "Seemed like the only way."
"But you can't just turn on an automaton! You have to calibrate the motor, run a diagnostic... There's no telling what it'll do! We've got to get out there!"
"I'm now imagining him with seven kinds of wrenches having a fit over a monkey belt or something," Nico admitted.
"Think it's just called a tool belt Nico," Will offered. Nico smiled as he imagined Will pouring over car manuals to try and impress his dad, and then Will showing him a few.
As it turned out, we didn't need to go anywhere, because the dragon came to us. We were trying to remember which tunnel led to the exit when the entire hill exploded, showering us in dirt. Suddenly we were staring at open sky. The dragon was right above us, thrashing back and forth, smashing the Ant Hill to bits as it tried to shake off the Myrmekes crawling all over its body.
The sudden blast of air and light felt like a second rise out of the underworld. Percy remembered gaping up at that monstrosity, fire and smoke setting its golden face like the sun of a new day, sparks flying from every scale as it roared in pain. That dragon had saved their life, and he was once again just left wondering if Grover would want a hug from it or would consider that a first class meal.
"Come on!" I yelled. We dug ourselves out of the dirt and stumbled down the side of the hill, dragging Beckendorf with us.
Our friend the dragon was in trouble. The Myrmekes were biting at the joints of its armour, spitting acid all over it. The dragon stomped and snapped and blew flames, but it couldn't last much longer. Steam was rising from its bronze skin.
Even worse, a few of the ants turned towards us. I guess they didn't like us stealing their dinner. I slashed at one and lopped off its head. Annabeth stabbed another right between the feelers. As the celestial bronze blade pierced its shell, the whole ant disintegrated.
"Great, another thing to lug back," Alex huffed.
"We did not need a trophy of this event," Percy groaned.
"Slackers!" She sniffed.
"I – I think I can walk now," Beckendorf said, and immediately fell on his face when we let go of him.
"There's a right and wrong place for a pratt fall man," Jason said with a nervous laugh.
"Nobody ever said to Percy," Thalia finished for him.
"Charlie!" Silena helped him up and pulled him along while Annabeth and I cleared a path through the ants. Somehow we managed to reach the edge of the clearing without getting bitten or splashed, though one of my sneakers was smoking from acid.
"What is it with your bad luck and shoes?" Jason frowned.
"I was destined to be bigfoot in another life?" He shrugged.
Back in the clearing, the dragon stumbled. A great cloud of acid mist was roiling off its hide.
"We can't let it die!" Silena said.
"Awww," Alex grinned. "Don't ever let someone say I never agreed with a child of Aphrodite!"
"How I wish that would have been her mother's response," Thalia nodded along sternly. The goddess of love was probably up on Olympus somewhere watching and applauding at all the drama instead of actually swooping in to help, if she wasn't engrossed in a hollywood celebrity magazine first.
"It's too dangerous," Beckendorf said sadly. "Its wiring –"
"Charlie," Silena pleaded, "it saved your life! Please, for me."
Beckendorf hesitated. His face was still bright red from the ant spit, and he looked as if he were going to faint any minute, but he struggled to his feet. "Get ready to run," he told us. Then he gazed across the clearing and shouted, "DRAGON! Emergency defence, beta-ACTIVATE!"
The dragon turned towards the sound of his voice. It stopped struggling against the ants, and its eyes glowed. The air smelled of ozone, like before a thunderstorm.
Thalia gave a not-so-quite chuckle at the rare power she allowed to course through her. It was a heady feeling she wouldn't ordinarily enjoy sharing with a dragon for a moment, but this one had saved a camper's life.
ZZZZZAAAAAPPP!
Arcs of blue electricity shot from the dragon's skin, rippling up and down its body and connecting with the ants. Some of the ants exploded. Others smoked and blackened, their legs twitching. In a few seconds there were no more ants on the dragon. The ones that were still alive were in full retreat, scuttling back towards their ruined hill as fingers of electricity zapped them in the butt to prod them along.
Magnus snorted fantastically and threw his head back laughing.
"Are you done acting like the world is ending again?" Alex asked as she watched the nerves twitch around in his throat. He had a really strong jawline usually obscured but for this angle.
"For now," he agreed as he hoisted himself back into his usual seat.
The dragon bellowed in triumph, then it turned its glowing eyes towards us.
"Now," Beckendorf said, "we run."
This time we did not yell, "For Hephaestus!" We yelled, "Heeeeelp!"
Magnus immediately groaned again, eyeing the floor as if considering how much less he'd looked like a dragon sized snack from down there.
"Don't even think about it," Alex huffed as she grabbed the back of his shirt.
"I am being punished for a crime I did not commit!" He huffed.
"The two kind of sound the same," Will offered in a not at all helpful kind of voice. "Maybe the dragon just thinks they're charging off again to a wasps nest next."
"Will, that's worse," Magnus yelped. "You hear how that's worse, right?!"
Percy finally cleared his throat and reminded him to either get it over with or give it up, because, you know, he'd already lived through it.
The dragon pounded after us, spewing fire and zapping lightning bolts over our heads like it was having a great time.
Jason couldn't help a little snort of laughter he tried his hardest to pass off as a muffled sneeze. He couldn't help it, that dragon had been through it and sounded more like a puppy having fun without yet realizing his playmates weren't squealing with delight.
"How do you stop it?" Annabeth yelled.
Beckendorf, whose legs were now working fine (nothing like being chased by a huge monster to get your body back in order)
"There's a whole world of self-motiavting posters and workout videos missing out on this dragon marketing," Thalia nodded.
"One that the mist should keep them very far away from!" Percy frowned accusingly at her.
shook his head and gasped for breath. "You shouldn't have turned it on! It's unstable! After a few years, automatons go wild!"
"Would he have rather they left him for dead?" Nico asked conversationally.
"Not a hundred percent sure being rescued into a dragon chase is what I'd call great," Magnus reminded with exhaustion in every syllable.
"Good to know," I yelled. "But how do you turn it off?"
"Someone really needs to tell Hephaestus it's a design flaw not to be voice activated shut down with a secret password," Will would give them that.
"I'll do it," Percy said without hesitation, which was pretty much the worst person to be sent to do it and also the only one who would tell a god to do it.
Beckendorf looked around wildly. "There!"
Up ahead was an outcrop of rock, almost as tall as the trees. The woods were full of weird rock formations, but I'd never seen this one before. It was shaped like a giant skateboard ramp, slanted on one side, with a sheer drop on the other.
"You guys, run around to the base of the cliff," Beckendorf said. "Distract the dragon. Keep it occupied!"
"That, is the worst sentence, in the English language," Magnus looked pained he'd said those words together.
"Followed very closely by, look, I didn't want to be a half-blood," Percy actually nodded his agreement.
"What are you going to do?" Silena said.
"You'll see. Go!"
Beckendorf ducked behind a tree while I turned and yelled at the dragon, "Hey, lizard-lips! Your breath smells like gasoline!"
The dragon spewed black smoke out of its nostrils. It thundered towards me, shaking the ground.
"Maybe that's a compliment in dragon?" Jason asked bemusedly.
"You are way to calm about this man!" Magnus groaned.
"Percy's not freaking out," he reminded, throwing a thumb at him. "He just kind of looks annoyed at this, I'm betting because he lost his chance to win capture the flag more than this."
Percy smiled his automatic reaction was to agree with that...but it didn't erase the insistent strain on him through all of this. There was something he was forgetting about all of this, something about Beckendorf and Silena, but the circumstances didn't feel right. This did feel like just another day at camp, so it wasn't bothering him to much.
"Come on!" Annabeth grabbed my hand. We ran for the back of the cliff.
"So we can now put underground, and being chased by a dragon on that list," Thalia snickered.
"I, have a minor preference," Percy said, smiling like a dope and not like someone who was being threatened by a dragon. Magnus really felt alone that should be a bigger concern than it was.
The dragon followed.
"We have to hold it here," Annabeth said. The three of us readied our swords.
The dragon reached us and lurched to a stop. It tilted its head like it couldn't believe we'd be so foolish as to fight.
"No, no, like a baby unsure what to do next," Jason grinned in delight. "Think a puppy waiting to see if he gets treats for doing a good job."
"Jason, you are not adopting the electric murderous dragon," Will sighed.
"Aw, come on!" Jason frowned. "He sounds so cool, and I bet Beckendorf keeps him in great order."
"Mrs. O'Leary has a playmate her size," Nico couldn't help but chuckle along.
Alex whooped in delight and loudly seconded that, well hiding Will's wince and no actual answer.
Now it had caught us, there were so many different ways it could kill us it probably couldn't decide which to use.
"Well the fire's obviously his go to, but he probably used up all that on the ants," Magnus said with dripping disdain.
"Stomping you means he'd have to dig out Percy from between his toes, I don't know if they like to groom themselves as well as cats," Thalia nodded along.
"I bet his bite force is, the best, he might want to slice you up just for fun so you don't go down in one swallow," Alex said seriously.
"I am going to find a way to bury this dragon back where he came from," Percy frowned.
"Aww," they all mock groaned like Sally had just threatened to take their new toy away before busting out laughing.
We scattered as its first blast of fire turned the ground where we'd been standing into a smoking pit of ashes.
"Still think this is cute Jason?" Magnus shot at him.
"Like a puppy who doesn't understand he shouldn't bite," he agreed with a sunny smile.
Then I saw Beckendorf above us – at the top of the cliff – and I understood what he was trying to do. He needed a clear shot. I had to keep the dragon's attention.
"Yaaaah!" I charged. I brought Riptide down on the dragon's foot and sliced off a talon.
Its head creaked as it looked down at me. It seemed more confused than angry, like, Why did you cut off my toe?
"Percy, that was just rude and a complete overreaction," Thalia couldn't help but play along with Jason's joke now.
"I got Mrs. O'Leary already trained," Percy said deadpan. "I'm sorry if I hurt the murder-happy dragon's feelings!" He finished in complete exasperation at the pair.
Then it opened its mouth, baring a hundred razor-sharp teeth.
"Percy!" Annabeth warned.
I stood my ground. "Just another second..."
"Percy!"
And just before the dragon struck, Beckendorf launched himself off the rocks and landed on the dragon's neck.
The dragon reared back and shot flames, trying to shake off Beckendorf, but he held on like a cowboy as the monster bucked around. I watched in fascination as he ripped open a panel at the base of the dragon's head and yanked a wire.
"I want that engraved on the cabin's door," Alex said in awe.
"That's, not a bad idea," Will agreed, his tone as light as usual, but a little more wistful than it should have been.
Instantly, the dragon froze. Its eyes went dim. Suddenly it was only the statue of a dragon, baring its teeth at the sky.
Beckendorf slid down the dragon's neck. He collapsed at its tail, exhausted and breathing heavily.
"Charlie!" Silena ran to him and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "You did it!"
Annabeth came up to me and squeezed my shoulder. "Hey, Seaweed Brain, you okay?"
"Fine... I guess." I was thinking how close I'd come to being chopped into demigod hash in the dragon's mouth.
"You were great." Annabeth's smile was a lot nicer than that stupid dragon's.
"We all have our own idea of beauty," Jason snickered.
"I'm more surprised he's not thinking, monkey see monkey do?" Thalia rolled her eyes at where he kept touching his cheek as if Annabeth had abandoned him on a real reward.
"You, too," I said shakily. "So... what do we do with the automaton?"
Beckendorf wiped his forehead. Silena was still fussing over his cuts and bruises, and Beckendorf looked pretty distracted by the attention.
Percy huffed and grumbled for a moment he wouldn't know what that would feel like, since Annabeth had gone to studying the dragon like it was another Parthenon she'd need to know every detail of. At least he'd been a part of this story, he realized with a surprised smile. Now next time some idiot kid didn't know the story of the bronze dragon, Percy would get to enlighten them for once.
"We – uh – I don't know," he said. "Maybe we can fix it, get it to guard the camp, but that could take months."
"Worth trying," I said. I imagined having that bronze dragon in our fight against the Titan lord Kronos. His monsters would think twice about attacking camp if they had to face that thing. On the other hand, if the dragon decided to go berserk again and attack the campers – that would pretty much stink.
"Or we could host cowboy events to see who can wrangle it into submission again," Alex offered.
"Chiron will make you sleep in the strawberry fields if you suggest any such thing!" Percy tried to splutter and protest, but some part of him worried their activities director would go for it as some kind of communal practice.
"I can live with that," she grinned in delight, and Percy felt a smile tugging at his lips in admiration. Nothing scared Alex, not a threat even Mr. D could try to put against her would dampen her.
"Did you see all the treasure in the Ant Hill?" Beckendorf asked. "The magic weapons? The armour? That stuff could really help us."
"And the bracelets," Silena said. "And the necklaces."
"There it is!" Thalia nodded like a heavy weight of concern had been lifted away.
"What would you do with all your free time at Camp if you didn't have a feud with them?" Will snorted.
"Be very bored I'm sure, probably help Alex bring more fun into that place. You boys could use the practice," she grinned a smile worthy of a dragon that made all of them silently weep a bit.
I shuddered, remembering the smell of those tunnels. "I think that's an adventure for later. It would take an army of demigods even to get close to that treasure."
"Maybe," Beckendorf said. "But what a treasure..."
Silena studied the frozen dragon. "Charlie, that was the bravest thing I ever saw – you jumping on that dragon."
Beckendorf swallowed. "Um... yeah. So... will you go to the fireworks with me?"
Percy still vividly remembered the first time he'd gotten a compliment from Annabeth, after he'd run that bus with the furies off the road. It was a feeling of such power flowing through him, like he could do anything in that moment.
Sadly, Annabeth was rather stingy with her compliments, or he probably would have been able to defeat Kronos by now.
Silena's face lit up. "Of course, you big dummy! I thought you'd never ask!"
Will savored the laughter that blasted through the room with his eyes closed for several moments. It was probably the last laugh Silena and Beckendorf would ever get. Even Nico and Thalia probably didn't know in detail what was about to happen. They knew she was the traitor, but they probably didn't even know Beckendorf as more than just another name in a long list of people they'd lost in the war, they just weren't around camp enough to know as he did what was soon coming.
Beckendorf suddenly looked a whole lot better. "Well let's get back, then! I bet capture the flag is over."
I had to go barefoot, because the acid had eaten completely through my shoe. When I kicked it off I realized the goo had soaked into my sock and turned my foot red and raw. I leaned against Annabeth and she helped me limp through the woods.
The laughter increased ten-fold, Will's always somehow had the power to do that as Percy's tapered off with a flush of embarrassment. "It, it really hurt guys, have you ever walked on twigs barefoot, and um, there were rocks around-"
"Just stop Percy," Thalia was rubbing a stitch in her side, her eyes swimming with delighted tears.
"Yeah," he agreed with a shameless sigh. He'd been trying to find any excuse to pluck up the courage and ask her, having her to lean on so close just like always felt like a comfort rather than a hindrance.
Beckendorf and Silena walked ahead of us, holding hands, and we gave them some space.
Watching them, with my arm around Annabeth for support, I felt pretty uncomfortable. I silently cursed Beckendorf for being so brave, and I don't mean for facing the dragon. After three years, he'd finally got the courage to ask Silena Beauregard out. It wasn't fair.
"Some things never change," Jason said with a shake of his head that didn't suit him, he had that tone like one speaking twice his age again. "You'll be fifty and still stumbling over a compliment for her again."
Percy smiled at the dream he was painting, he found it hard to imagine he lived another birthday, let alone so many compliments later, but it was a nice idea.
"You know," Annabeth said as we struggled along, "it wasn't the bravest thing I've ever seen."
I blinked. Had she been reading my thoughts?
"Um... what do you mean?"
Annabeth gripped my wrist as we stumbled through a shallow creek. "You stood up to the dragon so Beckendorf would have his chance to jump – now that was brave."
Percy's mind froze...and then went more haywire than a dragons. Wait, she had been talking about him, right?! Not some other doofus who stood up to a dragon and cut its toe off? Did she want him to ask her out or was she just mocking him? Had she ever called Luke brave? What if he asked and she looked at him like he was covered in ant goo-
"Or pretty stupid."
"Percy, you're a brave guy," she said. "Just take the compliment. I swear, is it so hard?"
We locked eyes. Our faces were, like, centimetres apart. My chest felt a little funny, like my heart was trying to do jumping jacks.
"I really thought reading the rest would help him break out of, that," Magnus said, gesturing at his sagging face.
"Guys, I think we broke Percy," Alex announced grandly.
"It was bound to happen eventually," Thalia sighed, waving her hand in front of his face. "I half expected this back when she kissed him in the volcano."
"I'd just go ahead and finish man," Jason said without bothering to hide the laugh in his voice. He always was extra animated when a capture the flag game went on, and this seemed to have surpassed the others. "She'll call him an idiot here in a sec and things will go on like normal.
"So..." I said. "I guess Silena and Charlie are going to the fireworks together."
"I guess so," Annabeth agreed.
"Yeah," I said. "Um, about that –"
I don't know what I would've said, but just then, three of Annabeth's siblings from the Athena cabin burst out of the bushes with their swords drawn. When they saw us, they broke into grins.
"You're alive!" Jason mock cheered. "We already had the search parties assembled and everything with practice!"
Percy finally gave himself a little shake and looked around at him. "How terribly inconvenient of us, how about we skip back into the woods and play hide and seek next, oh wait, we just ruined that game!"
"The game probably wasn't ruined for everyone," Magnus offered, "I'm sure somebody had fun tonight." It just never seemed to be him.
Judging by the smile lingering on Percy's face though, they were pretty sure he was happy with his hour returned of seeing her covered in a new coat of mud, oil, and sweat as his arm stayed around her only in his mind.
"Annabeth!" one of them said. "Good job! Let's get these two to jail."
"Doesn't defeating a dragon and living through Myrmekes get him a get out of jail free card?" Magnus protested.
"I never even manage that in Monopoly," Percy sighed. She was as scary as Tyson, he usually went broke before he even got close to drawing his first card.
I stared at him. "The game's not over?"
"Damn," Nico said in surprise. "I really think Percy spaced out watching her a little to much, I thought much more time had dragged on too."
Magnus was at least laughing in surprised agreement again while Jason was looking at the book with a very calculating expression.
The Athena camper laughed. "Not yet... but soon. Now that we've captured you."
"Dude, come on," Beckendorf protested. "We got sidetracked. There was a dragon, and the whole Ant Hill was attacking us."
"Uh-huh," said another Athena guy, clearly unimpressed. "Annabeth, great job distracting them. Worked out perfectly. You want us to take them from here?"
Annabeth pulled away from me. I thought for sure she was going to give us a free walk back to the border, but she drew her dagger and pointed it at me with a smile.
"Nah," she said. "Silena and I can get this. Come on, prisoners. Move it."
I stared at her, stunned. "You planned this? You planned this whole thing just to keep us out of the game?"
"No way," Thalia sounded way to proud even if she shook her head. "No way she managed all of that."
Magnus didn't really think so either. As clever as she was, even she couldn't have put all that together.
"Percy, seriously, how could I have planned it? The dragon, the ants – you think I could've figured all that out ahead of time?"
"She did!" Jason gasped, causing a flare of jealousy in Percy at the look of admiration on his face. "She totally did! Oh my gosh, this girl is a genius!"
"Annabeth wouldn't put those two in danger like that," Magnus insisted.
"Not on purpose," he still had a wild grin in place, "but I'll bet you anything she somehow tracked down where that dragon was buried, unearthed it just enough to show the head, and then waited, hoping the ants would time it with her game."
"Her game?" Percy groaned. He thought Annabeth was a genius too, but she might believe someone as smart as Jason over him.
"That's a lot of if's," Magnus looked personally offended now if his cousin had decided to put a deranged dragon back into activation for a flag.
"It probably all didn't go according to plan," Jason was getting wound up now as he babbled excitedly. "I bet she planned on Percy and Beckendorf seeing this by telling them which direction to go and hoping Beckendorf would spend his time fawning over the dragon and forget about the game, not go charging the ants!"
"How on earth did she excavate a whole crater and find that thing and I didn't even notice?!" Percy demanded.
"Maybe she got Tyson and the forest dryads to help before he left," Jason shrugged, "maybe she-"
"Guys!" Thalia finally interrupted with a bright smile as Percy was clearly winding up to argue back. "One of these days, we're going to get out of here and you can interrogate Annabeth all day."
Jason still had a smug, 'I'm right,' look on his face while Magnus and Percy exchanged, 'I hate every minute of this' expressions, but Magnus was almost done with one more of these, and that was enticing enough for now.
It didn't seem likely, but this was Annabeth. There was no telling with her. Then she exchanged glances with Silena, and I could tell they were trying not to laugh.
"Yeah, I'm on Jason's side," Alex grinned along. The plan had probably gone to hell, but those two badasses had brought it back and still come out on top.
"Well don't look at me," Will reminded as Nico was watching him as if waiting to see if he was holding out. "I was on Percy's team! They weren't going to be sharing that kind of info with the enemy!"
"You – you little –" I started to say, but I couldn't think of a name strong enough to call her.
"Owl breath," Alex offered.
"Traitor," Magnus grumbled, she was the cause of this heart attack.
"Genius!" Jason crowed.
Thalia couldn't stop laughing at all of them, she had a pretty good idea Percy wasn't going to be the only one tackling Annabeth when they met now.
I protested all the way to the jail, and so did Beckendorf. It was totally unfair to be treated like prisoners after all we'd been through.
But Annabeth just smiled and put us in jail. As she was heading back to the front line, she turned and winked. "See you at the fireworks?"
Kronos might as well have appeared and trapped him in a time bubble. Percy froze with whatever expression was on his face. Had she just asked him out?! Like on a date!? The fireworks were on a beach, where they might just stumble into the ocean and, and... he sighed as the rest of the night's events swam easily to mind now. Still a little foggy around the edges, but with clarity that he was trying to connect two events that were not having it. The fireworks had been a spectacular show, he'd watched every color of the rainbow flash across her face that night and heard her laugh at the amazing designs their fellow campers created. She had gone down to the ocean and rinsed herself off, but there had still been mud creased into her skin and a streak of oil in her hair that nearly covered up her gray bangs.
She had been happy, on this night, but when Connor and Travis went racing past yelling in delight and throwing popcorn and hotdogs around from a stand no one seemed sure where it had come from, and Chiron announced how good it felt to have so many here on this night as he held a moment of silence for those they lost, Annabeth had bowed her head and clutched the beads on her necklace Percy had never been a part of. She wasn't there yet, with him or Luke.
She didn't even wait for my answer before darting off into the woods.
I looked at Beckendorf. "Did she just... ask me out?"
He shrugged, completely disgusted. "Who knows with girls? Give me a haywire dragon any day."
So we sat together and waited while the girls won the game.
Percy laughed along with everyone else. There was a relief in it, the tension in the room always just under the surface at being locked in here managed to vanish for just that moment that they knew they couldn't hang on to. Percy's life was hectic and chaotic, sometimes it felt like his closest friends made that worse rather than better, but it was his life being shared with them, and he wouldn't have it any other way...otherwise he might not ever find out how he got down here.
PJOPJOPJOPJO
Annabeth absolutely planned this and you cannot convince me or Jason otherwise.
Though I don't think she meant for Beckendorf to get captured. Most likely she expected Percy and him to try and find the dragon's body and for Beckendorf to fix it and wake it up while they followed invisibly to keep an eye on them and all that would have taken up time until the game was won. Annabeth only stepped in when she realized Beckendorf split off, but I don't think she saw or heard where he split off to.
*Not a goofy name I made up by the way, but a real animal. Go look them up, they're adorable!
#pjo#Percy Jackson#Thalia Grace#Jason Grace#nico di angelo#will solace#Alex Fierro#Magnus Chase#happy the dragon#charles beckendorf#silena beauregard#annabeth chase#percabeth#solangelo#big three kids
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ATLA LA Ep5 Thoughts:
I love the princess mononoke vibes of the Hei Bai plotline
We know this is not OG Ozai because OG Ozai loves him some self-serving flattery.
I don't like that they are flattening Azula's antagonism towards Zuko into a jealous woman stereotype.
The shirshu looks like something out of stranger things, definitely the best cg beast we've seen so far
I think June should give Zuko his first sexual experience.
Azula's fire turning blue! This makes me feel like they are trying to do an "origin" for Azula, to build her up into someone who is obsessed with one-upping Zuko (which causes her fire to turn permanently blue because something something rage and hatred). I still think it flattens the character to make her motivation into jealousy over a male character's power. Not that she wasn't insecure and jealous before, because she was. But OG Azula didn't know she was insecure and jealous until it was too late.
Okay I was kinda spoiled for the fox thing but I am SO CHARMED
"You will protect all of us someday." WELL THAT HURTS
The flashback to Kya's death was brutal. The added layer of Katara trying to bend and Yon Rah seeing it, thinking it was Kya. Jesus.
I do like how Sokka and Katara's flashbacks emphasize the loss of their community.
Oh, well that's a sad contrast to the Sokka who we see acting like the pillar of the community in Ep1.
Koh is so creepy! And expanding on his underutilized role in the original series is what an adaptation should be doing.
I've also been spoiled about Zuko's crew so Zuko's antagonism towards Jee feels like he's punishing himself for caring, which makes that end shot of him watching them have fun from afar even sadder.
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Broken Hearts Football Club | Chapter 4
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Masterlist
"And then she told me it was all my fault!"
"You've got to be kidding me" Ben whispered.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"It clearly is something. You look like you are killing someone in your mind" Meghan chuckled.
"I'm not killing anyone."
"Yes, you are. You can't stop looking at whoever you just saw."
"I saw no one, Meghan. Can we please go back to our dinner?"
"No, we can't" she said, turning around to look at whoever Ben couldn't stop staring at. "Wait, I know that girl."
"Who?"
"The one who just sat over there. Is that… is that June Maxwell?"
"I don't know who that is."
"Ben, you work commenting women's football and she is like the best player in the world right now. You have to know who she is” Meghan laughed. “I do and I don't like football."
"She isn't the best player in the world. Not even in England."
"Then you do know who she is."
"Yes, I do" he sighed. "Can we now please go back to our dinner?"
"Ok. Anyway, what was I saying… Oh, yes. She told me that everything had been my fault when she clearly had lost the package and… Ben. Benjamin… Chilly!"
"What?"
"Why do you keep looking in June's direction? You are on a date with me, not her."
"I'm not looking in her direction."
"Yes, you are. And it clearly is pissing you off. Are you jealous she's with a guy?"
"Jealous? Please" he snorted.
"Then why the murderous look?" Meghan asked.
"I'm not looking at her in any way."
"Yes, you are. So if you aren't jealous, are you looking at her like that because you don't like her?"
"Yes, that's it. I don't like her."
"Why? I don't know much about her, but judging by what I've seen, she seems super nice. And everyone says she's an amazing player."
"She isn't."
"Nice or a good player?"
"Both. She's a spoiled kid and very overrated. Can we please stop talking about her?"
"We can. But first you'll have to stop looking at her. Are you sure you aren't jealous? I've seen that look before and…"
"I'm not jealous, Meghan" he said, raising his voice. Thankfully, June was laughing at whatever the guy she was with had said and she didn't hear him. "I'm not jealous because of June freaking Maxwell. And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the bathroom."
"Because you are totally not jealous. You just don't like her."
"Exactly" Ben said as he got up and left their table.
━━━━━━❃━━━━━━
"Oh, shit. I'm so sorry."
"It's ok, don't… Chilwell? What are you doing here?" June said when she looked at the person she had bumped into.
"I'm just leaving the bathroom, I think you can guess. You?"
"I'm on my way to the bathroom, so you can guess too."
"Already? That boring is your date?"
"How do you… wait, have you been stalking me?"
"Me?" Ben scoffed. "You are the one who showed up with the most plain guy I've ever seen after I was already here."
"And then you say you aren't stalking me" she laughed. "He is Leah's cousin, by the way. You should be careful with what you say about him."
"I'm not scared of Williamson."
"You should be. You've known her since you were kids, haven't you?"
"Sadly" he sighed.
"Another successful woman who plays football and that you don't like? This is starting to smell really bad, Chilwell."
"I haven't said that I don't like her. And calling yourself successful…" he chuckled.
"My trophy's cabinet says so" June shrugged.
"You are lucky you are surrounded by good players. If you were on a different team, no one would give a shit about you."
"You probably would since you are obsessed with me."
"Me?" Ben laughed.
"Yes. You" she replied, taking a step closer towards him. "You are obsessed with me, Benjamin James Chilwell."
"Said the person who just called me by my full name" he said, closing the space between them a bit more.
"I've sadly known you for years, it is information I learnt against my will."
"Now you know how I feel every week when I have to read your statistics."
"Aww, poor Chilly" she pouted, making him focus on her lips. Why did they have to look so… kissable?
"Don't make fun of me, Maxwell."
"Or what. Are you going to roast me on live tv? Say I'm not worth it? That I'm overrated? That I don't deserve anything of what I've achieved? You've already said all that and worse."
"I’ve just stated facts."
"You and your stupid facts" June said, rolling her eyes. "Don't you have a different excuse? This is starting to get boring, Chilwell."
"It actually is, yes. So if you'll excuse me, someone is waiting for me."
"Wait, someone has agreed to go out with you? She must be blind or something. Going on a date with you must be torture."
"Yeah, I could say the same about Leah's cousin. He must feel very lonely to agree to go out with you."
"You are so not funny, Chilwell."
"Neither are you, Maxwell" he replied. Now they were just a few inches apart from each other. So close, that if any of them leaned forward just a tiny bit, their noses would touch. "I'm leaving."
"Good."
"Good" Ben repeated.
"Forgot how to move your feet?"
"Uh?"
"You aren't moving, Chilwell."
"You could move too."
"But you are the one who said I'm leaving first. So leave."
"I'm leaving."
“I don’t see you leaving.”
“I’m leaving” he said again, finally moving and taking a step back. “Happy?”
“Ecstatic” she smiled.
“Goodbye, Maxwell” he said, starting to walk away.
“Chilwell, wait.”
“What now?” Ben said, rolling his eyes and turning to look at her.
“Be careful and try not to bite your tongue. I don’t think the restaurant has an antidote for that type of venom” June smirked.
“You are so…” he said, walking back and closing the space between them once again.
“So what? Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping…”
“Annoying” he whispered as he leant forward, his eyes fixed on her lips. He wanted to kiss them. He… “Goodbye” Ben blurted out, walking away from her once again and ignoring whatever nonsense she was saying behind him, his mind only thinking about one thing: he had wanted to kiss June Maxwell.
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i've been thinking a lot about jonathan's pre-written june letters, & started wondering about travel times. if jonathan writes in a letter dated june 19th that he's setting out the next day, how long would hawkins expect it to take for him to show up back in london? it seemed from the earliest journal entries that the trip there probably took less than a week, i assume you wouldn't expect the trip back to take much longer. even when the follow-up letter dated june 29th implies that he's somehow been delayed in bistritz for quite some time, surely him not materializing by the end of the first week of july is cause for concern? mina receives the june 19th letter, forwarded by hawkins, on july 26th, surely by this point jonathan is absolutely ages overdue already, even taking into account the follow-up letter & the possibility of unexpected delays. surely the train fiend knows this! is she just not writing it down for "cannot engage with the horrors" reasons? or am i totally off the mark about how long this journey would be expected to take?
feel free not to answer this ask until mina gets the june 19th letter btw i know we're trying to avoid spoiling first-timers. i just wanted to send it while it was on my mind.
I am bad at tracking the dates, but so far as I can see, you're absolutely right. It is weird. A letter could make it from Budapest to London in two days in the 1890s, and from Bucharest to London in two and a half.
True, people travel more slowly overland than letters, then and now - there was a fun episode of Top Gear once where they raced a first class letter from the Isles of Scilly to Orkney in a sports car, and the letter won. And there's the less well-connected bit through Transylvania to contend with.
But even if Jonathan's journey has been beset by every conceivable delay, if he has sent a letter on the 19th of June saying he's leaving Castle Dracula and updated from Bistritz on the 29th, he should be home before the 26th of July. And if something has gone wrong, in most conceivable circumstances he should have written or telegraphed or something on the way. And Mina would know that.
So why does she not seem more worried about him? I think the most logical explanation is the one that you suggest - she doesn't want to engage with the horrors.
She admits it a little. She says in today's entry, "I am anxious" and "I am unhappy about Jonathan" and his letter "makes me uneasy". That all seems pretty mild, but we've already seen how much Jonathan downplays his emotions in his writing, and it seems possible that Mina does the same. (How much of this is their individual characters, and how much is just that Victorians were Like That, I'm not sure).
Maybe if she were to be entirely honest, she would write "I am scared shitless that my fiancé is dead", but she doesn't do that because a) she's a proper Victorian lady, b) she doesn't want to admit it to herself and c) the word "shitless" isn't attested before 1936 anyway. So she's putting a brave face on her considerable fears.
(There's the separate question of what the hell Mr Hawkins is doing at this point. He should be worried as well, though I think it would be entirely in keeping with typical Victorian male treatment of women not to share those concerns with Mina. Maybe there's a whole additional novel happening in parallel where he's playing @wheresjonno from his offices in Exeter, trying desperately to track down his lost clerk.)
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WIP Questionnaire
Tagged by @tabswrites
Gently tagging: @amandacanwrite @coffeewritesfiction @ellierenae @johnna-oneal-trash-writer @leahkentwriter @milkhoney531 @pheita @pb-dot @sirensatyr @theamazinggrayson @tombstuck @violeaes @vivrune and an open tag. Blank questions below the cut!
For 'THE BEAST IN THE GLASS HOUSE':
1. What is the first part of your WIP that you created?
The outline. I was at a client's house, dog siting for a week, and I just finished reading ROSEMARY'S BABY by Ira Levin. I put down the book, and thought about the gaslighting aspect of the novel, and how scary that is. Then TBITGH appeared in my brain, whole and grown like Athena herself.
2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?
Idk about the song, but the direction would be very much like the intro from the first season of the sopranos. Probably it'd be the drive from Damon's office, to Freya's apartment, then to her work. It'd end on Damon putting sunglasses and a mask on.
3. What are your favorite characters that you made? Why?
I hate Damon. He's such a loser so I don't count him as a character LMAO. My favs will have to be Freya or JJ. My love for Freya is hard to explain without spoiling the book lol. To be vague, it's her character arc. For JJ, I love how he ends up and how he develops as a character. Again, can't say much without spoiling.
4. What other pieces of media do you think your fan base would share?
This q kinda confuses me? Like what other shows/books would ppl like if they like my work? Well, my book is for fans of stalker horror (such as YOU by Caroline Kepnes and MISERY by Stephen King). If you're looking for the inspiration of the male love interest, check out THE VAMPIRE DIARIES tv show (seasons 1-3~, the rest are garbageeee), TWLIGHT (both the books and movies, specifically MIDNIGHT SUN), 50 SHADES OF GREY (I've only read the first book so I can't vouch for the movies, but the book is meh-to-bad imo)
5. What has been your biggest struggle with your WIP?
Honestly, writing this thing has been a breeze. I wrote the first draft in under four months. It just flowed out of me. It's this whole 'getting ppl to read it' thing that's the hardest.
6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!
Werewolves! Mentions of squirrels. The mc is a werewolf and he's a werewolf supremacist. Werewolves on the brain 24/7 baybeeee.
7. How do your characters get around? (Ex. Trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)
They run on all fours in wolf form, go around on two legs in human form and a special wolf form, drive cars, and drive snow mobiles.
8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?
The manuscript is done. I'm just waiting on the last edits from a paid editor. Once I do those rewrites, I'll put this up for publishing. Aiming to launch mid June 2025!
9. What aspects (tropes, maybe) of your WIP do you think will draw people in?
Incomplete list: soulmates/instant-love, every werewolf/shape shifter trope under the moon (couldn't help it), billionaire boyfriend, stalker 'romance'. Every 'bad boy boyfriend' trope. I loooove taking tropes and turning them on their heads.
10. What are your hopes for your WIP?
To publish! I'd love it to go gangbusters but my primary hope is just to have ppl read it 'XD
1. What is the first part of your WIP that you created?
2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?
3. What are your favorite characters that you made? Why?
4. What other pieces of media do you think your fan base would share?
5. What has been your biggest struggle with your WIP?
6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!
7. How do your characters get around? (Ex. Trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)
8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?
9. What aspects (tropes, maybe) of your WIP do you think will draw people in?
10. What are your hopes for your WIP?
#wip tag game#writeblr tag game#wip questionnaire#writeblr#writing#writing community#writers on tumblr#novelist#writers#the beast in the glass house#horror#tag game#werewolves#shape shifters#tropes#shape shifter#monsters
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Act 5: -> Scene 1: Lee Hyunjae Jaehyun
WRITTEN PART -> (0.8) -> no ss after text
june 10th, 2002.
hey travel diary, it's your favorite girl!! just saw the most hottest boy ever.. ♡♡ ok well i have seen a lot of cute boys while solo traveling but this one is different. this time… we actually talked. he sounds so majestic, a voice so smooth i think im melting as i remember the sound of it
i was feeling brave today and decided to approach him at this cute cafe, i saw him through the front window and i just had to talk to him.
his name is lee jaehyun, but i like to call him hyunjae for fun hehe. we're the same age and he's here for his studies, a semester at the university nearby. said he's deciding to go into business, you know what that means.. rich husband in the future ;)
we're going on a date tomorrow night at this restaurant by his university. the dress code is semi-formal but i'm not sure if i have anything like that in my luggage. he said that it's fine and anything i wear will be beautiful to him..
maybe later that night we'll… dot dot dot :)
July 16th: One day before Yin's Wedding.
The four were now sailing around the island. Juyeon controlling the sails and Younghoon napping on the deck. Leaving Hyunjae and Yin to talk.
“Ah, congratulations on your wedding by the way. I haven't been to one in forever, I'm honestly a little excited”
yin chuckles softly, “im excited too! i haven't been to a wedding since i was a kid”
“It's funny that Y/n now has a grown daughter, I would've loved to have a daughter. I would've spoiled her with anything she wanted.”
“do you have kids?”
“Nope, only a dog, his name's Darong..”
“hmm cute! i've always wanted a pet but i'm always running around doing stuff”
“That's perfect for pets though? Ah wait, how old are you again? I don't think I asked yet.”
“i’m twenty!”
“Oh wow! Twenty, hmm twenty years ago was around the time i met your mother..”
“how did you meet my mom..?”
Hyunjae grins as he thinks about past memories, “It was at a cafe on the mainland, I was there for a semester and honestly I should've stayed for longer if I knew I was going to meet someone like your mother.” Yin smiled softly at the sight of his gleaming eyes while talking about her mom.
“Your mom saw me from outside the window and went inside just to talk to me, the first words she said to me was,” He chuckles while remembering her past words, “hey good-looking, are you single?”
yin's mouth is agape at the idea that her mom was so bold, “no way mom said that” hyunjae smiled while shrugging, “Your mom was very charming when we first met. So charming that I decided to ask her out on a date the next day..”
“you must've really liked her”
“Of course I did. I'm going to be honest. She was the first woman to ever pursue me first. I was always the one chasing after others, which did not work at all, so to have a beautiful woman call me good looking and basically ask me out, I was going to make this a thing."
“and did it become a thing?”
Hyunjae leans back on his hands and looks away from Yin. “Well.. No? We did go on a bunch more dates and were practically stuck together all the time, but sadly, my semester had already ended. I had to go home after meeting the possible love of my life.” Yin frowns at this, “Don't worry, it was years ago, and I'm alright now, came here to possibly become close with your mom again.”
“Oh, not like that Yin, only as friends. I wouldn't want to do that to you when your dad is here. Oh, where is he by the way. I want to see who was the lucky guy to marry Y/n”
“uhm.. i don't know!”
“Oh! Uh.. I'm sorry, what?”
“i don't know who my dad is..”
june 24th, 2002.
no way… he's leaving me :( my hyunjae…
I SHOULDN'T HAVE TAKEN A GAP YEAR, maybe if i went to college right away i could've been in the same uni as him (if i did what jiwoo did and applied to every place we could think of)
i thought traveling was supposed to be fun, not heartbreaking. why does this happen to me :((
first, that beautiful man walked away after making eye contact with me for 10 seconds and now hyunjae..
what's next..? wait, im not going to say anything just in case i jinx myself
synopsis = a day before her wedding day, Yin decides to find her father so he can walk her down the isle, the problem? There's three candidates: Lee Juyeon, Kim Younghoon, and Lee Hyunjae.
last/next
masterlist
taglist:
@boomhoon , @sanasour , @loonaluvz , @jaerisdiction , @cowsmicwu , @jundundun , @piripurora
#tbz imagines#tbz smau#tbz x reader#the boyz drabbles#the boyz imagines#the boyz smau#the boyz x reader#the boyz scenarios#hyunjae x reader#juyeon x reader#younghoon x reader#younghoon smau#hyunjae smau#juyeon smau
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I decided to spoil the surprise and present you a sketch of June because I'm actually not sure about her, but only about her face and the 19 on it (I also need to fix the shoes :'D) and the final effect will be delayed anyway, because I've been in the hospital for 4 days and I forgot my pencil case with crayons (don't worry, I'm fine, I just went for tests) so here's the skech of June
I know it's weird for her to be short, but she must be smaller than Wybie and Star because she's 3 years younger than them.
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hi! it's me :) fic rec anon. things have been hard lately so i have some more stuff to recommend bc it makes me feel better. uh, this one's mostly a like, grab bag of stuff? miscellany yknow. let's get into it (also if i have any repeats of stuff you've rec'd here before then Whoops)
pilot light, pale rapture is a post-game fic about jade and her Issues. jade/davepeta. has some excellent jane work in there and is meant to imply june pre-transition. i'd also like to recommend this author's other work, including the collected works of the originators, and the fanventure kittyquest which you can find on mspfa. both the collected works and kittyquest are about a richly detailed take on earth C, with accompanying myths; kitty quest is about jade and davepeta's daughter kitty harley-leider. very very good.
estrogamer girl is about trans girl roxy! very sweet. gen.
METHODOLOGY AND INTERPRETIVE "RECORD" OF SOULBOT WRECK AA109.23J2 – [DRAFT] is about a post-game grad student accessing the wreckage of one of aradia's soulbots postcanon, and experiencing the feelings of a doomed timeline's aradia. ararezi, outsider pov.
who could ask you to be unbroken or brave again is a fic about rose and vriska talking about trauma and child abuse post-canon. gen.
Metronome of a Night Queen's Heart and Other Unused Romance Novel Names is a fic in which kanaya asks dave to be her bloodbag after becoming a vampire, causing rosemary and davekat misunderstandings. rosemary and davekat.
Jade: Endure is about what it would have been like for jade to grow up with her corpse in her own house. short and very good. gen.
grant me wings that i might fly is about jade english raising jake english up to her eventual death. very good. gen.
DIRK TAKES A PISS is , okay listen i know from that title oyou might be like, fic rec anon, What are you recommending to me BUT LSITEN ITS ABOUT DIRK ACCIDENTALLY DROPPING HIS PACKER ON THE FLOOR OF A BATHROOM AND GETTING MEET CUTE'D. it's good. okay. dirkjake.
one more night (your ex-lover remains dead) is a junejasprose fic about trauma and what it means to be a rose left behind. if you're going to read ANY jasprose fic you have to read this one it's literally iconic to me and changed the way i see her forever. junejasprose.
Light Without Effulgence is a jake & rose friendship manifesto and it is HILARIOUS. "rose, you gather, is like dirk if he were a woman and capable of being happy" like that's hilarious to me. gen.
Bitter is a fancomic about jade and rose and i'm not going to spoil the surprise of what it's about but it's DELICIOUS. jaderose.
CHARGING THE VOID is a space opera roserezi au with hints of vrisrezi left behind and also both rose and terezi are trans and also it's DELICIOUS like i can't even say anything about it. if anyone has read baru cormorant and is familiar with it it's like that. roserezi, unlike pretty much anything else i've recced here it DOES have a sex scene so if you're uncomfortable with that it's not for you.
think about staying alive is a kidswap au! about rose strider my favorite kidswap <3 gen.
Postscript is about rosefef, rebellion au, being the last two left alive carrying out a rebellion against the condesce. rosefef.
Transperience is about calliope and the trans experience! fancomic, gen. very good.
goddess is about june egbert coming out! can you tell i'm a june egbert Believer gsdlkjfsakldj it's gotten to the point it's hard to read fic where she's called john lmao
I'm Hoping One Day Acting Cool Will Make Me Feel More Self Assured is about kanaya maryam and the burdens of being assigned mom friend. rosemary. also she and rose have a long furby.
we are the reckless is a space opera au in which vriska's a pirate captain and aradia's a helmsman. i love the blackrom in this. aravris.
i think this is enough for rn. have fun!
AND WHEN THE WORLD NEEDED THEM MOST…
THEY RETURNED!!!
thank you so much!!!!! these all look very fun and it’s definitely appreciated TwT and kind of you!!! 💞💞💞
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so it IS surprising that the twins know when their birthday is--what if it's more that, like their age, they took an educated guess (like they had something vague like "it's in June" and just picked a day) after leaving home and when they reunite they realize they've been using different days. I'm just imagining like
MC: so when is your guys' birthday?
saeyoung: june 11th
saeran: the 11th? I've been using the 9th
saeyoung: it could be the 9th. oh! then that would make you the older twin! haha
MC thinking like "i probably shouldn't be surprised by this"
It's quite possible Saeran and Saeyoung had to take a swing on their birthday. The only reason we know it's their birthday is that we've got information outside of the fourth wall that tells us so. But, what is in their life that could tell them that for sure? The only chance they may be aware of their true birthday comes from a simple hypothesis that Mother Choi hated that day more than anything, so that's how those boys knew it was their birthday.
I don't think she'd care enough to keep track of their real ages but certainly, she would make sure that day was a living hell for them. After all, they were supposed to be her meal ticket to a better life and it didn't work out that way. Now, she has to live in a way she never wanted for herself with children she never wanted. The only thing she ever wanted was the ability to spoil herself rotten with a rich partner. She didn't care about kids or anything else.
We can only assume she was okay with having children as long as it came with the implication that she would be set for life. She wanted to coast.
At least, that's the way I imagine her to be. She was a young person in her mid to late twenties who was naive enough to believe she could manipulate a man well older than she was. I imagine Saejoong was in his mid to late thirties since he was on the cusp of finding his way into the status of Prime Minister, or at the very least, throwing his hat into the ring for the first time.
She was a calculated person who had worked her way through all kinds of men with money in their pockets, but she seems like the kind of person that would constantly crave much more. It would never be enough. She would keep reaching higher and higher until she found somebody at the tippy top. Too bad for her, she didn't have the know-how to navigate that herself.
She could con her way through any man, but not one who had already been through this time and time again.
Her goal was to get into his life to such a degree that she could become his wife and be spoiled for the rest of her life. Since he prides himself as a man who wants to protect the values of family, of course, he would want a beautiful wife and children. It makes sense in her head. Where it gets complicated is the information we don't have. We don't know if he was already in a relationship.
We don't know if he had a wife or children he considered his own at the time Mother Choi met him. All we know is they had a tumultuous fling and her last ditch effort to try and control him was through having the twins. I feel as though she took care of them enough when they were babies since the money he spared her was decent enough for the time.
The hush money was good enough and she could dilute herself on the thought that he might actually turn around at some point. It would be after the money started to dwindle that she would treat the twins more and more like a nuisance. Once the threats and hardships began, her hatred of the twins would grow to a fever pitch and she would drink to cope with the situation. That would more or less lead us up to where we know the boys and their childhood before they managed to meet V and Rika.
I am ultimately confident that the day is correct. I don't think the date is wrong and they know that day very well because of their mother. However, I do think that the year they were born may not be correct. They have no way of knowing and their mother wouldn't care to tell them enough about themselves.
The only chance they have over knowing a possible year would be if she screamed at them that they ruined her life “X” years ago. The boys can only take that with a grain of salt since the further she loses herself to her alcoholism, the less likely she is to be accurate on dates and times.
So, that's something we have to think about with the boys. They don't know who is truly the older brother or the younger brother. They don't know how old they truly are and they might never be. All they have is the date. Since I doubt they were born in a hospital, there's no way to figure that one out.
It's a sad reality but it's something they have to deal with every day. Instead of worrying about that, they use the labels that they figured out a long time ago and leave them at that. Even if they have to guess for the rest of their lives, they use what they know and they stick with it. But, can you imagine if they did have the ability to figure it out? If they knew for certain who they were and how it happened?
What would happen if it turned out that Saeran was the oldest? If Saeyoung was the youngest? It wouldn't change anything but it would turn their worlds on its head.
#ask#anon#mod kait#mystic messenger#mm#mysme#saeyoung choi#choi saeyoung#saeran choi#choi saeran#character analysis#mother choi
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I know I've asked about the fischoders before
But have I asked about an in-depth dive about the fischoders' family tree and dynamic?
Also bestie how you've been? This is a check up >:D
omg we don't know that much about the fischoeder family in general so it would be hard to build a family tree BUT i could figure out some basic stuff :D going w/ the season fourteen timeline
calvin fischoeder was born on june 17th 1951 and his parents were probably already married and living togethet etc. very planned. weren't huge on having kids but it was expected of them and fischoeder papa needed somebody to pass his family business down onto so there calvin was!!! VERY spoiled early years as the only child of rich parents and mostly looked after by their mother. his father was usually away and busy with business BUT one the rare occasion he spent time with calvin he was very excited and idolized his papa Who gave him nothing in return. never even said he loved calvin bcuz men just weren't socialized to do those things. when calvin was a bit older he started spending more time with him to teach him how to run the business etc
felix was born february 5th 1956 and unlike his brother he was completely and totally an accident that his parents only kept because abortion wasn't very accessible at that point. calvin was VERY EXCITED to have a younger brother but lost interest pretty quickly when he realized that felix wasn't big enough to play with him while their parents were busy. when felix was like two or three they started being watched by a nanny more often than not while their mom was busy doing neglectful rich mom things. she tried to spoil felix a little bit w/ attention bcuz she knew he would never get any from his father but it still wasn't great for him always feeling inferior to calvin. they had their basic needs met by their nanny and housekeeps but as sensitive kids with no friends their own age and nothing to do all day (they were homeschooled until they were old enough to go to boarding school at like 11 or 12 idk) calvin took more of an older brother leader role and was parentified which did lasting damage to their relationship as siblings probably forever. despite this the love was there between them & they did have fun memories and play together even if they sometimes got into trouble and/or felix accidentally stabbed out calvin's eye
felix was definitely close with their mom but i think calvin was too. they both realized pretty early on that they weren't going to get any attention or love from their father (who talked down to calvin and mostly ignored felix's existence as if he was a shameful family secret) so they both became desperate for their mother's approval and while she tried she didnt really..... get along with kids very well she mostly found them smelly and annoying. very strict about good manners and growing up to be good little businessmen
as they grew up they were left alone MORE often without nannies or anything and eventually shipped off to boarding school. calvin obviously went to school before felix which led to more time for him to bond w/ their mom during her last years of life. she died when felix was maybe around 15 of an old-timey polio type illness and while they didnt take it GREAT (neither did papa fischoeder) they weren't really allowed to grieve either and kept going with their lives
they didn't spend time with other kids their own age because of being homeschooled (apart from maybe if they visited their dad at the wharf occasionally) but they did spend time with their cousins and extended family. their mom's side was much poorer so they rarely saw that side lest they be negatively influenced but papa fischoeder had a lot of siblings so they had lots and lots of cousins to play with. grover was younger than them by about 10-15 years so they didn't really play together very often but he came to visit sometimes with his older siblings and cousins and all the parents would have a visit together while the kids played in the garden :) fun times
#and im doing okay!!! i think!!!!#its hard to tell these days bcuz im so stressed out but THANK YOU FOR ASKING :D#ask#bob's burgers#headcanons
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Hey sweetheart how have you been doing? I've been wanting to say this for a while, I love seeing your masterlist expand with so many beautiful and exciting stories. (Can't wait for the liam one ♡) I'm proud of you ♡ I was rereading some of your work including garrick and angel, can't wait to see where that's going. :) I was wondering if u have a specific date about when bren and duchess wedding was? In the last six years it's mentioned that it was 3 years ago on a summer day. I'm thinking if it was before July wouldn't that mean Xaden could still attend it? My mind Spiraling down a hole for some reason ♡
hi!! I’m doing well, thank you 🥰
I haven’t picked a specific date, but I’m thinking June of 631AU. that way Xaden, Garrick, and Angel could be there before they left for Basgiath and have one last happy moment with their family 🥺
even though it was technically a “royal wedding”, it was very low-key, not too many people (but Ban and Marbh were there, of course), and it was a group effort, the whole gang coming together to make it a special day.
Angel was in charge of the flowers, of course, and the boys spent the morning hauling chairs up the hill while the girls made sure everything was just right; duchess is the cool older sister figure of the gang, and she’s done a lot for them, so they wanted it to be perfect for her. I won’t say too much about the other kids’ roles just yet, so I don’t spoil anything…
I’m planning a longish chapter that covers their wedding, and the little honeymoon they took after 🥰😉 and I also have a piece planned about them celebrating their anniversary for my valentines celly (which I am so far behind on, it’s not even funny anymore lol)
okay, back to editing Liam and Spark’s first chapter (so so close to being done… that’s probably coming after dinner.)
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1837
What is your favorite breakfast food?
Fried rice with eggs and hotdogs, or tapsilog :) Such comfort breakfast food. I like Eggs Benedict and Monte Cristo too, but let's be real I never have either for breakfast and only get them at restaurants when I feel like having breakfast food on a non-breakfast hour.
Who do you (romantically) love?
Nobody.
Have you ever considered yourself dirty?
In a few aspects, sometimes. Like how I have a bad habit of putting trash in my handbag, and end up having a pile of papers and wrappers after a few days.
What do you do to relax?
Playing with the dogs eases my worries more than anything, but I also like turning to YouTube.
Do you enjoy kissing?
Sure, but I haven't done that in a couple of years. That's okay with me though, I'm not a very sexual person in general.
What about making out?
^ Eh, just about the same.
Where are you most ticklish?
My tummy and waist. I don't like even getting hit in that area, no matter how lightly, cause I'll end up squirming hahaha.
Have you ever been to an arena concert?
Yes, most of the concerts I've attended have been in arenas. The only exceptions were One Direction (which was held in outdoor concert grounds) and Se So Neon (happened in a large indoor tent).
Where was the last place you kissed someone?
It may have been outside my house, right by my car. Memory's hazy.
Do you know anyone who is expecting?
I know someone who was due in like a couple of weeks when I first met her, so she has likely given birth by now. As for currently expecting, I don't think so.
What does your third text message say in your inbox?
Just my bank telling me there was a recent transaction on my card.
Do you use speed dial?
I never used that.
If so who is number 5?
Have you ever kissed someone of the same sex?
Yes.
Where do you want to get married?
I've always wanted a hotel wedding just so everything - or at least most things - can be set for us lol. They have the ambiance, they've got catering, the sound system, some hotels already have their roster of hosts...considering how all over the place I can get, that much would be a big help.
Do you plan on having both your parents at your wedding?
If I ever get married, of course.
If you could visit one person right now, who would it be?
No one, I like being alone right now.
Do you like school?
The social part of it was really great; some of the best years of my life. I liked learning too but only to an extent, as there were some subjects I found to be a waste of time + some teachers didn't have the best attitude.
What is your all time favorite subject that you have ever taken in school?
History. < Mine too :)
Do you have a current teacher who you wish taught all of your classes?
Not current, but I wish my high school music teacher had been my teacher for everything.
What has been your favorite part of this calendar year so far?
Being able to save as much as I have.
Are you going on vacation any time soon?
No plans currently. My parents are planning this huge party for my grandparents in June so that will 100% kill off any vacation plans; Reena just came back from a trip to Thailand so I'm sure she'd want to save for the next few months; Angela's super busy with boards review. In any case I plan on going to Seoul next year for when BTS are back, so it'll be smart for me to not book anything for now.
Do you catch yourself staring at inappropriate times?
Sometimes.
How many times have you been fall-down drunk?
Less than 10 times.
Has a friend ever really hurt you and you never told them?
Sure.
Where would your most romantic getaway spot be?
Somewhere remote in either Palawan or Baguio.
Have you ever stayed on a ride at a theme park to ride it again?
I'm sure I did this during the school fairs. I was in the rides committee so I had a few perks lol.
Have you ever used your sexuality to get you something you wanted?
I'm sure I have, but only with a partner.
What do you count as too spoiled?
Anyone who overreacts/makes a fuss over the smallest things. It can be very telling of how they've always had everything handed to them that they're incapable of handling the most minor of inconveniences.
When you don’t feel good, where do you want to be?
Just my room, or the café we have in the village. It's never crowded and is fairly hidden, so it's a nice quaint little place to escape to.
Have you ever set an alarm on your phone to remind you to do something?
Sure.
Where do you want to raise your children?
The city. The stimulation and sensations would be good for them, I feel.
What is your favorite Crayola scented crayon?
Idk I was never around them much.
What is your favorite childhood TV show?
Hi-5!
Do you ever look at yourself and not believe it’s you?
Eh, sometimes. I try not to get existential like that often.
What’s your favorite hideaway place?
That café I mentioned. Not a lot of people in my circle know about it or would travel to get there + the signal in that area just so happens to be weak, so it's literally a place you can 'escape' to.
Do you have a secret you have kept from your family?
Sure.
Have you ever slow danced to a song you didn’t know?
I'm sure I have.
Where do you study?
I don't anymore.
Do you study at all?
Nope.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I wanted to be a journalist, but I've since gone a little west of that – I'm currently a PR practitioner.
Has someone ever dedicated a song to you?
I don't think so?
How many people have you kissed this month?
None.
Do you like do have your hair pulled?
Sure.
Are you close with your parents?
We're on much better terms now but I still prefer to keep some kind of wall up.
How much do you wish/ hope for something before you give up?
I can be very passionate and will fight for things/people, but if I feel like I'm not getting the same energy back I slowly let go.
Have you ever hung out with a complete stranger?
Sure!
Do you work any holidays?
No.
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