#percy should count too dark!percy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kamaluhkhan · 3 days

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COMPLICATED

LUST — part iv of we'll write sins like tragedies

pairing: luke castellan x nemesis! reader (afab) word count: 8.9k summary: the lives of demigods are never simple. why would your relationship with luke be any different? or: four moments of tension + one moment of release. featuring a trip to montauk with percy, grover, and annabeth warnings: a decent amount of reader backstory (mention of dad having cancer); multiple POVs (percy, grover, annabeth, luke, reader - obv nothing suggestive/smutty until luke and reader POV); luke + reader get into arguments and are v stressed so their relationship is a bit strained; reader has tattoos; reader is on birth control; rough smut (protected + unprotected p in v, oral f+m receiving, biting, scratching, slight choking, slight breeding kink, etc...); also slight dark + possessive luke! (18 + MDNI); major angst — we all know how this story ends ;( author's note: this was meant to be a blurb but...here we are! this is basically another chapter of my spill ur guts series lol. i've been gone for much longer than i planned to, but hope u enjoy possibly the angstiest, smuttiest thing i've written so far ♡

♪ "complicated" by avril lavigne

in the span of a few minutes, percy went from pure joy — being greeted with cheers from all the campers was great, sure, but truthfully the hug from annabeth alone sent him to elysium — to feeling like his heart dropped all the way to tartarus.

which is definitely not a place percy ever wants to visit again. he was happy to be back at camp with his friends, knowing that his quest was completed, his mom was safe in new york, and a war between the gods was prevented.

it should be over….but there’s something in the back of percy’s mind that’s telling him it isn’t. seeing a certain someone in the crowd earlier didn’t do anything to ease that feeling.

"can someone explain to me why clarisse is still here?"

you raise an eyebrow at luke, and he shrugs in response. it seems neither of you had decided who should break the news, and neither of you seem particularly excited to do so, even after dragging percy, along with annabeth and grover, into the empty hermes cabin for some privacy.

after another beat of silence, you take the lead.

“look, kid, i know you and clarisse got off to a rocky start —”

“she tried to drown me, and then basically kill me during capture the flag,” percy points out. he hears an ocean roaring at the memory, but that could have also been from his duel with clarisse’s dad, the god of war, more recently.

a duel that percy had won, for the record. luke trained him well.

“and i’m not defending that,” you clarify. “i’m just saying that we’ve known clarisse for much longer. she’s not perfect, maybe a bit aggressive sometimes — trust me, she and i have had some major disagreements, too — but i can’t see her doing something like this.”

“why would anyone at camp want to steal the bolt? to join kronos’ army against the gods?” annabeth wonders. to herself or to the group, percy isn’t sure, but he has a feeling that the wheels in her mind are turning.

“revenge, maybe?” grover suggests.

almost instinctively, grover glances at you, and so does annabeth. percy wants to kick himself for doing the same.

with you being the daughter of nemesis, he imagines that it's not the first time you’d been blamed for something just because of who you are. it’s a feeling percy knows all too well. and, for better or for worse, like percy, it seems like you’re not one to accept these things without a fight.

you straighten your shoulders, ready to snap back, but before you can, luke declares:

“it’s not her.”

he then knocks the toe of his shoe against your combat boot. you smile and return the gesture. the tension eases out of the room.

for a second, percy wonders if he’ll ever have someone like that: someone to defend like it’s second nature, to share that sort of secret language with, to smile at him like nothing else in the world matters.

according to annabeth, the two of you weren’t technically dating — but percy is pretty sure that aphrodite is swooning over you.

“see, grove? if camp half-blood’s golden boy can vouch for me, then i’m in the clear.” your tone is playful enough — no hard feelings — but the tips of grover’s ears still turn red. “i didn’t steal the bolt. sure, the gods and titans can tear each other apart for all i care — "

annabeth stiffens at your bold statement, and grover starts to nervously chew on an empty diet coke can he had stashed in his pocket. luke watches you with the hint of a smile on his face, and percy —

well, percy can’t help but admire you even more.

"— but it's everything else that i have an issue with.”

“everything else?”

you look at percy like the answer is obvious.

“when have the gods ever fought their battles without us as collateral damage? doesn’t seem worth it to me, to betray my friends.”

that itch in the back of percy’s brain gets harder to ignore.

“the oracle warned me, betrayed by a friend.”

“prophecies don't always come true,” annabeth reminds him. “at least not in the way we expect them to.”

“annie is right,” luke adds, nodding at his sister. “mine didn't. the oracle said i would die a hero.”

you turn to luke then, your eyebrows furrowed.

“what? you never told me that.”

“it doesn’t matter,” luke insists. “my point is that i came back from my joke of a quest, alive and a definitely not a hero —”

“fuck what the oracle said.” you roll your eyes. “dead or alive, you are a hero, tiger.”

you move to place a hand on luke’s arm. to percy’s surprise, though, luke brushes you off.

“i’m not a hero. at least not the one my dad expects me to be.”

again, percy is taken aback by how luke snapped, at you of all people. you huff, and percy can tell that you’re a bit agitated now, too.

“okay, but that doesn’t mean —”

“my point is.” luke turns to percy, effectively blocking your presence for the time being. “you completed your quest, fought a god, and stalled kronos’ plan. you’ve been through it — all three of you have — but now you’re back. let’s just enjoy the rest of our summer, yeah? whatever happened out there, whatever the oracle said, it’s in the past.”

percy wants to believe luke, he really does. one glance in your direction, and it seems like you do, too.

deep down, though, percy isn’t entirely convinced. there’s that dread in the pit of his stomach, that voice in the back of his head. something in him, warning that this isn’t quite over. the worst has yet to come.

he wonders if — or maybe just hopes — you feel the same.

—

ii.

if you of all people can’t get luke’s attention, grover is pretty sure that the world is ending.

“luke,” you try again, foregoing your usual nickname for him. your arms are crossed and you tap your foot against the floor. it makes grover slightly anxious, feeling your frustration threaten to boil over.

“i’m busy,” he grunts, and flips over another page, scribbling something on the other side.

“grover wanted to talk to us about something.”

“i-it’s fine, we don’t have to —”

“no, it’s a good idea, grove,” you insist. you smile at grover then. he remembers that, despite the deadly glares you can deliver, like the one you were just giving luke, you have a gentle core. you just guard it behind sharp edges.

“tell him that i’ll talk to him later.”

“or, you could tell him yourself,” you huff. grover waves awkwardly, even though luke doesn’t realize what’s happening. “he’s right next to me.”

luke looks up briefly, and then back down at the pages in front of him just as quick. he looks tired, exhausted even.

“sorry, man. didn’t see you there. i gotta finish these reports.”

“no worries. i tend to be quiet on my hooves.”

in the moment of silence that follows, and with luke still not giving you the attention you’re asking for, you walk over to the desk where luke is working. what you see seems to make you even more annoyed than before.

“these reports are for september. why in the name of nemesis are you filling them out now?”

“i just want to be prepared.”

“prepared for what?”

luke hesitates. “just….the future.”

“oh!” you laugh, sharp and sarcastic. “i didn’t realize that the future required you to neglect your friends.”

“i’m trying to help my friends,” luke huffs. he taps his pen impatiently against the desk. “if you didn’t keep interrupting me —”

“oh my fucking gods — ”

grover watches the two of you argue. it had been easier to step in whenever something bubbled up between annabeth and percy, because they were just kids. but you and luke — you were adults.

when grover met luke for the first time, he was already taking on way too much responsibility for a kid — keeping thalia and annabeth alive, protecting them from monsters, taking care of them. in a lot of ways, those responsibilities didn’t go away: as a senior counselor and resident older brother, a hero for the older campers to admire and the younger kids to aspire to be. camp half-blood’s golden boy, as you liked to call him.

and, like you, luke is good at hiding. for him, its heavy burdens behind easy-going smiles.

lately, though, those smiles seem to be strained, his shoulders slowly bending under the weight of it all. the other day, grover asked you if everything was okay with luke. you had looked back at him sadly, shrugged, and said you didn’t know.

that’s when grover decided that everyone just needs a break — an escape. he had been sensing that things weren’t quite right with the others, too. percy seems a little on edge, and so does annabeth.

then, of course, there was you and luke. finding out that the two of you had actually started dating was huge news for someone like grover who had painstakingly watched the two of you dance around your feelings for years. so, it was more than a little weird that you’d barely been speaking this past week. the rare occasion you did was tense at best, and explosive at worst.

like now, when you pick up one of the reports luke was working on, and threaten to burn it. luke dares you to do so, even suggests, albeit sarcastically, that you use it as your next offering to the gods.

“oh, a handwritten document from luke castellan himself? they would love that,” you snort. “admit it: you’re doing all of mr. d’s work just to suck up to some gods who don’t even give a shit about any of this. you’re practically olympus’ lapdog.”

luke, blushing a furious shade of red, gets up and yanks the paper from your hand.

“at least my parent is important enough to actually have a seat on olympus and an actual cabin for his kids to stay in.”

you look like you could just about throw luke into a fire, and vice versa. grover had never seen the two of you like this, but it made sense: each of you knowing just where, and how, to hurt the other.

and, he thinks it’s about time to step in before the damage is irreversible. so, grover starts slowly clapping. the clapping gets faster, and he manages to get through the first few lines of the consensus song before you stop him.

“alright, alright,” you sigh. you push past luke, steal his chair, and put your feet up on the desk. luke scowls at you, but you put your hands up in surrender and jut your chin out towards grover. “just listen to what grover has to say and then we’ll let you get back to your precious reports.”

grover tells luke his idea. luke actually agrees, and grover can’t help but feel a little bit of a victory.

he’s a protector, after all. it’s his job to make sure you’re all alive and happy and thriving. and not burnt to a crisp over some petty argument.

—

iii.

annabeth had missed home when she was away on their quest, but being back and seeing everyone being taught to worship the gods without question, to believe that the only things that matter are power and glory….well, after everything that happened, after percy, annabeth can’t just go back to doing the same. at least not entirely.

all this to say, she was totally on board with grover’s idea: the five of you, renting a cabin in montauk to get away from camp for a bit.

unfortunately, the trip starts off less than ideally. you and luke bicker the entire way here — and not the playful jabs you usually throw at each other.

annabeth remembers the first time she saw you together. it was during breakfast, their first morning at camp half-blood. annabeth had spent the night trying not to cry over thalia, and already missing luke even though he was only a few cabins away. she was still a kid, surrounded by strangers, told that she was safe now, but didn’t quite believe it yet. one look to luke at the hermes table, and annabeth could tell he felt the same way, too — not quite settled in this new place that was supposed to be home, and with these people who were supposed to be family.

she watched as the hermes table went to burn offerings to the gods. when they sat down again, luke looked even more unsettled than before.

but then, you leaned in and whispered something in luke’s ear, and he actually laughed, just a bit, which was a nice change of pace. luke was always the one making annabeth and thalia laugh when they were running from monsters, always the one trying to keep everything together with a smile or a joke.

as she devoured her breakfast, annabeth couldn’t help but keep glancing at the two of you. she heard warnings from her half-siblings, about your mother being the goddess of revenge, and you living up to that name.

luke either didn't know, or didn't care about whatever reputation you had. sitting there, next to you, annabeth didn’t think she’d ever seen luke so, genuinely happy, so at ease.

all these years later, neither you nor luke seemed particularly happy. you’re obviously avoiding each other, and annabeth doesn’t understand why.

you and luke are a new puzzle that she can’t wait to solve.

annabeth had finished constructing the most elaborate sandcastle in history, just for percy to accidentally splash it when he was trying to surf a wave; so she decides that playtime is over. it’s time to figure out what exactly is going on between you and luke.

luke is in the cabin doing gods know what. you're on the deck painting your nails, so annabeth decides to start gathering information from you, first.

“hey." you finish painting your pinky a dark purple, and set the bottle down next to you. "having fun?”

annabeth nods once and sits next to you. she asks if you could paint her nails, and you pull out a bottle of silver polish you said you thought she might like.

as you work, careful with each stroke of polish, annabeth surveys the tattoos on your skin. you’re wearing a bikini top, so there are some that she’s seeing for the first time. there's one of a knife on your sternum, and annabeth distinctly remembers seeing a similar one peeking from underneath the collar of luke’s shirt. she wonders when you got it, if you had to travel to a tattoo parlour in the city, how many other adventures you'd gone on without having to consult the oracle beforehand.

maybe that’s a good place to start.

“have you ever thought about leaving camp? like, long term?"

"sometimes," you admit. "it would be nice to have some normal early-twenties experiences."

"would you go to school?"

you smile as you keep painting annabeth’s nails. “maybe. i might have seen legally blonde too many times, but i think about law school sometimes.”

“what about luke?”

your smile fades at the question. “i...i don’t know." your once precise nail-painting falters, and you mumble a curse when a drop of silver lands on annabeth's skin. you swipe it away before continuing. "luke's one of those people i can't really see away from camp half-blood for too long; pretty sure it would burn down without him. there's a reason he feels responsible for everyone there...in a way i respect, obviously, but, it's not the same for me. nobody needs me."

"luke needs you."

you sigh, and annabeth wonders if you even realize how you shake your head slightly. she thinks you're about to disagree with her, but instead you ask:

“what's this about, annie? are you thinking about your dad’s offer?”

and annabeth’s completely thrown off her line of inquiry.

“how did you —”

“perce told me that you’ve been talking about staying with him for the year,” you explain. you gesture at annabeth to give you her other hand, and she complies. the silver polish on the hand you just finished glitters in the sun.

“well, nothing’s confirmed.”

you look up at annabeth, one eyebrow raised. “it's okay, you know — if you just wanna….be a kid for a bit.”

annabeth is silent, prompting you to ask another question.

"what's holding you back?"

“well….at first, i thought it would be a definite no,” annabeth admits. “obviously, it didn’t work out last time. i don’t know if i want to risk it again — if i can trust him, you know? how do i know he actually cares — that he’ll be there for me when i need him?”

“you don’t.” you pause for a second. “but i’m gonna tell you a story that i think might help.”

you're done painting her nails, so you put everything away. you sit cross-legged next to annabeth, looking out at the ocean.

“my dad never wanted me to go to camp. he wanted to raise me in the city, just like he’d grown up. he’d take me to rock concerts all the time. i was so young, he’d make me wear earmuffs and carry me on his shoulders so that i could still see the band.” you smile softly at the memory. “and then….my dad got sick, he couldn’t take care of me, and monsters started to show up, so he brought me to camp for safe keeping."

"you've told me all this," annabeth remarks.

you start fiddling with your camp necklace. annabeth isn't used to seeing you so unsure, so nervous; it throws her off even more.

"what i haven't told you is that even when my dad got better, he….he didn’t give me a choice of where to stay.”

"oh," is all annabeth can say.

“yeah, oh," you scoff, but there’s not really any malice behind it. you seem…sad. defeated, almost. your fingers move to play with the hem of your shorts, which causes the fresh nail polish to smudge. you don’t seem too concerned about that at the moment, though. "i told everyone that i chose to stay. the truth is that i stayed because my dad didn't want me anymore. he said that the universe gave him a second chance, so he wanted to live his life without having to worry about monster attacks or taking care of his teenage daughter."

annabeth wonders if luke knows the truth about this; though, considering how difficult it seems for you to admit, she doubts it.

before, annabeth had a theory that you decided to stay at camp because of luke.

luke was away when you got the news that your dad was in remission. annabeth remembers how happy you were, how excited you were to be back in the city and living with your dad again. you started packing right away.

when luke came back from his failed quest, you had just gone into the city the day before, having promised to visit in the summer and stay in touch. someone – chris maybe, or beckendorf — must have called you, told you what happened, because you came back to camp right away, your bag still fully packed. you never left again.

"that sucks."

“yeah.” you let out a hollow, breathy laugh. “and, i was angry at first. of course i was. but now, i don’t know. i think that maybe my dad does care about me. like, he still sends me mixtapes with old punk rock songs he thinks i’d like. he actually calls me on my birthday, and we have a 3 minute conversation about nothing important."

"right…" annabeth furrows her brows. this conversation had definitely not gone as planned. "no offense, but what's —"

"i'm getting to the point," you tell her, bumping your shoulder against hers. "i realized that sometimes people can only love us in a way that works for them — and it sucks. it really, really sucks. but then sometimes…. sometimes people do actually try. and, i don’t know, it seems like maybe your dad is willing to try.”

“so you think i should take him up on his offer.”

the sun starts to set. you get up, brush sand off your legs.

“i think it's time for a swim. i also think that you’re smart enough to know what’s best for you, and who deserves a second chance. just know that whatever you decide — we’ll be there for you.”

you leave without another word, but with the return of your usual confident smile, off to the shore to take advantage of the last bits of daylight.

"she's right, annabeth." luke appears a few seconds later, takes the spot next to annabeth you had just occupied.

annabeth hums.

"how much of that did you hear?"

luke doesn't answer. he just stares at your form, disappearing in the distance and diving under the waves.

—

iv.

you clear your throat and luke turns around to see you freshly showered. you’re wearing a pair of shorts and one of the oversized band tees the two of you constantly exchange. you've lost track of whose is whose at this point.

luke resists the urge to shamelessly check out your legs, and turns his back towards you once again. that bikini top you were wearing earlier was bad enough. thankfully, the heat from the stove was enough to cover up his blushing cheeks at the sight of your exposed skin.

“i thought we were ordering pizza,” you say, moving to peer over his shoulder, chin hovering just above. luke had the sense that you were avoiding physical contact, and as much as it drives him crazy, he knows that he’s the one who’d dug his own grave. pushing you away and whatnot.

“didn’t know that you knew how to cook.”

“not much,” luke shrugs. he keeps stirring the vegetables — broccoli and carrots and baby corn. he’ll add the red peppers once the broccoli turns green so that they don’t become too soft. he’s pretty sure that’s how he remembers it going.

“i could have helped you.” you reach over and hand him the peppers right on time. you shift to lean your back against the counter next to the stove, arms crossed over your chest and eyes following luke.

luke throws in the chicken he cooked earlier, and then the sauce he had also mixed. he waits a few seconds, lets the sound of everything sizzling fill the space between you.

“it’s an easy recipe.” luke turns off the stove to punctuate his point.

and it had to be. something quick he’d make with his mom after she had one of her episodes, before waking up and realizing that she had a son to feed. the sounds, the colors, the smells — it all, overwhelmingly, reminds him of a childhood he once had. one that was never as simple as the food he just made.

none of the bitterness in his throat is caused by his mom, of course. just his father who calls himself a god, and left them both alone to fend for themselves.

you start getting out plates from the cupboards as you ask: “where are the kids?”

luke checks the pot on the stove to see if the rice is cooked. “told them to go rent something from the video store.”

“they went alone?”

“they’ve literally been to hell and back,” he replies and sits down at the table. “i think they can handle a blockbuster.”

“i don’t care if they get attacked by monsters,” you state, setting down the last plate in front of him. “i know they can handle themselves. they just better choose a good movie.”

luke doesn’t mean to snort, but he can’t help but remember all the arguments you’d gotten in with chris over your tastes in movies.

“don’t laugh, castellan. i’ve saved movie night on more than one occasion and i’ve never gotten so much as a thank you.” you roll your eyes, but luke notices the ghost of a smile.

it fades just as quickly as it appeared, and luke already misses the small moment of levity that’s passed.

“what’s been going on with you, tiger?”

you hold his gaze, and luke knows that you’re hoping for a real answer, for the truth he can’t give you.

“nothing,” he answers instinctively.

“don’t give me that,” you sigh and turn away from him, returning to your position against the counter.

“i said it’s nothing,” luke insists, a bit more assertively. “why can’t you just believe me?”

“because you’ve been distant, moody.” your tone is sharper now, too. “you’ve been avoiding me. you’ve barely been eating. the side of your bunk has been empty, which means you haven’t been sleeping, either. gods, i can’t even remember the last time you kissed me —”

“you’re really mad at me because we haven’t fucked?”

it’s a low blow, and he delivers it as if he hadn’t missed seeing you underneath him. or on top, or beside. luke isn’t picky.

“you’re impossible!” you groan, and cover your face with your hands. you take a deep breath before returning to glare at luke. “do….do you not want to be together, anymore? because if that’s what’s happening, i’ll survive. we can go back to being friends.” you clench your jaw to make up for the tremble behind your question. always a tough face, even in the face of potential heartbreak.

of course, luke knows you’ll be fine without him. he’s the one who might have difficulty surviving when you part ways.

“that’s not —” luke sighs and runs a hand through his hair, avoiding your gaze. “that’s not it.”

“then what is it?”

“noth—”

“i will send you to elysium if you tell me it’s nothing one more time, because i know it’s not!” you’re shouting now. “i might not know what it is, but i know you well enough to tell that something is bothering you. so i’m asking you, one more time, what is going on?”

the thing is, luke can’t tell you — about what he’s done, about who he’s aligned himself with. he can’t lie to you, either, at least not to save his life.

so, he’s basically stuck in whatever the greek mythology version of limbo is.

for now, he’s saved by percy, annabeth, and grover, who walk in with a stack of DVDs and armfuls of movie snacks.

dinner is fine, especially with the kids providing a good enough buffer. luke even catches you smiling and laughing along with them a few times. you approve of their choice in movies, starting with mulan. it’s one of luke’s favorites, too, but he can’t help but let his attention wander.

the two of you have known each other for a long time. luke has felt your anger. he’s felt your frustration. you’ve been on opposing sides of explosive arguments, of brutal sparring matches.

but, despite everything, luke’s never been hated by you. it’s unavoidable, given what he’s done and the path he’s on; it's just not something he's particularly eager to feel.

working for kronos….luke won't pretend he regrets it. something had to be done, to take back the poisonous world the gods created.

he did it for you, even if you won't understand.

he'd do anything for you.

so, for now, he’s willing to endure the daggers you stare at him from the other side of the couch.

—

in another life, you might have taken advantage of the queen bed and private room. both hard to come by at camp half-blood, if you’re not willing to risk zeus’ wrath for the latter.

gods, it feels like forever since you and luke snuck into cabin one because couldn’t keep your hands off each other, curses and lighting strikes be damned.

you almost wish lightning would strike — at least then the bed would be warm.

“i can feel you being mad at me,” luke whispers.

“sorry, thought you’d already be gone by now,” you respond, sarcasm dripping through your words. “off to see whoever else you’d rather sleep with.”

“so, you are mad because we haven’t fucked in a while.”

a stupid slip of the tongue. you can practically hear the smirk in his voice, and your entire body feels on fire for giving him any leverage on you. that was definitely not the warmth you were hoping for.

“whatever,” you mumble, shuffling closer to the edge of the bed, your back still towards luke.

for the record, you’re mad because of whatever distance luke was forcing between you, or whatever wall he was putting up, for a reason you don’t understand. you’d always known luke well, but lately you haven’t been able to read him.

and, sure. maybe you are…. frustrated. the two of you hadn’t been intimate in a while, yes, and your fingers are nothing compared to luke’s, but more than that: you just miss actually feeling him close to you. in any sense.

you’re not sure how much time passes, and there’s nothing but silence. then, you hear his voice again, gentler than before, no cocky attitude laced through.

“you never told me about your dad.”

ugh. of course, luke had overheard your conversation with annabeth earlier. damn those sly hermes’ genes.

you stay silent to give off the illusion that you’d fallen asleep, but luke doesn't fall for it.

“we’ve shared a bunk for years, karma. i can tell when you’re not sleeping.”

you pause for a few more seconds, but you know that luke is persistent.

“it didn’t matter,” is all you offer before he asks again.

“it did,” luke insists. “why didn’t you tell me?”

“it’s not like we tell each other everything,” you scoff. “like, why didn’t you tell me about that prophecy? and why won’t you tell me whatever’s going on with you now?”

“that’s….that’s different.”

“not really. i bet that it’s all for the same reason.”

“which is?”

you debate telling luke the truth.

it was no surprise that you had a certain reputation around camp: cunning, hot-tempered, brash. you were fine being the angry girl whose mother wasn’t enough of a god to warrant a cabin, but enough of a threat to be wary of. you didn’t want to be the one who was also dropped by her father, unwanted and too much of a burden. so, you swallowed the reality of the situation; pretended that nothing broke your heart, and that nothing ever would.

“i didn’t want you to look at me differently,” you admit.

another pause, this time from the other side of the bed.

“if it makes you feel better, i was glad that you stayed.”

you can’t help it; you let out a sardonic laugh.

“that’s not much of a comfort, since you haven’t seemed very thrilled with me lately.”

“that’s not….” luke falters. “i just mean that i don't know who i’d be if you left.”

in spite of the situation, the ongoing tension between you, you find yourself smiling.

“always so dramatic,” you tease.

deep down, you know you’re not much better.

luke was part of the reason you might have stayed at camp, anyways. he was the reason why you didn’t fight harder to get back to your old life, and you always did like a good fight.

it was scary though, that one person had so much power over you and didn’t even know it. you tried to convince yourself that you stayed because luke had needed you, after his quest and everything. but, once you’d known how it felt to have luke in your life, you didn’t want to go back to a time you didn’t.

truthfully, it still scares you.

“i don’t like fighting with you,” you admit softly, swallowing a lump in your throat. “especially when i don’t even know why we’re fighting in the first place.”

you wonder if you’d just thought that instead of saying it out loud because luke doesn’t respond, until you hear the sheets behind you shuffle, and feel luke position himself behind you.

"i'm sorry that we're fighting. it's my fault."

he settles a tentative hand on your exposed hip, where your shirt had ridden up. luke starts to trace circles onto your skin with his thumb, the way he sometimes does when he's nervous or having a bad dream.

"i’ve just been so….in my head. i don't want you to worry about what's going on with me, okay?

"luke —"

"i have to sort it out on my own.”

"you don’t, though,” you insist. “if you just tell me what’s going on, instead of pushing me away.”

another pause. you can feel him breathing down your neck, and in turn you inhale the spicy citrus of his body wash. it’s all so excruciatingly familiar as you wait for him to say something, anything.

eventually, luke sighs, deeply, and confesses:

"it's just….we've known each other for so long, but this — us? so much of it is new. i don't want to fuck it up."

"well, congratulations," you quip. "you're one step closer to getting there."

you meant it as a joke, something to lighten the mood, but you feel luke stiffen at your words, his grip on your hip becoming almost painfully tight as if he's worried you'll slip away.

"i'm kidding, tiger." you weave your fingers through his to loosen his hold on you, and reassure him even more that you're not going anywhere, any time soon. "for better or for worse: you’re mine, and i'm yours. no matter how much either of us might fuck it up."

luke shuffles closer, and you melt into him even more.

"do you really mean that?"

his voice is soft, surprisingly timid. you crane your neck back to look at him; luke stares at you, his gaze heavy enough to take your breath away.

“of course.”

you're so close, and you hadn't been in so long. luke's leg is somehow lodged in between your thighs, and you bite back a whimper as he brushes against you. you feel him behind you, already half-hard, and you rub your ass against him slightly, causing a groan to vibrate through his body.

neither of you have to do much to crash your lips together.

you can sense how luke’s been unraveling, from the kiss alone. his lips are chapped, rough against yours and already bleeding from the pressure; his stubble scrapes against your cheek, and you’re dizzy with anticipation, imagining how it will leave a stinging sensation on other areas of your skin when luke has his way with you later.

for now, you focus on your mouth on his: teeth clacking together, your tongue laving over the cut on luke’s bottom lip and tasting copper. luke brings a hand up to your jaw, pushing you into his mouth even more.

it’s like the first time you kissed. all consuming. messy. urgent — like you've already run out of time.

eventually, you have to pull yourself away from his grasp, your neck straining at the uncomfortable angle. luke takes the opportunity to suck bruises onto your neck while he presses his thigh harder against your cunt. he slips his other hand further underneath your shirt, cupping your breast and pinching your nipple between his fingers. instinctively, you start rutting against him.

“f-fuck,” you groan, relishing in the muscles of his naked thigh underneath you, defined and strong.

luke chuckles, and you feel his breath warm against your skin.

“you missed me that much, hm?” he taunts, encouraging you to go faster, harder. “you’re gonna cum before i even have a chance to undress you. doesn’t seem fair to me.”

“who —” your breath catches when luke’s hand settles around your throat, pulling you impossibly closer to him. you feel the outline of his abs against your lower back, and his length, hard and waiting. it’s difficult to finish your thought, but you try your best. “who says i only have to cum once?”

“that sounds like a challenge,” luke decides. “what’s our record — three? think we can beat that tonight?”

you laugh, already out of breath. “i think we can do it.”

“good girl.”

your thighs clench at the nickname, and it's one down, a few more to go.

you maneuver luke so that he lays flat on the bed, your legs on either side of his hips. your hands fumble with the edge of his shirt, and he lets you remove it without any more hassle.

it's a little ironic, really, how much you and luke hate the gods — because looking at him underneath you, you're sure that something divine must have created him, and you have to thank them for it. sharp jaw, deep scar, flushed cheeks; curls slightly askew, and skin glistening with a thin sheen of sweat; that cocky smile — you'd worship luke castellan over any of the olympians.

secretly, of course, you pretty much already do.

"like what you see?" luke smirks up at you, hands firmly on your ass.

you roll your eyes to save face. "come on, tiger, like you're not seconds away from tearing through your boxers."

luke clicks his tongue, locks his calf around yours to switch your positions. you grunt as your back hits the mattress, but you very much appreciate the force and weight of luke above you. he practically rips off your shirt, then starts to nip and suck down your body. he kisses the fabric still covering your cunt, and you can feel his chuckle vibrate through your body when he encounters the wetness there.

"i'm not the one who already ruined their underwear," luke teases as he finishes undressing you. he pauses at the sight of you, bottom half completely exposed. you're about to tell him to hurry the fuck up, but then luke spits onto your already soaked cunt and says:

“i need to clean you up, baby.” he gives you another cheeky grin, teeth glowing like the cheshire cat, before diving in.

luke is skilled at everything he does, so of course he's quick to unravel you once more, this time with a persistent combination of tongue and teeth, lapping at your cunt like it's his last meal.

as soon as you're done riding out your high, you yank luke by the leather cord around his neck to collide your lips with his again.

you reach down to return the favor, snake your hand underneath the fabric of his underwear, and you're deeply satisfied to find him already sticky with his release.

“you already finished,” you tease, stroking his v-line. "and ruined your underwear without me even touching you."

in the dim light of the moon, you can barely make out luke blushing. he hides his face in the junction between your neck and shoulder.

“guess we’re both desperate, huh.” luke’s teeth graze your skin, his curls tickling your neck. “i need to be inside you, now, so how about you get on your hands and knees for me? i’ll get the condom.”

sometimes, luke tries to be gentle — but not this time.

this time, he fucks you, hard and fast and deep.

you love it, even if you might not be able to walk properly tomorrow.

with so much power behind each thrust, and the overwhelming pleasure, your arms threaten to give out, but luke catches you before you fall. he wraps a hand around your neck, bringing you flush against his chest as he continues to plunge his length into you.

"listen to me," luke growls. he snakes a hand down to rub harsh circles on your clit. "the one thing the gods did right is make this perfect, tight little pussy of yours. you were fucking made for me, weren't you?"

all you can do is whimper, closing your eyes at his filthy, sinful words.

you aren't used to luke being so possessive, and certainly not in these past few weeks. it's making your head spin in the best way. you can feel your orgasm build in the pit of your abdomen.

"were you made for me?" luke asks again. he squeezes your neck slightly, and you gasp at the pressure. "answer me, or i'll stop."

you don’t think it’s likely he’ll stop; you’re sure he’s just as lost in the sound of your cunt squelching and the feeling of you sucking him in. but, he does slow down, only a little bit, and it's enough for you to start whining.

"y-yes, luke."

"are you mine?"

you don't answer fast enough. luke stills his hips completely and you almost burst into tears.

you moan, trying to move against him in vain. luke keeps a firm grip on you, making it hard to cause any sort of friction between your bodies.

"i'm yours," you promise.

luke plants a firm kiss behind your ear. “that’s my girl,” he whispers darkly.

satisfied, luke resumes his pace. he moves the hand around your neck to your chin, angling you accordingly so he can crash his lips onto yours.

it doesn't take long to feel the tension in your abdomen snap, wetness gushing out of you. exhausted, you collapse onto the mattress. luke slips out of you.

the next few seconds consist of you trying to bring yourself back down to reality after such a high.

luke turns you around just to face him as he hovers over you. he lodges his hand behind your ear and taps your cheek to get your attention. your eyes flutter open.

“did you just —”

the dampness between your legs, and on the sheets underneath you, is enough evidence: you just squirted.

"i….” you gulp, feeling yourself flush. “i’ve never done that before."

luke stares at your glistening cunt. you wonder if you should be embarrassed, but then he locks eyes with you. you've never seen them so dark, pupils almost fully blown, just a sliver of brown showing through.

"you’re so fucking hot."

your heart flutters.

“you’re not too bad yourself, tiger, or i wouldn’t be in this mess.” you wink at him, still trying to catch your breath. your eyes wander lower. you note luke in the current state he’s in; you realize that the scales are nowhere near balanced. “that’s three for me, and only one for you. let me taste you.”

he doesn't need to be told twice. you get on your knees once more, this time facing him as he kneels in front of you. luke rips off the condom, something to deal with later, and you take him in your mouth, cheeks hollowed and tears brimming your eyes feeling him fuck your throat. when he finishes, you swallow him whole, savoring every drop. he pulls you up for a kiss; you can still taste yourself on him, and it mixes with his new release, a combination that is more than a little intoxicating.

“fuck,” luke mumbles as he pulls away. he swipes his thumb over the corner of your mouth where some of his cum dribbled out. “i know that was intense, but would you be up for another round? "

"yeah," you reply without a second thought, reaching up to thread your fingers through his curls to ground yourself.

maybe you should thank artemis for the full moon tonight, giving you just the right amount of silver light to illuminate the sculpted curves and edges of luke's body. his skin is also littered with bruises and bites of your design, chaotic and beautiful. luke looks like a mess, just as you're sure you do.

you want more. you need more.

"we gotta go for four, remember? but...maybe we, uh…"

"....slow it down this time?" luke finishes your thought.

you nod, grateful that you and luke are on the same page. he scrambles off the bed to get another condom.

"shit. i don't have another one.”

"check my bag, too," you tell him. luke complies, but comes up short once more.

you’re sitting up against the headboard now, and luke returns to kneel in front of you.

"i can use my fingers,” luke offers. “or eat you out again —"

“or we could just do without a condom this time?” you suggest. luke raises an eyebrow at you, so you think through the possibilities out loud. "we both got tested before our first time together and haven’t been with anyone since.” you find yourself pausing for confirmation on that, and luke nods once. “i’m on birth control. obviously there’s still a risk that something happens, but maybe just this one time? you can just pull out whenever you’re ready….if you're okay with that."

luke waits, almost like he thinks you might change your mind, before finally answering:

“yeah, i’m okay with it if you are. i’ve always wanted to fuck you raw. i just didn’t think you’d be into it — and didn’t want you to feel pressured.”

you have to kiss him then. because how is it that the boy who just gave you three jaw clenching, toe curling, heart pounding orgasms be so sweet and considerate?

before you know it, you’re flat on your back, sheets slightly scratchy with stray sand. you don't care much because luke hovers above you; he presses his forehead to yours, curls falling in front of his face.

"just so you know," luke starts, just as you feel him enter you once more. "i must have been made for you, too. i'm just as much yours as you are mine."

you smirk, bite your lip to keep from moaning so that you can keep up the arrogance, just a bit longer.

"always so dramatic," you mock, as if your cunt isn’t squeezing around him at his sweet nothings.

luke grins at you sheepishly, his cheeks flushed.

"guess that means the gods did two things right," you joke, exhaling when you feel luke brush against that gummy spot deep within you. "maybe we've taken them for granted. maybe we should - " he hits that spot again, and your breath hitches. you dig your nails into his shoulders as he rocks back and forth. “maybe we should thank them.”

luke clicks his tongue, grips your hip firmly. "not a chance, sweetheart. the gods’ll get what they deserve."

you don’t care enough to ask luke what he means. you care more about him going faster. you’re about to tell him to do so, and to throw your legs over his shoulders, but he does it himself before you get the chance. you feel him slipping deeper within you, the force and passion behind each movement, his body molding to every curve and crevice of yours.

made for each other.

you’re so sensitive that your orgasm approaches quickly. as he helps you ride it out, his thrusts get sloppier, and you know he’s almost reached his peak, too.

“fuck,” he grunts. “i’m close.” luke starts to pull out, but then you lock your ankles behind his neck.

“don’t,” you command.

“a-are you sure?” he looks at you, wide-eyed.

“i just want to feel you this once.”

he nods and brings you in for one more bruising kiss. he finishes inside you, warm and wet.

luke leaves once he catches his breath, and comes back with a damp towel to clean you up. he knows your body, recognizes how sensitive you are, and presses kisses on the inside of your thighs, where the same lips had made bruises before.

even completely fucked out, your mind starts to unpack everything that’s wrong in your life. like how luke has always been a little too good at pretending, with everyone else at least, and something serious must be going on if he's trying to fool you, too.

this luke with you now, the one who gently wipes his cum from between your legs after fucking you so relentlessly, is your luke. it feels like your luke is slipping right through your fingers, and you’re wracking your brain trying to figure out how this can stop before losing him completely.

wait….did luke say something about getting revenge on the gods? your mind is still a bit cloudy, but you could’ve sworn —

“are you okay?”

his question puts pause on your spiraling. he’s done cleaning you up, throws the towel on the floor and settles back on the bed, next to you. you’re close enough for the softest whisper, your limbs intertwined beneath tangled sheets.

you watch luke carefully as he waits for an answer and surveys your body, tracing his fingers over the marks he'd left underneath your jaw, across your shoulders, over your collarbones and down your stomach.

"i didn't hurt you, did i?"

“i’m okay,” you assure him. luke’s hand stops to gently rest on your cheek. your other worries are pushed to the side for the time being: for now, it's just you and luke. “do you think we could pick up a plan b pill tomorrow though, just in case? i love you, but i’m not ready to have your babies.”

luke widens his eyes like a minotaur in headlights. he drops his hand.

“you’ve never said that before.”

“that i want to have your babies?” you jest, slightly amused at how panicked luke seems.

luke blushes and clears his throat. “well, that too. i meant the whole ‘i love you’ thing, though.”

your amusement evaporates. you swear your heart stops beating momentarily.

“oh, shit.…”

you’re not quite sure what to say; you’ve felt this way for a while, truthfully.

of course you love luke. you can't remember exactly when you realized it, but you just….know.

because if what you felt for luke wasn’t love, then you were foolish to have secretly bought into what silena beauregard had been on about for years, and aphrodite herself might just be out of a job.

“i know we’re kind of in a weird place, but, yeah, i mean it. you don’t have to say it back —”

luke leans forward to kiss you. gentler this time, but just as firm. “i love you."

"you do?" your heart resumes its beating.

"of course i do. i have ever since my first morning at camp.”

“yeah right,” you chuckle in disbelief, feeling your cheeks heat up. “it’s not a competition, you know, over who loved who first.”

“karma, i’m serious,” he insists. “someone taught me to burn offerings, and with everything that happened with thalia, i obviously wasn't in the worshiping mood, but then you leaned over and whispered —"

"they like the smell of begging."

luke grins at you, and you reach up to brush your thumb against the dimple in his cheek.

"exactly. somehow, that was what i needed to hear. it was nice to know that i wasn't the only one who didn’t want to just accept things the way they were….” he loses his train of thought. luke grabs your hand in his. “i wish i had told you earlier. after all this, i don’t want to lose you.”

“you won’t —”

“whatever happens,” luke continues, somewhat ominously. “i love you, y/n.”

you hadn't heard luke use your real name in a while. you fall asleep, heart full with the memory of him weaving it together with those three magic words.

the next morning, you wake up — you actually sleep in, for the first time in years — and decide that if you could stay here forever, you would.

the morning sun stings your eyes through the sheer curtains. the sticky heat of summer sits heavy in the room, and stray grains of sand tickle your skin underneath the sheets. waves wash gently on the shore outside, and an ocean breeze mixes with the smell of burnt cinnamon. you can hear annabeth, grover, and percy crashing dishes and bickering and causing chaos in the kitchen as, you imagine, they scramble to surprise you with breakfast.

luke is next to you, on his stomach. his curls are a mess, covering most of his face.

evidence from last night: scratches from your nails prominent on his back, his neck decorated with purple bruises in the shape of your lips. you shift slightly and feel a dull ache between your legs, so you'd call it even.

outside, something clatters on the floor, and you hear percy swear.

luke's eyes flutter open, ever so slightly, and he starts to move. "we should get up before they burn down the place."

you press your hand to luke's shoulder blade, barely, but in his half-asleep state, it's enough to keep him in bed. luke moves to his side, facing you. you bring your hand up to brush curls away from luke's eyes, even if they're still closed.

"they've literally been to hell and back," you recall his sarcastic words from last night. "i think they can handle pancakes."

the corners of luke's mouth curl upwards.

"you're such a smart ass," he mumbles.

you lean forward, plant a kiss underneath luke's chin. his stubble scratches against your lips.

"don't pretend you don't love it, tiger."

luke breathes steadily. you think he might've fallen asleep once more until he presses his lips to your forehead, pulls you towards him, and quips:

"i love you."

your heart quickens as you echo his words. something churns in your stomach, too.

because this peace isn't something that feels permanent.

you're the children of gods, and there's always a catch. some inevitable plot twist where lovers end up separated, where heroes end up dead or cursed.

it's nauseating — dangerous, even — that you want a happy ending, a desire buried in you deeply like a knife to the gut. it's cruel that the fates keep twisting, taunting you with what can never be.

no monsters; no gods or titans; no prophecies.

just this.

#the way this became a whole chapter....i've got wayyy too much to say i guess #i really wanted to incorporate the trio into this series a bit more and how others see luke + karma's relationship #also i forget who said it but smut as a character study....yeah <3 #luke castellan fic #luke castellan imagine #luke castellan pjo #luke castellan #luke castellan x reader #luke castellan angst #luke castellan smut #luke castellan x nemesis!reader #luke castellan x you #pjo fanfic #pjo #luke castellan fanfic #saf writes

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evermoresqueiswriting · 27 days

Text

riptide

“I was scared of dentists and the dark I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations Oh, all my friends are turning green You're the magician's assistant in their dream”

summary: going on the camp's field trip to olympus because clarisse asked you to, meeting your father and clarisse's father and also, there are new updates from camp - luke gone, and percy's arrival

pairing: clarisse la rue x f!reader

word count: 6.7k (14 year old me would never believe me if i said i casually wrote a 6k chapter)

tags: mostly fluff, tiny splash and angst

series masterlist 3/?

The date ended really late – you fell asleep on the beach, and Clarisse didn’t have the heart to wake you up. She didn’t dare, you looked too peaceful to disturb. You loved taking naps and whenever you were around Clarisse, you felt safe enough to do so. By the time you woke up, it was already dark, and Clarisse had put your blouse back on you because it started to get chilly. When you realised what time it was, you hurried Clarisse and grabbed all your bags before leaving the beach.

The ride back home was quite long, and once you got into camp, it was really quiet. You and Clarisse tried to be quiet, and walked slowly towards your cabins, but then you heard footsteps. Both of you whipped around. Chiron, hands on his hip and Mr D, standing next to him.

“Hi,” you waved.

Clarisse swiftly grabbed your hand to put it down.

“You missed the curfew,” Mr D said.

“What– What curfew? There was one?” you hesitated, looking at Clarisse.

“Yes,” Mr D continued, “it was written, black on white, that you should be home before 9pm. And it’s, would you look at that,” he showed you his watch-less wrist, “it’s past 11!”

“We– I didn’t know,” you explained, “I- I mean– I can’t read and neither can she.”

Chiron shook his head, and Clarisse stepped in front of you, shielding you from their disappointed faces.

“We’re sorry, we didn’t see the time.”

Your hand was grabbing tightly onto Clarisse’s arm.

“Go back to your cabins and rest,” Chiron said.

“Yeah, cause you’ll need it for the cleaning duties you’ll get for the whole week or month, I still haven’t decided yet haha,” Mr D finished and walked away.

You were once again alone. You sighed.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled, not daring to look at her.

“What for?”

“I should’ve read the whole letter, I should've known and now because of me you’ll have cleaning duties for maybe a whole month!”

“I don’t mind, I had a great time today,” you raised your head up at this, “I’ll do another month again if it means we get to do that again.”

“Really?” you smiled.

“Really, now go to sleep.”

It ended up being a whole month of cleaning duties, but neither of you cared because you got to be together.

Your summer was split between three people, Clarisse, Will and Lee.

Fighting and combat with Clarisse. Clarisse was ruthless, not letting you rest for a bit, always pushing you to your limits. She had one thing in mind and that was for you to be the best version of yourself. You were progressing fast which she was extremely proud of. Just like Luke said, you were a natural fighter, and everyone noticed that during Capture the Flag. You went from hiding behind Clarisse the whole time from leading the fight.

Archery lessons from Lee. Lee was also very insistent as a teacher. Never letting you rest.

“Hitting a still target is easy, a child could do it,” Lee told you in his first lesson. “But no monster is going to stay still for you to hit it at your pace. So, we’ll practise on moving targets, fast and unpredictable ones.”

And he was right, it was much more difficult. There was no time for you to prepare, and see where the wind went. But after some practice, it was easier. He was a good teacher, after all. You were tired and sore at the end of every day, which seemed a bit excessive for a fun, safe, summer camp for half bloods. They looked like they were preparing you for war at this pace. And when you had some free time, you spent it with Cornelia painting and playing old board games they had in the cabins. It was a great way to relax.

Alongside sharpening your skills, you also spent an absurd amount of time at the infirmary with Will. Michael was the one teaching you everything, with a tiny Will following you there too. He was absorbing information at an incredible pace.

“Isn’t he a bit young to be learning all of this?” you asked Michael.

“Yeah, but he’s good at it, so who cares? Surely not Mr D.”

Will was a really nice kid, and obviously a natural healer. With the two of you at the infirmary, Michael was able to leave for longer periods of time. Will and you often held karaoke afternoons while cleaning the infirmary. And this time, it was your turn to choose the song. So, You and Will were dueting ‘august’ by Taylor Swift when someone came in.

“But do you remember? Remember when I pulled up and said, "Get in the car" And then canceled my plans just in case you'd call? Back when I was livin' for the hope of it all, for the hope of it all "Meet me behind the mall" Remember–” you sang with Will.

“You’re having fun here,” Clarisse leaned on the doorframe.

You screamed, and turned around.

“Clarisse! Hi,” Will waved.

She gave you a questioning look. They had never met.

“This is Will Solace, my brother,” you smiled.

“Yeah, y/n talks about you all the time!” Will smile proudly, before you shoved him aside.

“Betrayal, I said all of these things in confidence, but whatever,” you dragged him outside. “Go grab some more supplies, we’re missing ambrosia.”

“But it’s ful–.”

You slammed the door.

“He doesn’t know what he’s saying,” you laughed, turning back to Clarisse.

“Sure,” she smirked.

“What are you doing here anyway?”

“I forgot to give you something.”

“A gift?” you beamed.

She took out a small tissue bag from her pocket and handed it to you. You opened it, and let the object slip into your palm. A ring.

“Are you proposing?” you joked.

She rolled her eyes, and smiled.

“I watched you pick this size when choosing yours, so you shouldn’t lose this one.”

“Thank you, it’s so pretty I love it!” you put it on your left index.

Clarisse had the one you gave her on her necklace.

“Great, don’t lose it.”

“I won’t!”

And just like that – in the blink of an eye – summer was over, and it was time for you to leave camp and go back home. You knew it was time to leave when Mr D started yelling that those who weren’t staying for the year to leave immediately because he had enough of seeing you bunch. When you walked away from your cabin, you noticed Clarisse was already waiting for you at the entrance of camp.

“I guess this is goodbye,” she smiled.

“Until October, for the field trip,” you corrected her. “I talked to Mr D and he said it was ok for me to come. So really it’s only two months away! And I’ll send letters, I’m sure Hermes Express have those next day delivery types of… offers?”

“Sure.”

You fiddled with your fingers.

“I’m going to miss you,” you admitted. “And I’ll miss Capture the Flag and being on your team, and I’ll miss sparing with you, and I’ll miss… seeing you everyday.”

Her eyes softened.

“Only two months, like you said.”

You nodded. Then, hesitantly, you opened your arms.

“What?” Clarisse frowned.

“We should hug goodbye.”

She had her arms crossed, but then she uncrossed them and you went to wrap your arms around her torso. She hesitantly wrapped her arms around your shoulders. When her arms loosened, you let go.

“I’ll see you soon Clarisse,” you squeezed her arm, before walking away.

“See you soon sunshine,” Clarisse watched you walk away, “I’ll miss you too,” but you were already too far away to hear it.

Once you were back home, the first thing you did was to go find your mom’s old walkerman. You had to go search the old boxes your mom had put away in the attic – it was difficult but worth it.

“Why do you need this?” your mother asked once you came out of the attic with her walkerman.

“It’s for— my friend?”

“Clarisse?”

“Yes. Clarisse.”

When you told your mother about your summer at camp, it had included a lot of Clarisse related stories.

“And I told her I’d send letters so we could keep in touch, but now I realise I can’t write for the life of me, and even if I did write something, she’s spent too much time trying to decipher what I wrote, and it's just not– good. So I thought I’d send her this,” you waved the walkerman, “and I’d buy empty cassettes to record things, and send pictures along with it.”

“Oh, that’s a very nice thing to do,” she nodded.

“Oh! I forgot to tell you– to ask you really. Hm, there is this field trip at camp… in october. It’d be during the halloween vacations, so I won’t miss school. Can I go, please?”

“Sure, I don’t see why not.”

Well that was easy.

So every week, you’d record what you did and update Clarisse about your life, you’d take pictures and buy her favourite snacks — you tried out a lot during your date — and ship it to camp half-blood. Clarisse would also send you pictures. The dinner, pictures of Will and behind one of his pictures he’d written ‘i miss u <3’ on the back, people training, their win at Capture the Flag, and you’d keep everything in a box dedicated to Clarisse.

Two months. Two months at camp went by fast, too fast even. But two months at school, minus your friends and the fun at camp, it was slow. You woke up every day at 6:45am, got ready and left for school, came back around 5:50pm and did your homework, ate, washed-up, and then scrolled on twitter, fighting with random accounts, and then went to sleep. Your routine was boring to no end, but you tried so you could have things to tell Clarisse. But life outside of camp was boring and your mother could see that.

“You know, if you wanted to stay at camp for the whole year, I wouldn’t stop you.”

Oh.

“But, what about you then? I don’t want you to live alone in this big ass mansion.”

“I’m an adult, I’ll be fine,” she reassured you.

“I won’t, knowing you’ll be alone.”

Your mom wasn’t on good terms with her parents after they learned that she’d be raising a kid alone, without marriage or even a boyfriend. After you were born, they did visit and spent time with you, but never with your mom, their daughter. So she couldn’t even call them to come live with her. You weren’t going to abandon her when she only has you.

“I–,” she put her chopsticks down, “I met someone at work.”

“What! What does that mean?”

“It means, I’ve been seeing someone.”

“Oh my– you’re trying to get rid of me to have—” you stared at her, mouth wide open from shock, “sex,” you mouthed.

“Oh grow up y/n, I’m an adult, where do you think you came from.”

“Uh– rude.”

“I’m just saying, this is your last year in high school, if next year you want to stay at camp, you can.”

“And you’d be fine with it?”

She nodded.

“What if I want to stay here, at home?”

“Then you’d stay here, as long as you want, this is your home as well.”

“I’ll– I’ll think about it.”

And then it was finally time to leave for camp again. Your mom drove you to the airport and you left with your suitcase in hand. It was the longest flight ever, and the cab seemed to be driving even slower than a snail. An old lady on foot was faster than this, but then you were finally there.

“Are you sure this is where you want to get out?” the cab driver asked, seeing the empty road.

“Yes,” you gave him the money, “keep the change, bye.”

When you arrived at camp, Chiron was waiting for you at the entrance already, and you greeted him happily.

“How was the trip to camp?”

“Great. Long and tiring for sure, but I’m so excited too.”

“Good, we’re going to leave soon, you can go put your things in your cabin first.”

The first one to spot you was Cornelia, and she came running to hug you. And then Will came in very quickly to give you a hug as well.

“I missed you guys so much,” you smiled.

“I wish you were staying here all the time,” Will said. “I’m all alone at the infirmary.”

“You’re leaving him alone?” you gasped at Michael.

“He kicked me out! Said you had a whole system going on there and I wasn’t following it correctly.”

“He also wasn’t doing karaoke afternoons with me,” Will told you.

“How dare he. That’s ‘cause he has no taste.”

“I can hear you,” Michael stood beside you.

“Do you mind? I’m having a private conversation.”

“Yeah do you mind, we’re having a private conversation,” Will repeated.

It felt great to be at camp – it felt safe, familiar and comforting. You put your suitcase beside your bed, and grabbed some chocolate bars from your backpack and put them in your pocket. Will, who stayed by your side, pleaded with his eyes to get one too and you couldn’t resist.

“I’ll give you more later,” you promised him.

You left your cabin with your siblings as it was time to leave camp. Everyone was on their way to the entrance. You looked around, hoping to catch Clarisse, and there she was, way ahead of you. You turned around, facing your siblings and after a brief “see you up there”, you ran off.

Clarisse was talking to her brother, and she looked around for you. She was expecting you to be beside Chiron at the entrance, but you weren't. Maybe you were late? When suddenly, she felt someone jump on her back, and her immediate response was to grab their arm and throw them on the ground.

“Ugh! Motherfucker,” you moaned, laying on the ground, with Clarisse holding down on your arm on the ground.

“What the hell!” Clarisse immediately let go and helped you get up. “Why would you do that?”

“I wanted to surprise you,” you rubbed your arm. “Why would you do that?”

“You jumped on me! Are you ok?” Clarisse worried.

You stared at her, dumbstruck.

“No! I’m not!”

Just when she was about to talk, Chiron called for all the campers to gather around, and you left without giving her the chance to speak. Your whole back was aching, and you tried not to think about it too much, but that was impossible because of Clarisse’s strength. Clarisse tried to grab your arm to slow you down, but you shook her off. Then, Michael and Lee just had to get involved.

“Butt off Clarisse,” Michael squeezed himself between you two. “Didn’t you do enough by crushing y/n to dust? So much for being friends,” he snickered.

“Fuck off Michael unless you want to wake up in the morning missing your front row teeth,” Clarisse spat.

Michael did back away a little, bumping into you.

“How can you be friends with her,” he turned around to look at you.

Clarisse has been wondering the same thing for the past few days. The Apollo cabin and the Ares cabin weren’t known to be friendly with each other. They tolerated each other at best when they were on the same team for Capture the Flag, but that was it. And when you left, she started to wonder about your friendship. Maybe you’d forget about her once you’re back at home. And the first week, all she could think about was when – or if – you’d reach out.

But every Sunday, at 9:00am she’d receive a package with your recording and pictures and candy for your siblings and her. You had never given her any reason to doubt your relationship, but not everyone in your cabin, or at camp, were thinking that way. Michael had been one of those people, always wondering loud and clear about your friendship. So that was Clarisse’s final straw.

She grabbed Michael’s collar, ready to punch him, but Lee tried to calm the situation down.

“Clarisse, please don’t,” Lee grabbed Michael’s hands, “he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“He clearly does. He’s been talking about it nonstop for the past few weeks.”

You frowned. You looked at Michael, then Lee and finally at Clarisse. The pure rage in her eyes would make anyone run away, but you stepped up.

“Clarisse,” you put your hands on her arms, “it’s fine, let go please. Chiron is waiting for us.”

She locked her eyes with you, clearly still upset about the situation, and pushed Michael away, but Lee was behind to hold him back.

“Clarisse, what was that about?”

“It’s nothing,” she shrugged, “it’s fine. See you.”

And she walked away, leaving you confused. You turned around, giving a questioning look at your brothers, but Lee only mouthed a ‘I don’t know’ and Michael avoided your gaze. You were ready to argue with them, but Will came running, telling you they were ready to leave.

The trip to the Empire State Building was long, especially with Clarisse ignoring you. You tried talking to Michael, but he was also ignoring you, and suddenly, everyone at camp lost their ability to talk. Annoyed, you went to the back of the bus, where no one was. But then Will came.

“What’s wrong? You look like Clarisse all the time. Frowning and sulking.”

“I’m not!” you relaxed your face. “Also while we're talking about Clarisse, what’s that about how we’re not supposed to be friends?”

Will grimaced, and looked away for a second.

“People have been wondering about how you, sweet and fun Apollo daughter, could be friends with ruthless Clarisse La Rue, Ares daughter. Because the Apollo cabin does not get along with the Ares cabin, like at all.”

“And Clarisse was upset? Over people’s opinions about us?”

“Well…” Will stretched that vowel for far too long. “You know people, and how they love to gossip. And somehow it went from enemy cabins to how there are better friends to have… than Clarisse. And how she’s not… worth it,” he hesitated. “And she only brings you trouble… things like that.”

You were too stunned to give any type of answers.

“Clarisse doesn’t look like someone who cares about those kind of rumours and speculations, but insecurities are created by people’s opinion,” Will said, “that’s what Lee told me when people were talking about me and I started to feel bad.”

“What were people talking about?” you frowned.

“I’m not as good as you all with my archery skills.”

“That’s not–, I mean it doesn’t matter.”

“I know, Lee and Cornelia and Michael and everyone at our cabin was there to tell me that.”

“Okay, and they’re right.”

“I’m saying… maybe Clarisse doesn't have that sort of support system. And maybe she is starting to feel like other people are right.”

“Oh.”

You looked at where Clarisse was sitting, in the middle, sitting next to her sister. It was a four seat table, and her three siblings were all laughing and shouting, but Clarisse wasn’t. She was staring out the window, her arms crossed.

You saw her frown and turned her head in your direction, but when she saw you looking at her, she quickly turned her head to her siblings.

“You should talk to her, and clear things up. Because Clarisse is nice. I like her.”

“Since when? You never talk.”

“Clarisse is nice to me, she always has been since we’ve met that one time,” he admitted. “I think she deserves good friends. Like us.”

“I think so too,” you agreed.

When it was time to get off the bus, everyone rushed out, separating you from Clarisse even further. Well, the talk had to wait.

The trip to the 600th floor took too long. Every cabin went one by one since it couldn’t hold the whole camp at once. The Ares cabin went before the Apollo cabin, but Clarisse stood straight and looked ahead. She had her back turned to you, even once inside the elevator, but at the last minute she turned around and locked eyes with you.

“We’ll talk,” you mouthed clearly.

There was no escaping you. When it was your turn, you stepped in last so you could leave first. It took forever to reach floor 600. And just as you expected, there was no sign of Clarisse. She stayed close to her brothers.

Each cabin had to do a presentation in front of the gods, and it was the worst thing for them and for you all too. Every time they clapped at the end, you knew it wasn’t as a compliment but more as a cheers to being closer to the end.

After that, there was a big feast. The gods watching you eat and burn your food for them – it was weird and you couldn’t keep your eyes off your father. His tanned skin, golden hair, and bright smile.

“Blinding isn’t he,” Lee said.

“Yeah, I should’ve brought my sunglasses. Do you ever talk?”

“Not much. They don’t come just to hang around their kids.”

“He kinda looks like a classmate I’d have if people at my school weren’t all dressed like they just left prison. He looks young.”

“You’ll get used to it eventually,” Lee shrugged.

After dinner, campers just hang around talking, and some of the gods would come and talk to their children. You looked around and spotted the Hermes cabin staying together, far away from the main event, and then you tried to look for Clarisse, but she was nowhere. You turned around and bumped into your father. You quickly stepped away.

“Sorry,” you mumbled.

“It’s alright. How have you been? Have you been settling well with everything?” he smiled.

“Um… Yes.”

What more could you say? You weren’t going to start saying the truth to this god that happened to be your father.

“How is your mother?”

“Great,” you nodded, smiling. “She’s been seeing someone you know, after,” you looked at your wrist and pretended there was a watch, “eighteen years of having no one.”

“y/n,” he sighed looking away, “that’s just how things work with us gods. She knew from the start who I was, I told her.”

“It’s fine. I was merely stating a fact.”

Please somebody end this conversation, you prayed.

“Well, well, well,” someone slapped your dad’s shoulder.

“Ares,” your dad greeted him. “This is y/n, my daughter.”

“Ah, the girl my daughter has been seeing.”

Apollo whipped his head around, beaming at you.

“You have a girlfriend?” he held you in his arms. “I’m so proud of you. Way to go, who and where is the lucky girl.”

You stared at him, and then at Ares, mouth wide open in shock.

“I– I don’t! It’s– It’s not!” you stuttered. “I don’t have a girlfriend. Clarisse is my friend, who is a girl indeed. So yeah girl,” you paused, “friend. I haven’t been seeing her, I’ve been seeing her as in, she lives at camp and so did I during the summer!”

“Oh,” he let go of you. “My bad. You could’ve been more clear,” he looked at Ares. “Well I have to go now,” he walked away. “See you soon, y/n.”

Ares didn’t follow your father. He stayed with you, staring at you. Clarisse looked at you the same way when you first arrived at camp.

“I feel like I know you from somewhere,” you admitted.

“Well, I am the war god. They had to have shown you my picture somewhere between those classes they have,” he nodded toward Chiron.

“No, it’s not that,” you frowned.

Meanwhile, Clarisse was talking to Mark when she spotted Apollo leaving in a hurry, and she looked at where he came from. And her eyes spotted you immediately, and then she saw her father standing tall, towering over you.

“Fuck,” she mumbled before leaving the conversation without any notice.

She rushed to where you stood. There was no way she was going to let you alone with her father.

“... on twitter!” you shouted, hiding a smile. “Clarisse, I was just telling your father about us knowing each other through twitter!”

“What?” she mumbled, pulling you closer to her.

“I’m always starting fights with him on twitter, because he’s always talking shit and nonsense. He doesn’t know me though.”

“Wait–,” Ares interrupted. “Are you that fan account of that blonde singer?”

“Yes!” you laughed.

He snickered, then stopped and turned to Clarisse.

“Clarisse.”

“Dad.”

Then he stared at you, before going back to Clarisse.

“You can leave now,” he gave you a brief look. “I want to talk to Clarisse. Alone.”

Clarisse, who the whole time didn’t let go of your hand, squeezed it. Hard. Before letting go. But you didn’t move, slightly worried.

“I–,” you started, but Clarisse turned to you, face blank.

“I’ll find you after this, go.”

You nodded without arguing and left. You quickly spotted your siblings and joined them, listening to what they were saying. You’d glance at Clarisse’s direction, and all you could see was Clarisse nodding, looking at her feet. Ares was in his human form, but even like that he looked impressive. He was tall and broad, he had these eyes you didn’t want to look straight into from fear. He gave Clarisse a final, firm, pat on the shoulder before leaving her there. She stood there for a full minute before straightening her back and searched for you in the ocean of people. But before she could find you, you were already on your way to her.

“Are you okay?” you immediately asked.

“I’m fine.”

“What did he say to you?”

“He…” she hesitated. “It doesn’t matter.”

You stood there, torn between insisting and letting it go. If you insisted when she wasn’t ready to talk, then you’d be a pushy friend who doesn’t respect any boundaries. But if you didn’t, then maybe it’d seem like you didn’t care.

“Okay,” you nodded slowly. “Well, if you don’t have anything more to say, I do.”

“y/n…” Clarisse sighed.

“No! You ignored me the whole day when I just came back for you. And then that thing that happened with Michael,” she rolled her eyes at the mention of his name, “what was that about?”

“It doesn’t—”

“Stop saying that! It does matter. It matters to me how you feel. About this and everything else.”

Clarisse stared at you. Her eyes pleading with you to let it go.

“I just…” you sighed, defeated. “I don’t want this to ruin our friendship. And I don’t—” you groaned in frustration. “Will told me,” you admitted, “about what people have been saying and what Michael has been saying,” you found it hard to find your words. “I– I want you to know that’s not what I think. And I—.”

You should’ve been rehearsing this. You took a deep breath.

“They’re not right about this. And I don’t want you to think that they are. Because you, Clarisse La Rue, are the best friend anyone could ask for. And because of you, I’m better than ever. I’ve been a better fighter because of you, I’ve been a better friend because of you. You taught me how to stand up for myself, and I’ve just been happier since I’ve met you. So I don’t want you to listen to what people have to say.”

Clarisse still hadn’t said anything, which was excruciating. Just as you were about to continue ranting about this, she pulled you in her arms. You wrapped your arms around her, and put your head on her shoulder.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and let go.

It didn’t last long enough, but you’ll take what she gave you.

“Are we ok?”

“We’re ok,” Clarisse nodded.

The rest of the evening was spent with you sitting on some big rocks that served as chairs, catching up. She’d tell about all the times she won at Capture the Flag, she’d tell you about the indigestion everyone had due to food poisoning that one day, she’d tell you about that time she had to go to the infirmary and only let Will heal her because there was no way she’d let Michael help her. She’d tell you about every little thing you’d miss during those months when you went home, and you listened to everything she had to say, with your head resting on her shoulder.

“Oh gods,” you straightened your back, pointing ahead of you. “Is that your dad with Aphrodite?”

“Fuck,” she cringed. “Are they making out?”

“I mean– he definitely is. It’s weird,” you looked away, then went back to staring at them.

“Stop staring at my dad sucking the goddess of love’s face.”

“Are you sure he’s your dad though? Cause Aphrodite looks exactly like you.”

Clarisse whipped her head around, eyes wide, staring at you.

“What?” she breathed.

“What, what?”

She paused, still staring at you.

“Nothing,” she smiled, and then looked back, “they’re gone.”

“Finally. It’s gross to make out in front of your children like that.”

All the campers spent the night in Olympus, all sleeping in the same area. The room looked exactly like inside a normal cabin at camp, with bunk beds and cupboards, and for once, friends from different cabins were allowed to sleep together. You dragged Clarisse with you, where the Apollo cabin stayed.

“We’re all used to staying together,” you explained, “but you can stay with me. Are you sleeping on the top bunk or bottom one?”

“Bottom one,” Clarisse sat on the bed.

“Ooh,” Cornelia sat next to Clarisse,” so does y/n.”

“It’s fine, it’s only for one night,” you waved it off.

“Did you see Clarisse’s dad making out in the open with their mother,” Cornelia pointed at the Aphrodite children.

“We did!” you squealed, squeezing yourself between the two of them.

“I think everyone did,” Clarisse added.

“Did you notice how Aphrodite looked exactly like Clarisse,” you looked at Cornelia.

Her eyes widened, and shook her head slightly. Clarisse was leaning against the bed frame, her legs crossed on the bed, smirking. You frowned.

“What?” you mouthed.

“We’ll come back”, Cornelia dragged you away.

“What?”

“Do you know what it means to perceive Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty, passion and lust, as someone you know?” she asked.

“As someone I know? What does that mean?”

“Aphrodite doesn’t look like Clarisse,” she explained, “you perceive the goddess as such because you think Clarisse is those things.”

“Oh,” you paused. “Is that common knowledge or?”

You hoped not.

“Yeah it is, so you probably shouldn’t say those things in front of Clarisse if you’re not…”

“If I’m not what?”

“Nevermind.”

“I already told her, twice now with what happened a few minutes ago. Oh gods, couldn’t you have taught me this earlier!” you panicked. “What–What does that mean though? Do I– Am I—,” you gave a quick glance at Clarisse.

“I don’t know! I mean, you did ask her on a date like the first week you arrived at camp, what could that mean?”

“I don’t know? I think she’s pretty, and– and apparently I think she could look exactly like the goddess of love herself. It’s—,” you took a deep breath.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to know.”

“I think,” you hesitated. “I don’t know!” you whined. “Clarisse is nice to me, she’s fun to be around, she’s pushing me upwards and I think I might– maybe– perhaps have a tiny crush on her, yes,” you admitted.

“Aw,” she beamed, “I think you’d make such a cute couple.”

“Calm your tits down,” you playfully rolled your eyes, “I don’t know if this will ever go further than us being friends. Now look natural, and never tell anyone else this. Okay, let’s go back.”

Clarisse was talking to Will when you two came back, but they abruptly stopped. Will stood so Cornelia and you could sit.

“What was that about?” Cornelia asked them.

“It’s a secret,” Will smiled.

“We were talking about how sunshine over there thought I looked like a goddess,” Clarisse grinned.

Will tried to hide his laugh.

“No one told me!” you hid your face in your hand from embarrassment. “You could’ve stopped me the first time I said it,” you accused Clarisse, who was still laughing.

“The first?” Will interrupted.

“Both times in front of Clarisse,” Cornelia added. “It was hard to watch,” she teased you.

Time went by very fast when you’re surrounded by friends and family, because it was already time to go to sleep. The lights disappeared, and you climbed onto your bed, and whispered Clarisse a goodnight before closing your eyes.

The silence was deafening. You couldn’t fall asleep, you needed white noises, music, anything but this. You tossed around, left your right leg outside the blanket, but then it was too cold, so you put it back inside, and tossed around again.

“What the hell y/n,” Clarisse whispered loudly.

“Sorry, I can’t fall asleep.”

“Why?” she sighed.

“It’s too quiet, and I’m cold.”

Clarisse let out a bigger sigh, before getting up.

“Where’re you going?” you sat up.

“Get down here, and bring your blanket.”

You did as she told you. You put the blanket on your shoulders and climbed down.

“Get in the bed,” she pointed at hers.

You did as she told you. And then she climbed back inside her bed, next to you, with both blankets on you. The beds on Olympus were bigger than the ones at camp, so it was no problem to fit you two in one single bed.

“Better?”

“Yes,” you nodded.

Clarisse fell asleep very quickly, like always. As soon as she closed her eyes, she was gone. But it took more time with you, you were used to looking at your phone until your eyelids were too tired to stay open, but now you couldn’t. You had nothing, only Clarisse sleeping peacefully next to you.

She slept on her back, with her head tilted toward you. Unlike her, you slept on your side, so you turned your back to her, and closed your eyes. And just as you were about to fall asleep, you felt Clarisse arms wrapping around you to bring you closer to her. And then, in an instant, you were gone.

The happiness from staying at camp didn’t last long as it was already time to go home and say goodbye to everyone. Your holidays came to an end and so did your stay at camp, and just like last time, Clarisse was already waiting for you at the entrance.

“So,” you started, ‘I guess we’ll see each other next summer?”

“Yea,” she nodded. “Next summer.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” you promised, “and I’ll keep sending you updates, though I don’t know if I’ll continue to be as regular as before. I do have my high school diploma to get, and I’ll have less time but I’ll do my best!”

“It’s okay, good luck on your exams. I know you’ll do great.”

“Thanks,” you smiled, but still didn’t leave.

It was too soon, and it felt like you barely spent any time with Clarisse and your siblings.

“Did you say goodbye to Will and the others?” Clarisse asked.

“Yea, before I left the cabin I did. It sucks that I have to, but–,” you hesitated, “maybe I won’t have to next year.”

“You wouldn’t?”

“I don’t know yet, but… it’s a possibility.”

“Oh,” she smiled, “okay.”

“Okay. Well… I have to go now.”

“Okay.”

You two stood there, without moving. But then you lunged forward and hugged her tightly.

“I’ll miss you,” you whispered.

And you let go, and left before she could give you her answer.

One recording per week became one every other week, and by December, it was only one per month. Clarisse didn’t send anything from December to February either, but then on a random day in March, you received a package from Hermes Express with Clarisse’s usual pictures from camp, without any notes explaining what happened those last few months. You didn’t mention it either, but you gave yourself a quick reminder to ask her when you’d be back at camp.

“It’s almost time, are you ready?” your mom asked.

“Yep, a minute!”

Your exams were done, you didn’t have the results yet but that didn’t matter – your mom promised she’d send them to you once she’d receive them so you could leave for camp peacefully. You packed lightly – a third of your belongings were already at camp – and went inside the cab your mom had called for you.

“Be careful okay,” she kissed your temple. “And write to me about your decision, okay?”

“I will, I promise,” you gave her a last quick hug and closed the cab door.

The journey to camp felt familiar now, you’d done it a few times already so it was a stress free trip. So you kept your suitcase close to you, you turned your phone off, and walked.

But something was off when you got closer to the entrance. It was loud. Louder than usual, and there were more people at the border everywhere as well, which were usually empty. You crossed the entrance, and most campers were wearing their gears, and weapons.

“What the hell,” you whispered.

You quickly noticed Clarisse, giving orders to campers, and walking around. When she turned around, she spotted you and ran to you, very quickly.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier when you were going to be here!” she shot.

“I wanted to surprise you! Why are you yelling at me!” you shouted back.

Clarisse stepped back and mouthed a quick apology.

“A lot of things happened while you were gone,” she explained.

“Like when you stopped sending me anything?”

She nodded reluctantly.

“A new camper came in, got claimed by Poseidon, and then got his quest to retrieve Zeus’ stolen bolt, and…” she hesitated. “We know who stole it in the first place. Luke.”

“Luke?” your eyes widened. “As in Castellan, Hermes' head– former head counsellor?”

She nodded again.

“And now Thalia’s tree has been poisoned, meaning the camp’s borders are weakened and we have to keep them safe ourselves.”

“Okay,” you proceeded with this information as fast as you could. “Okay.”

“I was worried sick for the past few days! You didn’t send me anything like last time. I didn’t know when you were going to be here, or if you’d gotten attacked and died.”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me this earlier!” you argued.

“I–,” she hesitated, “I didn’t want to burden you with your studies.”

“They’re not important, this is obviously my priority and much more important.”

“Okay,” she looked around. “Stay beside me, I want to keep an eye on you whenever a battle is going to break out.”

You frowned.

“That’s cute, but I’d be much more useful if I stayed with the rest of the Apollo cabin where we’re needed. I’m a great fighter, I know,” you said before she could interrupt, “thanks to you, but I’m much better at archery.”

She stared at you, then looked down.

“I can’t…” she whispered, “I can’t protect you if you’re this far away from me.”

“Clarisse,” you cupped her face. “I’ll be fine, I promise. You worry about staying alive, and I’ll do the same. It’s going to be fine. Remember, you taught me everything I know.”

She nodded reluctantly.

“Okay.”

“Where’s your spear by the way?” you asked when she walked you to your cabin.

She grimaced, and sighed.

“Gone.”

“Gone? Wha–.”

“Percy Jackson,” she spat. “The new kid, I’m sure you’ll meet him soon enough.”

You threw your stuff inside your cabin, and changed your clothes before walking out with Clarisse still outside, waiting for you. Clarisse was about to talk, but was interrupted by screams from campers at the entrance.

You looked at each other and ran off to where the screams were, and saw it. Two immense bulls – colchis Bulls – coming straight towards campers.

“Go find Lee, I’ll handle this from here. He’ll know what to do,” Clarisse ordered before walking away.

“Clarisse!” you shouted before she was out of range. She turned her head. “Be careful.”

She nodded.

“Don’t die,” she added before leaving.

#clarisse la rue x reader #clarisse la rue fanfic #clarisse la rue x y/n #clarisse la rue pjo #clarisse la rue x you #clarisse la rue imagine #clarisse la rue

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nothingbynova · 2 months

Text

halloween with luke castellan

summary: planning a halloween party with your boyfriend luke castellan at camp half-blood :p

pairing : luke castellan x fem!reader, reader's cabin not specified.

word count: 2.1k

warning(s) : summerween vibes, lots of fluff, probably too much plot, kissing in the dark, mentions of alcohol, underage drinking, borderline smut but not really, and use of y/n

✩ ‧₊˚ author's note: let me know if you're interested in a part two! it would be covering more of the party itself, moments with luke and also a few other mixed characters.

dedications: my bestfriend @dalgonacafe !

⋆｡‧˚ʚ 🤍 ɞ˚‧｡⋆⋆｡‧˚ʚ 🤍 ɞ˚‧｡⋆⋆｡‧˚ʚ 🤍 ɞ˚‧｡⋆

you and luke have been together for over 2 years now. the entire camp loves you guys together, for multiple reasons. one of these being your incredible ability to throw halloween parties, and you always have the best couples costumes there.

“okay how about bonnie and clyde?” you roll over on the bed and glance in luke’s direction. he’s currently laying on the hermes cabin floor, keeping his focus on the paper in front of him.

“too basic, anything else?” he replies.

this is at least the 30th option you’ve given him, and his responses are all “no” “that's bad” “(blank) did that last year” and so forth. you accept defeat and throw yourself into the pillows, letting out a heavy sigh. luke notices this and stands up, walking over to your spot on his bed.

“we still have a couple days before we need the costumes, its okay y/n” he kisses the side of your head before laying down next to you. the both of you sat in silence for a few moments before a lightbulb went off in your head. “CHUCKY AND TIFFANY” you shout at him excitedly. this is the first idea that he doesn't immediately shut down. you can visibly see the wheels turning in his head before he replies. “yes, you’re a genius, my love!” he wraps his arms around you and pulls you on top of himself. he places playful kisses all over your face while you laugh and try to push him away. “okay okay, we still need to plan luke!!” you peel yourself off his chest and begin thinking about how the costumes will look. although luke isn't much help with the planning, he does get his half brothers, the stoll twins to sneak in some items you needed. after a week of playing with fabrics, costume paint and fake blood, they are finally ready. all you have to do is make sure they fit now.

*time skip brought to you by: clarisse la rue’s curl routine*

you’re walking around camp with a small backpack, all of luke’s costume aspects are hidden inside. you stumble across the dining pavilion, only for him to not be there. you check the 12 cabins, the medical building, and even the vineyards. luke is nowhere to be seen, and the clock is ticking.

“annabeth! annabeth chase!” you sprint toward the poseidon cabin doors, catching her right before it closes. “hi y/n! can i help you?” a light blush is spread across her cheeks, knowing you caught her going to visit percy. they’ve been dating for a few weeks, but refuse to tell everyone. it’s still obvious, and almost every camper knows, even chiron.

“have you seen my boyfriend? i’ve lost him again and we have to finish these costumes for the party tomorrow night” you sigh and rub your forehead, obviously stressed.

“uhhhm, yes actually. i think clarisse was using him as a training dummy for the new kids. they should be up in the fields!” she smiles sheepishly. you thank her for her efforts and walk off, heading toward the training grounds.

annabeth is right, per usual, as you approach the hill, you can see a horde of children gathered in small circles learning how to wield multiple weapons. luke is in the center of one of them, twisting and turning his sword.

his brown curls are sticking to his forehead, his face is red and tired looking. seeing as it's already mid day, they’ve probably been working out here all morning. his clothes are damp and stick to his body, making his abs visible through his shirt. even a completely sweaty mess, he still looks incredibly good and it makes your heart flutter.

he turns around at perfect timing, almost as if he can feel you approaching. he smiles your way before dismissing the kids for a break. you happily walk your way to where he stands.

“hello handsome, how’s training?” you wrap your arms around his waist and beam up at him. he reciprocates the action by looping his hands into the back pockets of your pants.

“hi y/n'' he smiles before leaning down to kiss you, his lips are warm and welcoming. it’s a small moment that’s cut short by a group of nearby kids giggling in awe. you pull away from him and tuck your head into his chest in embarrassment.

“how much longer are you needed?” you pull away and glance up at him “we have a halloween party to throw tomorrow!” you add on, smirking and wiggling your eyebrows excitedly.

“can i shower before you steal me away..?” he sighs and smells himself before fake gagging. you laugh at his actions before nodding your head yes.

you begin to walk away down the hill and back into camp, looking back at him and shouting “YOU HAVE 30 MINUTES CASTELLAN! FIND ME IN 30 MINUTES, GOT IT?” before giving a funny thumbs up and storming off.

*time skip brought to you by: walker scobell’s ginger allegations*

“lucas castellan, i swear if you keep moving i’ll give up right now and you're going to have to figure out this costume on your own!” his small movements are making it nearly impossible to check the sizing and fit for everything needed. although there's not enough time to fix any of the sizing anyway, as long as it's not too small everything should be fine!

“pleaseeee y/n, i'm bored, how much longer do i need to stand here??" he pouts, and kicks, and whines like a little child.

“as long as i say so” you snap the behind of his shirt and then walk back to stand in front of him. smiling innocently at the move you just pulled. luke gives you an upset look but his stare quickly fades back to normal.

“we’re all done now, thank you!” the smile on your face beams happily. luke, thankful to finally be free, picks you up bridal style.

“did you speak to clarisse about the forest being cleared? i know they’ve been working on it for a few days now.” he questions, carrying you over to a small corner of the cabin where your bed stands.

“yeah everything is ready, i'm waiting on the twins to find that alcohol dealing cyclops.” you sigh, bringing your hands to cover your face stressfully, as he gently places the two of you on the bed. within seconds you find yourself wrapped up with luke, hands around waists, legs intertwined, and your head tucked into his chest.

*time skip brought to you by: grovers cgi hoofed feet*

you carry the last of the drink coolers toward the main table, and set them by the others. some of the camp kids have been helping you set up the forest for the party tonight. there's bushes and trees that perfectly block off where camp adults could possibly see what's happening. the beach shoreline is sprinkled with log chairs, a couple snack tables and a lit campfire in the center. nightfall is setting and people will finally be arriving soon

“so clarisse, are you coming with chris?” you turn in her direction and smirk when she meets your eyes. chris rodriguez is a son of hermes, so he’s technically luke’s half brother. he’s also clarisse’s crush, but she won't make a move on him.

“oh shut up, you know he doesn't even like me y/n” she glances at you and gives a mean looking face. all you can do is laugh before replying back “well that’s not what luke told me last week!” you smile cheerfully and hold up a bag of plastic cups toward her. “you are making a move tonight or else i will tell him myself!” clarisse just sighs before nodding her head, silently agreeing.

a few campers start to trickle in, wearing a mixture of homemade and store bought costumes. some of the girls have turned their everyday makeup into scary face paint and fake blood. the twins must have worked overtime smuggling in so many wanted items for the party. annabeth walks in alongside percy, and they’re matching together, prince eric and ariel. it's cute and also funny, ariel is a daughter of poseidon in the mortal made movies, but not in a demi-god way.

“hey i'm gonna run down and fix up the beach tables, can you help me host til i get back?” you smile towards clarisse as she nods her yes. you walk back towards the shoreline, passing the young lovers on your way.

“this, this is amazing!” you bow in awe, annabeth blushing slightly and percy laughs. “i was forced into it, but thank you” he beams happily at you before looking down to beth.

“where’s your boyfriend?” she looks at you, and then around the party, confused.

“uhhhhm great question, running late i assume? i’m gonna go fix up the rest of the tables but feel free to grab some drinks and hang out!” you shoot a reassuring smile toward the two before walking off.

suddenly someone wraps their arms around your waist and rips you into the air, spinning you around. you scream loud enough for a couple nearby kids to glance your way concerned.

“HELLO?? GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!!” you screech and try to wiggle out of their grasp. by the hands gripping onto you, it's obvious this isn't a girl. unless it was clarisse…but you know she wouldn't dare touch someone unless she really had to. “PUT ME DOWN!! WHAT ARE YOU, CRAZY??” you kick your feet and flail your arms. the boy chuckles and places you back down in front of him, you look up and sigh. “really luke??? you scared the shit out of me!” you push his shoulder and scoff, rolling your eyes and turning to walk away. he laughs to himself and reaches out grabbing your wrist, he spins you back toward his body and into his arms. “i'm sorry, it was funny!” he said in between laughing. “i didn't even know you could scream that high! it was amazing baby!” he tries to make you feel better, but all you can do is stare at him.

his hair is normally brown and curly, laying messy over his forehead. but now its carefully slicked back, like an 80’s greaser boy. theres orange hair spray covering the top as well, completing the appeal. the scar he once got from a past quest is highlighted by the fake blood around it. one of the camp girls must have helped him do his additional makeup, because it looks amazing. he’s suited into the costume you helped make him as well, wearing a colorful striped shirt and overalls on top. somehow everything fits just right, he looks good and he knows it too. a sly smirk sits on his face when he notices how your eyes are practically jumping out of your head.

“earth to y/n, you okay down there?” he shakes your shoulders carefully, a small attempt to grab your attention again.

“what? yeah! yes, i'm great! sorry you just scared me is all.” you nervously spit back at him. “i have to finish moving some stuff around for the tables down by the beach. come find me later?” you smile up at him with such love behind your eyes

“oh yes ma'am, yes of course.” he nods quickly before leaning down to kiss you. one turns to two, then three and maybe even four before his arm drops down to your waist. he’s dangerously pulling you closer to him, grabbing onto any parts of you that he can. you allow it to happen as well, dipping your head lower and giving him access to deepen the kiss. your hands find their way to the back of his neck, playing with parts of his hair. the way he kisses you is out of pure hunger, and his movements easily become sloppy with lust the longer that the two of you are together.

you gently pull back, the both of you are breathing heavily and lips glossy.

“okay! okay!” you giggle in between a couple more of luke’s desperate small kisses. he finally pulls back and looks at you fully, eyeing you up and down a few times before replying

“i like the costume, by the way. if you couldn't tell” he smirks down at you before kissing your cheek and turning to walk away. “i’ll come find you later, pretty girl!” you blush and shake your head yes as you watch luke disappear off into the opposite part of the forest.

⋆｡‧˚ʚ 🤍 ɞ˚‧｡⋆⋆｡‧˚ʚ 🤍 ɞ˚‧｡⋆⋆｡‧˚ʚ 🤍 ɞ˚‧｡⋆

#luke castellan fluff #luke castellan x you #luke castellan x yn #luke castellan x y/n #charlie bushnell x reader #luke castellan pjo #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson fanfic #luke castellan fic #luke castellan imagine #luke castellan x fem!reader #luke castellan x reader #luke pjo

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l0ve-dov3 · 2 months

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where the sun shines. | 1

percy jackson x demeter! reader

summary: in which you take percy strawberry picking for the first time!

warnings: none!

word count: 606

authors note: hey hey hey! this is really short (the following parts should be longer) but i felt like i wasn’t seeing much of percy, so i wanted to fix that and write a little something for my percy girls out there. this series is betrayal free, so no need to worry about castellan. anyways, that’s all, enjoy the fic!!!!

series masterlist. | next part.

“Why do we even have a strawberry field?”

“Because…Demeter, I guess?”

It was mid summer, and you’d forced Percy to join you in picking strawberries. It was his first summer staying at camp, and since you were his closest friend, you showed him all the things you loved about this time of year. Today, that thing was strawberry picking.

“I mean, camp has some of the best strawberries I’ve ever tasted.” You started calmly, imagining the flavor of your favorite fruit, “You’re gonna love ‘em, I promise.”

Percy nodded, half believing you as he reached down for another strawberry. He didn’t care so much about picking berries, finding it a rather simple activity at a camp for demigods, but he listened to each word you spoke as if it would be your last. “I’m trusting you on this one, pollen-head.”

In the time Percy had been at camp, you had become one of his closer friends, outside of Annabeth and Grover. You’d met in his first few days when he wandered off during the bonfire, which you often did to get some alone time, leading him to find you just by the edge of the forest.

“Hello?” Percy called, clutching Riptide as he approached a moving figure. He had thought that, in his wandering, he wouldn’t find anyone by the forest; but apparently he was wrong. When you turned to him, his fist unclenched, releasing Riptide back into his pocket when he met your tearful gaze.

“Sorry for scaring you.” You chuckled, wiping your tears as you returned your eyes to the dark, unmoving forest. “I’m not really used to people finding me here.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything, I guess.” The boy returned awkwardly, sitting next to you in an uncertain manner.

Usually, if Percy ran into someone crying, he would have pretended not to notice and walked away. But for whatever reason, and he couldn’t tell you why, he sat next to you that night; thus beginning a year-long friendship.

“What’cha thinkin’ about, fish face?” Your voice resonated in his head, pulling him away from the wistful memory.

“The day we met, when I should’ve been at my first bonfire.” He chuckled, looking at you with that cheeky grin, “I actually think about it a lot.”

“Woah there partner, you may start thinking we’re really friends.” You teased, giving him a light push as you gathered your last berries. The boy chuckled half-heartedly, not knowing why the words made him feel so off. Somewhat confused, he followed behind you with his own basket, coming to a stop as you sat under a great oak tree. “But…I guess I think about it too.”

He journeyed toward you, carefully putting his basket next to yours before settling at your side. “Oh? And here I thought we were pretending to be friends.” Percy tried to joke, nudging you gently.

“Yeah,” You sighed, “But you know, you really are a good friend Percy. I’m glad you found me in the forest that day.”

Percy’s heart pounded harder in his chest, stunning him with a sense of alarm. You looked at him with that gentle smile, and he felt light as air, staring back at you like the world was anew. A new feeling, unfamiliar and odd, wracked his body like a thousand waves. “Yeah…Yeah, I’m glad too.” He breathed, just above a whisper.

You raised a brow at his change in nature, shaking your head with a light chuckle.

Percy Jackson, you thought.

What a weird kid.

#percy x reader #percy jackson x reader #aesthetic #strawberry #pjo tv show #pjo series #percy jackon and the olympians #y/n #camp half blood #demeter #demeter cabin #demigods #half bloods

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hadeslegacyhephgirl · 25 days

Text

It was 6 in the morning when Nico received the phone call from Lou Ellen.

"Whaaaat"

"It's Will, Nico. He's in a coma"

The words crashed into him like a tsunami. Fear and worry made a home in his chest

"Where are you?" "Hospital" "… what?" "Ambulance go there before I could call anyone. And our chariot crashed bad, it's basically disintegrated"

"I'm going to wake Jason and Kayla and meet you there" "Can you get Annabeth and Cecil, too?" "Why?" "Annabeth 'cause I'm gonna need brains here. Cecil because- just- because" "Fine. Where?" "Carra Hospital, Room 304, I'll send you a picture" "I'll be there in 10" He hung up

Waking everyone up was… mixed.

All Jason and Kayla had to hear was 'Will' and they got up immediately.

Cecil only came when she heard Lou was there.

Annabeth insisted they take along Piper and Percy.

So it was a party of seven that turned up in room 304.

Cecil wrapped Lou in a hug from behind as Lou talked to Annabeth, who was holding Percy's hand. Kayla and Piper went to see if they could charmspeak a nurse to bring another IV for the nectar Kayla had brought, and Jason went along just in case there were monsters.

Leaving Nico standing by Wills bed, staring at his wounds.

He counted each and every nick and scratch on Will's face and arms (37) and took in the propped up, bandaged leg.

Suddenly he couldn’t bear to be so far away from Will. He climbed into the bed and tucked himself between Will's side and arm, nesting his head on Wills chest, closed his eyes and let the tears come

~*~ (Will)

It was dark

He felt around

There was a fuzzy silence

He couldn't remember anything

Except that he was a boy

Chink

He looked up. Something, a piece of light hung in the air. He touched it.

"Boy" "7 boys, two girls" "Hey, boy-o"

Oh.

These were memories.

So he had to piece himself back together.

He could do that.

He will do that.

Chink

Another shard of light, right next to the first.

"Will" "Hi, Will" "Will?" "William!"

His name was Will

There was solace in knowing his own name

Chink

This time, only one voice rang out

"Solace" The voice sounded annoyed, slightly raspy with a slight Italian accent.

This time it was accompanied by a picture.

Two dark brown eyes, so big and beautiful, yet so dark and knowing they looked like they were staring into your soul.

The image hung in the air, away from the other chinks of light. Like the beginning of a picture. One he would figure out.

~*~ (Nico)

"Should we wake him up?" "Nah, leave him. You know he can't live without his Will" "What if he never wakes up, though?" "He will. He has to. Besides, Nico wouldn't let him die" "But-" "No buts. We'll contact Hades, Hypnos, Apollo, anyone that can help. We're not losing him"

Nico drifted in and out of sleep, not wanting to confront the waking world, but scared of the nightmares that threatened to take him.

Finally he opened his eyes to find Jason sitting in the visitor chair.

"Hey, Neeks." "What time is it?" "A little past-" He checked his watch

"- one in the afternoon. Listen, we're gonna get Will outta here." "how?" "Piper'll be here in a few minutes with the van, Kayla and Annabeth. She's gonna charmspeak him out."

Nico looked down at Will and grabbed his hand. "We're getting you out of here, Will. So don’t you dare go dying on me." ~*~

My name is Will Solace I am 17 years old I am one of Apollo's children My home is Camp Half-Blood I'm a doctor, medic, head councilor

I have siblings, family, friends. And I will get out of here.

~*~

"Careful!" "We are being careful!" "… sorry"

They loaded Will into the back of the van

Piper had, quite literally, worked like a charm. Within ten minutes they had Will on a transportable gurney and out the hospital.

It was a silent drive back to camp

~*~ He'd done it.

The door was nearly complete. A door of light, of memory. The chinks of light had formed the rectangular shape as he'd gathered more and more information.

All that was missing was a doornob.

The picture was done too.

A picture of a boy with raven black hair framing milky white skin and big brown, almost black eyes. Dressed in a leather jacket with ripped black jeans and a black shirt that read Camp Half-Blood

But it felt wrong.

Like there was something missing.

The boy's name.

He began looking though the memories of the door, each piece a word with memories attached to it.

Then he remembered.

There was one that only had one memory attached

Maybe it was longer?

Hesitantly he touched it.

"Solace"

Silence. He waited "Fine." The Italians voice again.

"There we go. See, it wasn't so hard, was it?" His own voice now. "But just three days, you hear me?" "Sure, unless I need to keep you longer" "Solace, I swear-" "C'mon, Neeks." "Do not call me that" "Alright Death Breath-" "Or that" "Zombie Lord?" "Absolutely not. It's Nico, full stop" "Alright, Sunshine" "… that's okay too, I guess"

Ding

The picture of the boy - Nico - suddenly seemed vibrant, alive.

And the door had a doornob.

Hesitantly he reached for it.

Back home.

Back to Nico

If there was any chance the son of Hades could love him back.

~*~

It had been a week since Will had gone under the coma.

Five days since he'd been moved to the infirmary

Jason had given up on trying to get Nico to leave Wills bedside, except to shower every so often.

So it was just Will and Nico and silence.

Silence that was broken with a raspy voice coming from the bed

"Nico?"

Nico looked up into Wills brilliant blue eyes that were open and he was awake.

A sob wrenched from his throat and he flung himself into Wills arms.

"Hey, Sunshine. How long has it been?"

Nico sniffed and buried his head into Wills shoulder.

"A week" "oh." Nico sniffed again and looked up into very much open celeste blue eyes "But your back now, right?" "Yeah, Sunshine. I'm right here. And I always will be."

~*~

#solangelo #solangelo fanfiction #angst #fanfiction #nico di angelo #pjo #will solace

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aroaceleovaldez · 1 year

Text

another thing with the first series Great Prophecy I think about a lot - “A half-blood of the eldest gods” could be interpreted so many different ways, and actually “A child of the Big 3″ doesn’t make any sense even in the contexts of the series.

To begin with, “A half-blood of” could mean a direct child, a legacy, or even just a chosen hero. As long as they’re presumably a demigod. We’re presuming half-blood means demigod here but honestly even that could be a vague point. “A half-blood of” does not specify direct descendant.

Then, if we’re saying “the eldest gods,” presuming “Gods” meaning the Olympians specifically, is the children of Kronos, then that means any demigod of any of the children of Kronos should count. Which means that Demeter should have been part of the oath too! But she wasn’t and her children weren’t even considered for the prophecy! And neither was there any consideration for adopted children or chosen heroes of Hera or Hestia! Heck, by that logic, Jason is like, potential prophecy kid squared (son of Jupiter and adopted by Hera/Juno - half-blood of two eldest gods! Plus he was turning 15 the year the Second Titanomachy ended. If Percy ended up not being the one to turn 16 then Jason would have been next. (Or well if we want to get technical Frank would have been next, as a descendant of Poseidon, but then Jason.)

But the thing is, even among the Olympians, the children of Kronos aren’t necessarily the oldest gods. Aphrodite is potentially older, depending on how you frame the timeline and her origin story (which in this case is relatively vague in the PJO universe - we don’t know if PJO Aphrodite is older or younger than Kronos’ children). So if Aphrodite is older than Kronos’ children, her children/descendants/chosen heroes could also potentially be children of the prophecy.

And it doesn’t stop there. Because it’s not specified that “gods” here is specifically restricted to the Olympians. “the eldest gods” could mean gods older than the Olympians, of which there are plenty. I mean, primordial gods? Gods of specific concepts? and that’s just the tip of the iceberg and isn’t even getting into defining “god” and if we’re counting like, the Titans or not (because sometimes they are counted! And sometimes they do have demigod children! Hello Dryas of Calydon, occasional son of Iapetus [aka Bob The Titan]).

And that’s all specifically mythological. If we’re talking historically eldest gods, then that’s a whole different ballpark. To begin with, A CHILD OF HADES THEORETICALLY DOES NOT EVEN QUALIFY TO BE THE CHILD OF THE PROPHECY! That’s right! If we’re going strictly historically eldest gods, then Hades even being part of the oath was completely moot because his children could not be the children of the prophecy! Because as far as we know, Hades does not predate the Greek dark ages! So Percy claiming the prophecy to prevent it from falling to Nico was potentially pointless! Percy on the other hand is then a very strong candidate for the prophecy, because it’s heavily implied his dad is specifically Mycenean Poseidon (”Earthshaker”), who does predate the Greek dark ages. But you know who’s potentially even older? HERMES. Which means Luke could be doubly the child of the prophecy for all we know! Cause the prophecy also does not specify that the child of the prophecy turning 16 is when the prophecy ends, just that they’ll reach 16 against all odds. Heck, if Luke’s first quest was when he was 16, then we can interpret that as when the prophecy begins and that it’s all his prophecy.

#pjo #percy jackson #luke castellan #riordanverse #analysis #long post //

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annasinterests · 6 months

Text

I See Fire

|| main masterlist ||

a/n: i'm dedicating this to my love @tinygarbage because the percy brainrot has been unreal for both of us. i thought this up after watching a tiktok (pls don't ask me i literally watched it once, swiped out of the app, then threw my phone across the room) and so this is what we got fellers. ALSO, one line is directly inspired by/from the D&D movie, so i give credit to my boy edgin because honestly the scene about him being so unapologetically honest about his mistakes was everything to me (i also guessed his dialogue word-for-word that entire time and was RIGHT). honestly thinking ab whether or not if i wanna make a part 2 to this..

divider by @saradika ! ❤️‍🔥

word count: 682 words (who knew i could actually write under 1k)

pairings: percy de rolo x reader

warnings & tags: angst, past trauma, arguing, cursing, miscommunication, unresolved ending

“No!-” You seethe, hands balling into fists at your sides, “Don’t you get it?”

Percy scoffed, “You ask that like I should know, and I don’t!” He raised a pointed finger to you, “How can I when all you ever do is leave us in the dark!”

Your jaw clenches as you turn away. White-hot anger blazed your body and blotted out everything else, even the tears that brimmed your eyes and streaked your cheeks.

“Always putting yourself at an arm’s distance, acting like you have the biggest burden to carry– well, guess what? We all have shit of our own!” His rigid tone made your face scrunch up. “You push away every single person that tries to get under the surface, including us! We’re supposed to be a team, damn it!”

You hated him. His pompous attitude and sense of entitlement, as if he’s somehow better than everyone else, or deserves explanations for things that don’t concern him. You hated his stupid glasses that made him look pretentious as hell, and that unnecessary trench coat he wore at all times. And the way he constantly whips out some sort of contraption that leaves the others in awe, stroking his ego, but you wouldn’t dare give him the satisfaction.

But what you really hated, arguably most of all, was that he saw you. Right through all the acts and walls you put up to protect yourself– a promise that there’d be no more pain and tears for as long as you lived out your days.

A promise now shattered.

“Without trust, we are nothing.” The words are venomous, so full of exasperation that it strains his voice on the last word.

A sigh and some shuffling follows a moment or two after, and all you can think is how he’s undeniably soothing the crease between his brows while his other hand rests on his hip, a classic pose of his in high-stress situations. Not that you ever paid attention…

“Believe me, it’s not worth living life that way.” His voice was softer, almost apologetic, “It’s… lonely.”

Had you been completely blinded by your own emotions, you would’ve taken the opportunity to tell him to shove it and kick rocks, but you spared him.

“I, too, thought it was easier. I’d seen my loved ones hunted like game, my own sister betrayed our family name, Whitestone had been–”

“Whitestone still stands,” you snap harshly, abruptly cutting him off. “My home does not.”

It’s then you finally turn back to him with a chilling glare and darkened features. His expression drops to widened eyes and slightly raised brows, clear that he’d not been expecting that response. But now it started, and you couldn’t stop.

“My friends do not– my family does not.” The words are registering at higher decibels that burn your throat after each word, “My life– everything!”

You march up to him, squaring up before his infuriatingly tall frame, locking eyes with his. You were shouting in his face, reaching a point of zenith you didn’t know you had, your vocal cords raw and sore that you were sure they could snap at any moment.

“I’ve lost everything that ever mattered to me and it was all my fault!”

Your body is trembling from the sheer force of the confession, and the air isn’t getting to your lungs the way you need it to right now. Your eyes, narrowed and fierce, fight to maintain their focus, but that buried, broken part of you is clawing its way out with a strength you can’t compete against.

His eyes flicker between yours, his face softened by a frown. You force yourself to look anywhere but his pitying gaze; you don’t need or want it, especially from him. You hastily wipe away the tears with the back of your hand, take a sharp breath in, and then exhale deeply. Out of all people, you couldn’t believe the one person to break you down would be none other than fucking Percival Fredrickstein von Mu—

“You don’t really believe that… do you?”

Yes, of course I do.

#percy de rolo x reader #percy de rolo x f!reader #percy de rolo #percival de rolo x reader #percival de rolo x f!reader #percival de rolo #percival fredrickstein von musel klossowski de rolo III #vox machina #the legend of vox machina

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gay-dorito-dust · 1 year

Note

Part 7 of deadweight, please?? It’s such a good series!

Vax, Vex, Keyleth and Percy were quick to abandon the original plan in finding the vestige in the hopes of finding you and so far they weren’t so lucky.

Every dark shade that they’d believe to be you was a mere fluke in a realm where it felt like you were on some strange LSD acid trip 24/7. They didn’t know how you could split off from them when you were right next to them through the journey here.

Keyleth believed that it might’ve been the realm, taking offence to your position as the raven queens champion. It was a plausible reason seeing how everything reacted negatively towards you lately.

Vax, Vex and Percy however collectively agreed that their Druid party member just had a bad spell casting capabilities. She was making an attempt which is what counts.

“Do you think they’ll ever forgive us?” Keyleth asked the question that was truly on everyone’s mind but they all knew the answer to that too.

“No.” Vax answered bluntly, “they’d be pissed if our method of reconciliation with them was to sweep all the shit we’ve done to them under the rug.”

“That’ll be the equivalent of kicking a man while he’s down.” Percy pitched in, “We’d be disregarding their feelings and experiences if we did that.”

“So our only option in making it up to them is to acknowledge that we were cunts and promise to be better for the future.” Vex finished as they continued to delve deeper into the woods. “Wherever they are,” she continues, “I hope they’re alright.”

[with you]

“VAX, VEX, KEYLETH, PERCY! IM GOING TO KILL YOU! AND THEN KILL YOU AGAIN!” You screamed as you ran further into a dense, dead forest to escape from the murderous vegetation that had been trailing you. All you did was step on some weird looking flower! You apologised afterwards! What more could they fucking want!

When you didn’t hear the rampaging horde of angry plants did you dare to look back to see that they had seemingly lost sight of you and gave up the hunt in order to head back home. “Weird.” You said to yourself, sheathing your daggers but before you were about to continue trekking the foreign land for your party members.

a voice called out to you from deep within the forest, causing you to become in some sort of trance as though your body was no longer yours to control anymore as you could only watch yourself walk through the dead forest, through some sickly looking swamp of thick black goo like substance as though it were water.

“You’re friends aren’t coming to save you my dear,” the voice said. “They’re too preoccupied with the vestige to worry about your well being.” It then chuckled before continuing, “your need for companionship is quite pathetic. You feel alone whenever you in a room with the rest of your party. Alienated, ostracised, outcasted from the group of outcasts.”

“I, however, can provide you all the companionship you will ever need, all you need to do is come to me. Come to me. Come to me. Come to me.”

Your body did as this voice told you as you watched it reach a dead tree trunk that opened up with an ominous red glow. As soon as you stepped inside, the tree was quick to close up behind you, sealing you in with whatever monster laid inside.

“That’s not good.” Warned a horned mystery figure with fiery hair sat upon a rock. “I must tell their friends that their little warrior mate is in danger, grave danger should they hear out Saurndor terms and conditions.” With a blink of an eye, the figure had dissipated in thin air.

[back to vox maxhina]

They’ve searched

And searched

But they had yet to still find evidence that you weren’t dead in a ditch somewhere but Percy, Vax, Vex and Keyleth believed that they were getting close, though how close was close was still up for debate.

“Ugh! They could be anywhere by now!” Vex cries as she and the others crossed a riven, annoyed at the lack of progress. How could they miss a armoured figure with black feathered shoulder pads in a realm of eye straining, migraine inducing colour?!

Either you were trying to find them also or…Vex didn’t want to think about the other option. They’ve lost you once, they were determined to never loose you again. They still had unresolved problems to put to rest.

“They couldn’t have possibly gone to Syngorn?” Percy asked, looking back they way they came as though waiting to see your silhouette encroach in on them but nothing. The gunslinger sighs in disappointment and dissatisfaction as he pinched the skin between his brows.

“Fat chance.” A unknown voice told them.

Percy, Vax, Vex and Keyleth turned to look who it was only to see a fiery haired being with horns sat not too far from them, notebook in hand.

Vax was quick to pull of his dagger, “who are you and what have you done with y/n?” He threatens but the horned male merely laughed as though he was threatened with a stick rather then a sharpened piece of forgery.

“I haven’t done anything to them, but Lord Saundor will should you fail to reach them in time.” He muses, still drawing in his little notebook.

“What is that meant to mean?” Percy said gutturally, holding his gun at the being who seemingly knew your whereabouts. “Who’s Saundor?”

“That’s for you to know and for you to find out.” The figure cheeked before pointing towards the dead forest that Keyleth, Vax, Vex and Percy seemed to somehow miss in their mission of searching for you.

“They’re currently under his trance. I should’ve told them to not listen to him but by the time I got to them, they were already walking right into his trap. Poor thing, whatever ails them must take a heavy toll on them.”

Vax, Vex, Percy and Keyleth looked to each other in shame and sorrow. Whatever this saurdon did to you, must’ve been using your most deeply desired against you, they had indirectly made you dispensable to him and now this was their chance to make up for everything by saving you.

“Lead us there and we’ll think about letting you live.” Vex said.

“VEX, VAX, KEYLETH, PERCY! IM GOING TO KILL YOU! AND THEN KILL YOU AGAIN!”

“VAX, VEX, KEYLETH, PERCY! IM GOING TO KILL YOU! AND THEN KILL YOU AGAIN!”

“VAX, VEX, PERCY, KEYLETH! IM GOING TO KILL YOU! AND THEN KILL YOU AGAIN!” You screamed as you ran into a forest area with weird looking plants trailing you with murderous intent.

“VEX, VAX, KEYLETH, PERCY! I WILL KILL YOU! AND THEN KILL YOU AGAIN!” You screamed as you ran deeper into a weird looking forest area with even weirder looking plants tailing after you with murderous intent.

“VEX, VAX, PERCY, KEYLETH IM GOING TO KILL YOU! AND THEN KILL YOU AGAIN!” You screamed as you ran as fast as your legs could carry you deeper into the woods as weird freaking plant fucks were tailing you

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nilesdaughter · 7 months

Text

You Great Unfinished Symphony

Fandom: Critical Role Characters: Percy De Rolo, Vex'ahlia, Gwendolyn De Rolo, Pike Trickfoot Pairing: Perc'ahlia Word Count: 781 Note: This... is not my usual style, and I am both excited and nervous to be sharing this for @percahliaweek.

[Also found on A03.]

x-x-x-x-x

“Oh.”

It’s such a soft sound, he almost misses it.

Percival looks to Vex’ahlia, his gaze searching, questioning. “Is something wrong, dear?”

“I… believe we need to call the midwife, darling,” she says in a breathless tone, her dark eyes flicking up to meet his blue ones.

He stands with such celerity that his chair nearly topples to the floor behind him. “Pike, as well?” he asks.

“Yes, Pike, as well.”

The master suite of Whitestone Castle becomes a flurry of activity as Lady De Rolo is carefully transferred from the study to the bedroom and helped out of her tea gown. She is then arranged in the bed, towels and hot water prepared for the delivery. Lord De Rolo is at her side the whole while, murmuring affections and running his fingers through her hair as they wait for the contractions to begin in earnest. If nothing else, this is their fourth time in this particular situation and they like to think that they are used to it; Percy knows that Vex finds comfort in holding his hand, Vex knows the best position to lay in so that her contractions do not hurt quite as much. Pike, bless her, acts as the midwife’s assistant, just as she has for all the other births, monitoring her dear friend and passing over fresh towels as needed, reheating the water when it begins to cool.

This one takes longer, despite coming after four other children. (Four perfect children that Percy and Vex marvel over every single day.) It lasts throughout the night, the stars and the moons bearing witness to the new addition to the De Rolo family.

As the sun crests over the Alabaster Sierras, Vex lets out the loudest cry she’s released during the entire process, her hand squeezing tight around her husband’s, seeking solace in his touch. (If he feels as if she might just tear off his hand, he has the sense to not say a word about it.)

In the next breath, the new baby wails.

The midwife quickly passes the child (“A girl, my lady!”) over to Pike so that the gnomish cleric can clean her up. Percy notices, vaguely, that the child seems unusually red, but his attention returns to Vex as she gives his hand another–softer–squeeze.

“I believe that means we outnumber you, darling,” she says, amusement and mischief twinkling in her eyes even as exhaustion pulls at the rest of her features.

He laughs, kisses her knuckles. “I believe it does, dear heart.”

When Pike returns to the bed with their new daughter, washed and swaddled, it becomes much more apparent why he had seen so much red. Poking out of the dark curls on her head (she’ll certainly be taking after her mother, then, in that regard) are four tiny horn nubs.

Percy feels a wave of guilt wash over him, because he knows, he knows these are the ramifications for decisions he made nearly two decades ago.

Vex, however, does not react negatively to the revelation that she has given birth to a tiefling. She simply accepts the baby into her arms, cooing at her just as she has for all the others, whispering soft words about how she’s perfect and loved and welcome to the world, darling.

“This would explain why I seemed to be running a fever so often,” Vex then comments idly, as casual as if she were relaying her observations from a walk in the Parchwood.

That startles a laugh out of Percy and her warmth, her acceptance, keeps him from spiraling too far down. “I suppose it does.”

“You should hold her, too, darling,” she says, already lifting the bundle up to him.

He reaches down, moving in to cradle her in his arms, pulling her close to his chest. She is unexpected but she is theirs, a testament to the city–the lives–they have built together. She is so warm and small and he never wants to let her go. She begins fussing and, with practiced ease, he slowly walks circles around the bedroom, rocking her, making little shh, shh, shh noises. As he does so, he pauses at the window and looks down into the courtyard, watching as the last bit of scaffolding is finally taken down from around the clock tower, which had been finished but a week ago. (Well, ‘finished’ is a subjective word; he already has plans for adjustments and additions, small ways he can improve upon the parts of the tower that had been completed years prior.) With his new daughter in his arms and his Heart completed, he finds he continues ever-onward to a brighter, happier future.

#percahliaweek #critical role #percy de rolo #vex'ahlia #gwendolyn de rolo #pike trickfoot #perc'ahlia #prompt: legacy #fanfiction #campaign 1 #tal'dorei reborn

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slipping-through-my-fingertips · 25 days

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Mr. Magic Duck

AO3

Part 1: “A Baby”

Summary: They tell Sally and Paul

They wait to tell people. It’s safer to wait until after the first trimester, Annabeth knows this, but it’s the hardest secret to keep.

At work, it’s easy. She sits in her office, meets with clients, and goes about her day as if nothing has changed. Except, she doesn’t have that second or third cup of coffee throughout the day. She sticks with the one Percy makes her at home every morning.

At home, with Percy, it’s easiest because he knows. He tries not to treat her any different but Annabeth can see how having a pregnant fiancée is disrupting his routine a bit. Like offering to do the dishes so she doesn’t have to stand for too long. To which, Annabeth usually replies that she sits all day and wouldn’t mind. So Percy dries and Annabeth washes as he tells her about his day.

It’s hardest around their friends and family. Sunday night dinners with Sally and Paul become acting practice. They’re decent liars and it’s not like Sally or Paul suspects anything. It’s really when they ask about wedding planning that it’s harder not to tell them.

When Sally asks, “when are we going dress shopping?” All Annabeth pictures is a tight mermaid dress hugging a little baby bump.

When Paul asks how much of their godly side is invited, Annabeth sends up a prayer to everyone up at Olympus to not interfere. She designed their new temples after several thousand revisions, they owe her this at least.

In all honesty, Annabeth isn’t sure if Athena would come if invited. She knows Poseidon would likely show up, their reception venue is at the beach. Annabeth’s mom never really approved of Percy even though they’ve saved the world twice.

Estelle is the only one they can trust. All she asks about is playing dress up or staying late enough to read her bedtime stories.

But Annabeth is counting the days until her second trimester begins. Even as she crosses over, she starts to feel differently about keeping this secret.

It’s something that’s just theirs right now. Does she really want to share this with the world? If they tell Sally and Paul, they can’t leave Annabeth’s dad and stepmom in the dark. Then, her brothers will know too. And it just goes on from there.

When Percy comes home, he finds Annabeth in their bedroom. It’s a rare day when she arrives home first. Her last meeting had ended at 4 so she finished up some work from home. Her laptop is pushed aside and she’s laying half under the covers. Not asleep, just deep in thought.

Percy moves the laptop from the bed and crawls in behind her.

“What’s going on?” He asks, “you’re thinking very loudly.”

“If it’s so loud, you should already know what I’m thinking.”

“You’re worried about telling my mom about the baby,” he says, instantly proving that Annabeth should stop doubting him.

Percy has always understood her best.

“What I can’t figure out is why, you know she’s going to be thrilled to be a grandma. Gods, she talks about our future kids like they already exist sometimes.”

“One does,” Annabeth comments.

“No, like with a full blown personality and stuff. This one,” he touches her still flat stomach, “barely has fingers and toes.”

“What if she thinks it’s too soon? We didn’t plan to get pregnant.”

“Annabeth, if you honestly think my mom is going to lecture us about having this kid, you’re crazy. We live together, we’re getting married, we are mostly responsible.” She elbows him. “Okay you’re responsible and I’m sometimes adult enough to do taxes.”

He can’t see her smile but she does it anyway.

Life gets away from them. They miss Sunday dinner, which postponed telling Paul and Sally for almost two weeks.

But they’re back at the dining room table again. Percy is trying to tell his mom not to pick up everyone’s dishes. In the end, he and Paul load the dishwasher together. Estelle is telling Annabeth about her new rubber duck.

“He’s got a top hat!”

“Why don’t you go grab him?” Sally says, “he’s on the bathroom counter.”

Estelle sprints upstairs yelling “Mr. Magic Duck!” all the way.

Percy and Paul come back to the table. Annabeth grabs Percy’s hand. They’re sitting directly across from his parents. Two people who have always accepted her. Sally who truly was the mother Annabeth needed.

Telling Sally first meant the world to Annabeth. At first, they wanted to do something grand but it didn’t really matter how they did it. It was going to be special no matter what. It was going to be memorable no matter what.

“She’s so excited about this duck,” Paul tells them, smiling.

“We’re really excited too,” Percy replies.

Annabeth stares at him, like seriously that’s the best segway he could give her.

“I’m pregnant.”

It’s like they don’t hear her at first but Annabeth knows they did because the table is silent. Then Sally throws her chair back, muffles her sobs and pulls Annabeth up and into a hug. Paul is saying something to Percy, likely congratulations, but Annabeth is too absorbed by Sally.

Her hugs are all healing. It’s like a superpower.

“I am so happy for you,” Sally says. “Both of you.”

She lifts her head up from Annabeth’s shoulder and pulls her son into the hug.

It’s then when Estelle returns, duck in hand.

“Why is mommy crying?” She asks Paul.

“She’s very very happy right now.”

Sally lets go of Annabeth and Percy and turns to her daughter.

“Look! Mr Magic Duck!”

When Sally begins to laugh, Annabeth joins in. Percy wraps an arm around her shoulders and kisses her cheek.

“Stopping Sally Jackson from happy tears? That is indeed a magic duck.”

#percabeth #Percabeth fanfic #Percabeth fanfiction #my fics

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thebigqueer · 5 months

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"The Privilege of Later" - Percy Jackson - One-Shot

Summary: Percy shares a cute moment with his mom & sister, and also unpacks some of his trauma a little bit. Word Count: 3327 Read on AO3

It’s 1:47 in the morning, and Percy is seriously considering dropping out of school and living in the forest.

He’s been dying at the hands of his English essay since he came home from school. He really should’ve worked on it throughout the week, but between swimming practice and general procrastination, he hasn’t been able to get it done at all.

Percy wishes Annabeth were here with him right now; he probably would have made her read the essay and make sure it made some sort of sense. But she’s somewhere else in the city right now, probably sleeping happily because she doesn’t have any English papers to write, and Percy has no choice but to pray for the best on this assignment.

He groans. He just wants to crawl into the comfort of his blankets and fall asleep. As much as he’s been just thoroughly enjoying the grind of senior year and making up for all the work he missed in his semester of junior year, he’s ready for high school to just be over.

He heaves a sigh and drops his head into his arms. Maybe he should just accept the late points on this one. After all, he’s already into his second semester of senior year; who’s going to care that much?

He’s in the middle of considering throwing a drachma to wake Annabeth up so she can suffer with him when, suddenly, a piercing wail shatters the air. The exhaustion drains right out of him and he sits up straight, ears ringing in surprise. It takes him a second to realize it’s just Estelle, being her best baby self - that is to say, screaming and crying at ungodly hours of the morning.

Same, Estelle, he thinks.

Outside, he hears the padding of footsteps and sees the shadows of feet crawling along the floor. Percy considers staying in his room, but he doesn’t think it’s worth it. Besides, his mom would probably appreciate the help, and he’ll get big brother points.

He stands and makes his way out the door, following the splice of light to the nursery. He can hear his mom murmuring gently, her words floating in the air, and his ears warm just listening to them. Something about listening to his mom sound so happy, so fulfilled with this small thing who only ever poops herself every few hours makes him feel… safe.

He wonders if this was how she felt when she had him. If she ever talked to him this sweetly.

Percy knocks on the door gently. “Hey, Mom, it’s me.”

His mom smiles at him as he comes in, but he can’t miss the exhaustion weighing on her face - the dark circles inking across her skin, the new gray hairs poking out of her sleepy bun, the slight stoop in her posture as she bounces Estelle on her shoulder. Estelle looks the utter opposite - too awake, and still crying. Her cute little face is screwed in, bursting with red as she wails with all her energy.

“Hey, honey,” she says, settling herself down in the rocking chair in the corner. “Why are you awake?”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

Sally raises a brow. “Or did you just not do your homework again?”

Percy grins shyly at her. “Same difference.”

“Hm,” she responds, but she lets the matter drop.

“So,” Percy says, stepping closer so that he’s standing next to her on the rocking chair. He crosses his arms across his chest and shrugs. “What’s wrong with the little crybaby?”

“You know,” Sally says, sighing, “the funny thing about babies is that they don’t know how to express their feelings. So you can try everything in existence and they’ll still be crying.”

“You’re suddenly making the future sound very bleak for me, Mom.”

“Sorry, honey. Just being honest with you.” She pats his leg gently. “Anyway, I just changed her and I thought that was it, but she’s still crying. So I think I’ll just have to sit with her for a bit.”

“Need company?”

She raises her eyebrows at him. “I don’t know… I really don’t want to cut in with your sleep time.”

“No, it’s fine. I think I need a break anyway.”

“How much of that essay have you got done?”

“About two paragraphs.”

Sally makes a face, then sighs. “Okay, fine. Five minutes, though. Then right back to being my scholarly son.”

“You know me,” he says, plopping down onto the carpet in front of her, “all about that scholarship.”

Sally laughs and leans her head back. Percy and Sally sit in silence for a minute - or at least as much silence as they can muster, as Estelle continues whimpering. But Percy doesn’t mind much. In fact, he even enjoys it - a moment with his family, just sitting together at two in the morning. It’s nice.

Then Sally sighs, and Percy looks up. “I’m sorry if all of this is a lot for you, honey,” she laments. “I know this was a little badly planned, having a baby in your senior year just as you’re getting ready for college and everything. And on top of that having to adjust to just normal life after, you know… not being here for a long time.” She holds her hands out, and Percy grasps it. “I can imagine this must be a handful for you.”

Percy lets his mouth tilt into a slight smile, but it probably looks more confused than reassuring. Probably because he is confused. Not in a bad way, though - just overwhelmed, maybe. A good kind of overwhelmed.

“Don’t be sorry, Mom.” He runs his fingers along the lines of her hand, feels the rough calluses against her hands. “It is a lot of change, but I like it. It gives me something to look forward to everyday. Going to college, trying to live a normal mortal life, getting to have family dinners every night. It’s a change I can get used to. Besides, doing homework at two in the morning beats the alternative, which is fighting monsters and running the risk of dying.” He frowns. “But it’s still just as deadly.”

Sally laughs. “Welcome to being a mortal, kiddo.”

“Thanks.” Then Percy holds his arms out. “Let me try holding her. Maybe it’ll do something.”

Sally shares an apprehensive look with him, but eventually relents. She leans forward and gently passes Estelle off, and Percy feels a little bad about the fact this seems to cause his mother even more wrinkles. He draws Estelle closer to his chest and tries swinging her gently, but his arms are so shaky and Estelle is still wailing and he’s totally convinced he’s going to drop her.

Great, he thinks. I can fight monsters but I can’t hold a baby?

“Oh, I wish I had a camera!” Sally says, leaning back in her chair, her smile now stretching with relief. “This is too cute.”

“Um,” he says, his eyes trained on the crying child in his arms. “I don’t think this is working.”

“Maybe just give it a minute. At this point you have as good a chance as I do at calming her.”

Percy huffs a laugh. He continues swinging slowly, watches Estelle sink into them, and he has to admit, he likes the feel of this. Not that taking care of crying babies was at the top of his things to do at two in the morning, but he likes the warmth of feeling his sister in his arms, looking up at him with her big, new eyes, absorbing the world around her. Despite the crying, he can almost see the wonder reflected in her green irises.

He wants to tell her to keep it as long as she can. Or better yet, he wants to be the one to keep it there, so that she never loses that awe.

This was something he didn’t expect when he first found out he was going to be a big brother. Sure, he was excited to feel some sort of responsibility for her, but he didn’t expect the kind of power that would take over him. It was almost stronger than any sort of trance any of the gods could have put on him. And better, too.

Ever since he first laid his eyes on her, first held her, all he could think about was how he wanted to make this world as good for her as possible. That’s what he was living for - not to save the gods, not to save people who could barely thank him for helping them survive, but to make sure the ones he loved could live a life where they didn’t have to worry about the outside dangers of the world. It was to make the world a better one, just for them.

But thinking about that makes him sad, too. Because he knows eventually Estelle is going to grow up, and no matter what he does, no matter how hard he tries, she’ll end up having to learn about the bad things in the world. There’ll come a time where the wonder in her eyes will have flickered out, a time where she no longer will be looking for the newness in everything, and he knows it’s going to break his heart because she’ll finally realize the truth about the world.

But maybe that’s the other side of making this life worth living. To make sure he’s there for her when she does.

“Mom?” Percy asks, and he looks up again. But this time his voice feels jagged, thready, like it’s been shaved off the edges. He has no idea why.

“Yeah?”

“Did you ever… I don’t know. Was I ever as good as Estelle when I was a baby?”

Sally raises her eyebrows. “This is your definition of good?”

Percy scoffs, but it dissipates as soon as it leaves his lips. “That’s not what I mean. I just mean, like… Did you ever feel weird about having me? Or, like, scared? Knowing I was the son of a god?” He looks away. “Was I ever too much for you?”

“What?” Sally leans forward in surprise, frowning. “Where is this coming from, Percy?”

“Nowhere,” he promises. “I’m just curious.”

“You were never too much for me,” she says. “Did I make you feel like you were?”

“No. Just… I know it’s been a lot for you. Like, knowing all you did for me… marrying Gabe, knowing you were at risk since you had a son with a literal god. And the fact that I wasn’t home for a full eight months, or probably more.” Percy shrugs again. “I don’t think those are lengths normal parents would have to take, you know?”

“I think it’s sad that you call them lengths,” she says. “It makes it sound like something I was doing just because I had to. And in a sense I did have to, but not because it was just some parental expectation. I did all that because I loved you, not because it’s what was expected of me.”

“Oh.” Percy looks down.

“I don’t know if that made sense. What I mean is, when it comes to loving someone, Percy, you’re willing to do anything you can to protect them. And I think if that love is strong enough, you don’t even consider them ‘lengths’; you consider them as just simple facts.” Sally laughs a little. “I don’t know, maybe it’ll make more sense if you ever become a parent.”

Percy looks down at Estelle again. “I think I get it. Sort of.”

“Well, Percy, you definitely weren’t Estelle. But you were never too much for me. You being a different experience never made you a worse one.” Sally smiles. “And yeah, I was scared before you were born. But not because you were a child of a god. I think it was just a general fear of being a first-time parent.”

Percy nods, but his head moves tightly, like a weight is attached to it.

“Mom?” he asks, and his voice cracks at the end. He takes a deep breath and touches Estelle’s nose, if only to distract himself. “I’m really sorry. About not being here last year. About making you worry so much. About not being...” He doesn’t finish his thought: the son you deserve.

He thought he was speaking just simply off the tip of his tongue, but he’s surprised to find tears rushing down his cheeks, so light and easy he barely realized they were even coming. And he tries to stop them, but he only manages to suck in a dramatic breath, which does nothing to help him convince himself he’s fine.

Sally’s brows crawl up her forehead, pulling on her eyes so they pop open. She frowns. “Percy, where is this coming from?”

“I- I don’t know,” he mutters, wiping a tear from his eye. This is so embarrassing. Why is he even crying? “I just know you’re always worried about me, and I really wish I could just, like, tell you not to be, but then I’d be lying to you, and it makes me really sad to think about the fact you’re always going to be there for me but for some reason I just can’t be there for you. I mean, I literally wasn’t home for a full fucking year. I couldn’t be there for you for anything.” He shakes his head. “I’m more sorry than you could ever imagine.”

Now Estelle is fidgeting again, and her eyes are scrunching in a way that assures him she’s about to start crying, too, and he just fucked something else up.

So much for being the strong big brother.

Sally pops out of her chair and sits next to him on the floor, her hand gently smoothing his hair, and he can’t help it - he drops his head against her shoulder.

“None of that is your fault, honey,” she says. “I thought you knew that. I know it wasn’t your decision to leave. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I know,” Percy murmurs. “I’m sorry, still.”

“Don’t say that. You are not responsible for any of that.” She scoffs, and the way her voice rattles in her chest, Percy feels almost scared of her as she says, “It’s only the gods to blame.”

Percy doesn’t say anything.

“Look,” Sally says, now drawing her fingers through his hair, “I understand why you might feel this way. But you have to understand, I do not blame you for a minute. Yes, I’ll be honest, I do wish I didn’t have to worry so much, and I do wish you could just be safe and sound at home. But none of that is anything you have to be sorry for, Percy. You’re here for me as much as you can be, and that’s better than I think a lot of moms can ask for. I don’t regret for a moment you being a demigod, or even having you; I don’t know how I ever could, knowing how much you’ve accomplished.” Sally smiles, and the sight of it feels like the sun dripping on him on a summer’s day. “I am so immensely proud of you, Percy, of everything you do to keep me and everyone else in this world safe. Maybe you can’t always be here physically, but you are there for me in ways that you don’t even understand.”

Percy smiles, but it’s drowned out by the remaining tears trying to escape his eyes. He wipes some away.

“I don’t ever regret having you, Percy, and I don’t regret for a moment not having a ‘normal’ life with you, whatever that is.” She cups Percy’s face in her hands and brushes her thumbs over his tears, burning them away. “I knew you would turn my world into a life of adventure and love before you were even born. How could I ever regret that?”

Sally’s attempts are futile. Now Percy’s tears are running down even faster. “Mom…,” he murmurs, but his tongue only gets tied up trying to finish whatever it is he was going to say. So he gives up and just lets this silence warm them.

“I’m not trying to diminish your feelings,” Sally murmurs eventually, “but does any of this have to do with Estelle? Do you think she was meant to replace you, Percy?”

“No,” he says immediately. “Not at all. I’m so happy she’s here. It’s just… I think having her here has just made some old thoughts come back. Not that that’s her fault. It just happened, I think. And after everything last year… maybe they’ve just grown more intense.”

Sally frowns, but she offers a nod in confused understanding. “Well, just know, Percy, she was never meant to replace you or give me some sort of life that I’d always hoped for. She was another beautiful gift, just like you.”

As if in response, Estelle blubbers. When she catches sight of them watching, she blinks, opens and closes her mouth, and throws her hand into her mouth.

Then smiles.

It’s funny, Percy thinks. If someone had told the twelve-year-old him that this was where he’d be at eighteen - finishing high school, taking care of his new sister, preparing for college on the complete other side of the country - he would never have believed them. People had told him how dangerous being a demigod was ever since he first found out, and while he didn’t believe that he’d never reach adulthood, he didn’t keep his hopes up, either. Even before he found out he was a demigod, when his mom was still living with Smelly Gabe, he never really knew where they’d go from there. A part of him always believed he’d be stuck with him until he moved out, if he’d be able to move out at all.

But here he was, almost eighteen, about to live the very future he never thought he’d be able to have for himself.

Realizing this, his heart stings a little. He knows he’s just a lucky case - there are so many people out there that have it much worse than he does right now. People who’d been in his situation but, unlike him, weren’t able to escape theirs.

But that doesn’t bring him down. Instead, it only makes him feel more grateful for what he has now. A loving family, a caring girlfriend, the bestest friends in the world. There could have been a million ways his life went, but he’s glad it went this way.

Sally kisses his cheek, and then stumbles back onto her feet. “Whew,” she mutters, rubbing her hip. “Not as young as I used to be. Anyway, it’s getting late, honey. We should head back to sleep. Sorry if me and Estelle woke you up.”

“It’s all good,” Percy says, offering his sister up to her. He wipes the remains of his tears and jumps to his feet, too. “Actually, I think… I think I really needed to hear all that, Mom.”

Sally smiles. “Of course, honey. And… I’m sorry if I ever made it seem like you couldn’t tell me any of this earlier. I really didn’t mean to give you that impression. I want you to be okay with telling me anything, Percy. I love you.”

Percy smiles and offers his mom a one-handed hug, careful to not squish the baby. “You didn’t. And I love you, too.” He widens his eyes at Estelle, who giggles at his expression. “And I love you even more. Even if you are really loud.”

Estelle squeals.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” he tells Sally, padding towards the bedroom door.

“Don’t be up too late!”

Before he closes the door, he turns around again and smiles at her. “See you later, Mom.”

Later. He likes the taste of that word, like cotton candy, like clouds he can reach. Something he never thought he’d get the privilege to say.

#percy jackson #my writing #estelle blofis #sally jackson #riordanverse #percy jackson fanfic #percy jackson fic

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slytherinqueenrose · 1 year

Text

Nevermore Witch

Pairing: Xavier Thorpe (Wednesday) x f!Witch Reader (Harry Potter’s universe)

Plot: After traumatic events at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Y/N Y/L/N joins Nevermore Academy to start a new chapter. She didn’t expect to become certain long haired boy’s enemy.

Word Count: <9K

Warnings: enemies to lovers, wizardry, use of magic, mentions of death, crying, mention of Harry Potter characters, cursing, traumatic experiences, grammar errors, let me know if I forgot about something.

A/N: Remember that Xavier is Xavier and Percy is

Percy. Character ≠ actor.

I’ll also be very thankful for letting me know what you think. Honestly, I’m sobbing especially because of the ending

After all those incidents at Hogwarts, after Who Must Not Be Named came back to his powers and our castle collapsed, we, wizards had no place for ourselves. We were left alone, with no teachers to help us with magic and no relatives to support us. But it’s not important now. We (those who survived) had to find a new place to continue our education - if no magical by any means, then just a muggle one. I myself found a school for outcasts. United States, far away from my home, far away from everything and everyone I loved. I had no other option than just start attending Nevermore and start new, unknown chapter in my quite young life.

“I can’t believe it! I always thought that wizards don’t exist!” A blonde girl screamed while holding my wand. Phoenix feather core, apple wood, 11 ¾”. I remember the day of buying it as if it was yesterday. “I’m so excited! You have no idea how many things and places I want to show you and-“

“It really is nice to meet you too, Enid but can we please slow down a little bit? I just came here and I feel like I really don’t belong here so I would be thankful if you gave me about an hour to get used to this place, please.” I said sending her a shy smile and she only nodded, still smiling widely.

“What exactly happened? Why are you here? Aren’t there any magical schools?” She asked sitting on my bed while I was focusing on unpacking my suitcase.

“Well, not anymore.” I whispered. I was about to start crying. What happened in my life was very bad and I couldn’t agree with it. “You see, wizards can be good or bad. I think it’s quite clear. Like any other no-maj, we want a normal yet successful life. But unfortunately those dark wizards want to control the world. And that’s why my beloved school doesn’t exist anymore. It’s pretty heartbreaking for me now but I promise to tell you everything about it when I’ll feel a bit better.”

“Honey, you don’t have to push yourself into doing so. I understand and I get that everyone is going though many difficulties. I only want to assure you that I’m here and you can count on me even if we only just met. I feel like we can become very good friends if you only want to.” She added, hugging me tightly and after a while I hugged her back.

***

“So this is the last place and we call it a Quad.”

“Isn’t it a pentagon?” I asked and she only giggled. “So, what kind of outcasts are here? I know about werewolves already.”

“Psychics are the most predominant species at Nevermore. They have different abilities from visions to telekinesis. Then we have Vampires or Fangs, whatever you want to call them. Of course Werewolves like me. Shapeshifters, Gorgons, Sirens, Faceless students and a Witch of course. You’re the first of your kind which makes you very special and I believe you’ll have a huge group of admirers anytime soon.”

“I’ve never been new at school. Being the first one of a specific specie isn’t good either. I don’t even know how I feel about it.”

“Don’t worry, Y/N. You’ll soon find out that Nevermore is wonderful and you are gonna love it.”

“Hope so. So is there any head girl or or head boy or someone I just should avoid?”

“Well, let’s start from Fangs, shall we? You should definitely keep as far as possible from Simon and his group. He always is unbelievably dumb and horny.”

“For blood?”

“I said horny, not thirsty.”

“Clear enough.”

“Then Bianca. The so called Queen bee. She used to date our Academy Turtured Artist Xavier but they broke up in September. Reason unknown.”

Tortured artist?

“Why tortured?” I half-whispered.

“His works are usually sick. Bloody and mysterious. But continuing, there also is Wednesday Addams. She came here about a month ago and is spooky. I mean I like her and she’s my dorm mate but you may be a little shocked. Next, a werewolf Lita Greyback. She’s-“

“Greyback?!” I screamed with my eyes widening. Happily I didn’t catch too much of attention.

“You know her?” Enid asked a bit surprised.

“Her surname sounds familiar. You see, I knew a werewolf back there in Scotland. He was on a dark side and I believe he could have a child. I have no idea if he ever had someone but if he actually has a child and it’s Lita, then we’re all in a danger.”

“Okay, I’m starting to freak out. You must tell me what actually happened before you came here.”

“Hey, but it may be my mistake. It’s just a surname, isn’t it? I only-“

“We should definitely go and have some mellisa. You know, to calm you down a little bit. You’re literally shaking.”

“I don’t need melissa. I’m just trying to tell you that-“

“Another newbie?” A tall boy asked. Considering the fact that Enid became red all the way, I assumed she liked him. Or maybe even more than just like.

“Hi Ajax!” She screamed with pure excitement. “This is Y/N and yes, she’s new. And this is Ajax. A gorgon, that’s why he’s wearing a beanie.” The blonde explained and the both of us only smiled to each other.

“So you’re a siren or-“

“Even better! She’s a witch. Like a real witch. She can do magic and-“

“I know what a which means, Enid.” He added offering her a friendly smile and then his attention was back on me. “I hope you’re not going to jinx us, are you? I promise to never piss you off.” Ajax laughed.

“Dark magic isn’t something I work with. Of course there are many let’s call them friendly jinxes for example tickle jinx but I rarely use any of them honestly.” I said.

“Wow, impressive. You seem very interesting. What about hanging out sometime?” He asked and I felt a sudden change of Enid’s humour.

“Well, that’s very nice of you but I must say no. I still haven’t agreed with what happened in my previous school and I really don’t want to bond to anyone yet. But I think you may hang out with Enid, wouldn’t it be wonderful? She’s much more cheerful than I am.” I said and when he blushed I knew exactly what game he was trying to play. Asking me out to make the blonde jealous. That was so obvious.

“Uhm.. Yeah. Actually it would be even better than just wonderful. How about that, Enid?”

Nobody could imagine her happiness. She couldn’t even speak and only shook her head and then Ajax left as happy as her.

“You really set us for a date, did you? Oh Y/N, I can’t believe it! I’ve been trying to get his attention for AGES and he never noticed me and now-“

“I get it. And personally I think you two will be a perfect match. Can we come back to our little trip, please? I would love to come back to my dorm and take a nap.”

“Right. You asked about Xavier, didn’t you? Here he is. The one painting the mural right there. Come on, let’s say hello. He’s gonna be amazed.”

I was trying to recall memories from Hogwarts to find a person similar to Enid but it was useless. I swear I’ve never met anyone as energetic and joyful as her. She was a pure happiness, sunshine, she was smiling almost all the time and was so honest.

“Xavier!” She said proudly, catching his attention.

Once he looked at us I got a feeling that he must be a very nice person. But unfortunately I couldn’t be more mistaken.

“This is Y/N and she’s our new student. And guess what specie she is.” She added giggling while the long haired boy was looking me up and down.

“A nymph?” He said almost with no emotions.

“Silly you! She’s a witch!”

“I would say a hag but what you prefer.”

Hell no.

What the hell was that?

“Excuse me, what did you say?” I asked, yanking his brush from his paint covered wrist.

“I believe she said you’re a witch, not a deaf.”

How rude.

„Xavier! What has gotten into you!” Enid shrieked with her arms resting on her hips.

“Do you really trust her? I remember my granny’s stories about witches. They are bad and untrustworthy. One spell and you’re dead. I prefer to stand face to face with a skin walker than with her. I think she should spend time with her own wrong sort.”

“I think I can tell the wrong sort by myself but thanks for a wonderful speech.”

“Could you give my brush back, witch?” He added with a bored expression, watching me scoff.

“Aport if you need it.” I said then throwing it away only to leave the both of them after that.

Enid was screaming at him like a psycho and then she joined me during my way back to my dorm.

“I’m so very sorry. You see, he usually is a sweetheart and I don’t know what-“

“I believe he can excuse himself well enough. He doesn’t need you to do that for him.”

“I thought people get excited when they meet a real witch. That’s amazing and your ability to cast spells is just out of world.”

“You see, Enid. Some people dream about being magical. Some still live in the Middle Ages. Some are afraid and some just hate us with all their might. Some may even think that their relatives have been killed by wizards. You’ll never predict what the reaction is going to be.”

“That’s so unfair.”

“I need to take a nap. I knew it would be difficult to fit here but I never thought about this kind of difficulty. Have a good day, En and I’m sorry but I don’t want to see anyone today.”

***

I woke up the next day, almost late for my first class. Back then at Hogwarts, our house prefects used to scream and wake us up but here at Nevermore we had no prefects. I had so many new stuff to learn and what was the worst for me? No magical classes. Only muggle ones like Maths, English, Biology etc. The only subject which was kinda similar to my previous classes was botany with Mrs. Thornhill. I used to learn herbology so I was ready for whatever was about to happen there. I arrived at the greenhouse punctually at 8 am only to be welcomed by Xavier’s unpleasant expression. He truly looked like he hated me with all his might. Unfortunately for the both of us only one seat beside him was free and we knew perfectly well, it’s not going to end up happily.

“Hey, uh..-“

“Wednesday Addams.”

“Right. Could we switch places, please? He doesn’t seem to like me and I really don’t want to fight with him.” I said looking at the black haired girl with a deadly pale skin and zero emotion on her face.

“Just ignore him. He’s going to get bored and won’t hurt you. You’re the witch here. You always can jinx him.” She responded and believe me, I’ve never felt so disappointed in my life.

“Yeah, right. Thanks for helping.” I whispered and took the free place after that. I tried very hard to avoid Xavier even though I felt his deadly glare all the time.

“And what exactly is that?” He asked pointing at my scroll of parchment and a quill.

“I have to make notes, right?”

“Can’t you just use a notebook and a pen instead of these funny objects? You’re no longer in your damn magic school.”

“You have a problem, not me so I would be damn thankful if you shut your mouth.”

The whole class laughed. Thank you all.

“You’re the newbie and yet you’re in the centre of students’ attention. What if you lost your lovely magic stick?” He laughed pulling my wand out of my uniform pocket.

“Give it back.” I hissed when he stood up spinning the wand between his fingers.

“Aport if you need it.” He added wanting to throw it.

“Xavier, give it back to Y/N.” Mrs. Thornhill said harshly, entering the classroom. “Are you mad? It’s a very powerful magical object. You have no idea what kind of consequences you’d pay for throwing it. Our whole school might even explode if you’ve done it. I don’t want the two of you to cause such of a problem. Hand it back to Y/N and may you please stop arguing for god knows what?”

“Sorry, professor. It’s not going to happen anymore.” He said and gave me my wand back. Then he sat next to me and leaned closer before whispering. “Don’t be too happy too soon.”

“Oh fuck you, Thorpe.”

“Miss Y/L/N, I will not accept speaking this way.”

“Sorry.”

“I hope so. So maybe if you’re here with us today, what about saying something about your previous school and subjects?”

Merlin’s pants, why?

I took a deep breath before standing up and feeling many pairs of eyes on me.

“I used to attend Hogwarts. A truly magical place which felt like home from the very first day. Every magical person belongs to this school after being born and there’s no way to change it. Or at least if you don’t have enough Galleons, our wizarding currency. You have no idea how amazing if feels to get an acceptance letter. I remember if as if it was yesterday. I still keep it. If you want to do shopping for the school year or just any magical ones you have to go to a certain place full of all kinds of shops from clothes to wands. Then, on the 1st of September you have a train from London to Merlin knows where. Probably some part of Scotland but our location is unknown even to us. Any electronic stuff like your smartphones would not work there due to the whole lot of energy going on there. That’s why I don’t own a phone. I use my owl, Snow, to send letters so don’t be afraid if one day my winged friend will visit you.” I laughed and all of my classmates did the same. Well, maybe not all. Xavier looked unbothered. “There were better and worse days. I had many enemies but also the best of best friends I could wish for. We’ve gone through the worst together and… Well, let’s just not talk about that. However, I had many exciting classes. One of them was pretty similar to botany. I’m talking about herbology. You have no idea how many wonderful plants surround us. Have you ever heard of a mandrake? A baby like plant whose screams may even kill if you don’t use earplugs while replanting it. Its juice is used to cure petrified people.

That’s scary.” Enid said almost pale.

“We also used to learn potions. That was my favourite subject. Brewing luck, love, death or pollyjuice potion is amazing even though it’s very difficult.”

“Do you have any spare death potion?”

“I-“

“Joking. I’ll find out myself.”

“Don’t worry about Wednesday, honey. She’s specific.” The teacher giggled.

“Well, okay. Continuing, we were also studying care of magical creatures, charms, history of magic, flying, defence against the dark arts, transfiguration and we could choose any extra classes from the list but there’s too much of them to talk about each one.”

“Wait, you can actually fly?”

“Yes, I even have a broom.”

“Like all those hags from scary stories. Do you eat children as well or maybe you’re a vegetarian?”

“I don’t eat people, you fool. But I may eat you if you won’t stop offending me.”

“You-“

“Stop this nonsense. Y/N, why are you here instead of your previous school?”

“It’s not existing anymore. A dark wizard ruled our world. That’s why I had to find another place for myself.”

“I hope you’ll accommodate here quickly and that Xavier will help you with it instead of arguing. It’s is very nice to have you here, Y/N. Shall we begin our today’s class? I believe you’re all very excited about the test which I was talking about previously.”

The look of utter disappointment was noticeable on each face. Even mine. I had no idea about a test coming. Starting a new school with a negative grade, how wonderful?

“Don’t worry, Y/N. I know you weren’t able to prepare for it so just read through questions and maybe you’ll know the answer, who knows? I won’t grade it if it’s negative, I promise.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Thornhill. I really appreciate it and I promise to catch up with your subject asap.”

Merlin only knew, that I was to get the best grade. Happily every question was about plants which I was studying at Hogwarts. Maybe my time at Nevermore wasn’t going to be fail at all?

Well, not exactly. Maths was my personal hell. I had no idea what was going on and nothing made sense. Xavier was making fun of me all the time especially when I made a mistake. And that happened plenty of times. But happily I beaten him in other subjects and that got on his nerves.

He then started trying to make my life a real hell.

The day of the Poe Cup came pretty quickly and I was absolutely terrified yet excited. I had my wand so we were to win. I knew it. That’s why other teams were kind of worried. Bianca was plotting against us but I knew that whatever she wanted to do, wouldn’t work. And I was right. Just before the official beginning, my team and I took a sip of Felix Felicis, luck potion. No rules meant no rules so we gladly used this opportunity and thanks to that, we came as second ones to the island and there I sprinted as fast as I could to the Crackstone’s crypt.

But where the hell our flag was?

“Looking for something, Y/L/N?” Xavier’s drawling voice echoed from behind. I turned around immediately to be met with his smiley yet ridiculous expression.

“Turned into what you really are, didn’t you Thorpe? I always knew you’re a clown.” I said sarcastically and he scoffed.

“I may be or not be a clown but I for sure will be the one holding the cup.” Xav laughed.

“Where’s my teams’ flag?”

“You said you can fly?”

I looked up and there it was. Hanging on a branch.

“How could you do that? What I’m going to do now?” I asked playing hurt. At this moment he was no longer happy at all. He knew too well that I had something on my mind. I reached for my wand which had a special place in the inner corner of my costume and then I pointed at the flag, whispering quiet “accio flag”. It sprang to my hand with a light speed which took Thorpe by surprise and just when he was almost ready to come back to his boat, I decided to slow him down a little bit. That’s why I pointed my wand at him and used a reduction spell so in a matter of seconds he became tiny.

“What the hell Y/L/N! Change me back, it’s not fair!”

“What are you squeaking about? I almost can’t hear you, doll.” I laughed lifting him by his costume collar. He was kinda cute with his arms crossed against his chest, legs dangling and furious expression. “That’s exactly what you get for offending me.”

“Change me back or-“

“The only thing you could do now would be biting the tip of my finger which I believe won’t happen because I would have to let go of you and that might cause and unpleasant injury. Let me take you to your boat so you won’t get lost in here, what about that?”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Nothing new, Xav.”

And I did what I said. His friends were shocked seeing him in that state and I even heard some mocks towards him which made me burst out laughing but we won after all.

He was absolutely furious and I swear that I’ve never seen anyone this mad in my life.

Then the outreach day came and to my unhappiness the both of us were assigned at the Weathervane. He only rolled his eyes on me so I kept talking with this cute barista, Tyler.

“Would you mind to stop your silly conversations and help me maybe? I want to remind you that we were assigned here to work not gossip or even flirt.” Xav said.

“Fine. So Tay, what’s my job considering the fact that this poor artist is wiping dirty tables?”

Xavier’s scoff almost made me laugh. I truly loved getting on his nerves. He deserved it.

Tyler quickly showed me how to use this weird machine which was professionally called a coffee express and I only hoped to remember everything. My face expression was for sure worried as hell.

“I think it’s not the best idea to let her work with it. You see, she used to live under the rock for the past few years and she doesn’t even have a smartphone which means she may not get well with this yet shitty express.”

Well, he was kind of right at that point.

“I propose to let her wipe the tables and collect orders and I’ll be working with electronics. Are you into it, Y/L/N?”

“Yes.”

“Do whatever you want. Just please don’t destroy anything and try not to kill each other since I feel the unpleasant pressure between you two.”

“You should talk to her. She’s a hag here. But be careful with her or she’ll change you into a doll.”

I could say that this day was really good and even cooperating with this brat was successful. He tried to make me a fool many times yet he never succeeded. We spent many hours in the cafeteria but unfortunately right before closing Xavier spilled his hot coffee on me and that was indescribably painful.

“Xavier!” I shrieked wiping as much of a black liquid out of myself as possible. With my bare hands which resulted in burning them too.

And yet he was only standing in front of me with and unbothered face expression. How could someone be this emotionless?

“Don’t shriek. Just use your wand.”

“Are you serious? Do you really think that there is an uncountable amount of spells? I’m not a healer for Merlin’s sake, I didn’t study healing spells!”

“What kind of a witch you are then? I thought that with your help, all orders will be floating around the local and yet you had to walk around to give them to the customers. It’s-“

“You don’t understand anything.”

“So maybe enlighten me?”

“Honestly Xavier, I really don’t have any interest in explaining anything to you. Tell Tyler that I left.”

But what happened some time later, was absolutely unforgivable. Imagine that Kent invited me to the RaveN Dance and for some reason Xavier wasn’t too happy about that. He himself came with Bianca, his ex which was just as much prejudiced against me as he was. I had a truly the best time ever since the muggle music was fantastic. Even too fantastic because after about three hours due to a huge headache I needed to left the party. I was met with Bianca furiously looking at me with her shoulders crossed over her chest.

“Kitten got on your tongue?” She said burning holes in my head.

“What’s your problem? I just need to rest. Besides I have no reason talking to you, do I?”

Her scoff was so venomous that I thought I’m no longer talking with a siren. More like with a snake. She would for sure join Slytherin if it only still existed.

“Xavier’s talking about you all the time. He seems to be fucking mad at you and hate you, yet he can’t stop eyeing you.”

“There is a true hatred between us and I believe whatever he says is not too nice. There’s nothing you should be afraid of. If you still want him take him. I don’t care about him neither about you.”

With that I turned around and wanted to leave, but

“He asked me to use my amulet to make him forget about you.”

What the hell?

I looked at her again shocked.

“And did you do that?”

“Are you mental? My power was the main reason of our break up. He never trusted me and thought I was manipulating him. Yet he wants me to use it so he can no longer have feelings towards you.”

“Woah, slow down a little bit, okay? Firstly there’s no point in being mad and secondly he doesn’t have any feelings towards me, you get it? He hates me and I hate him and the only thing he may want to forget is all that hatred. I saw his expression while looking at me and believe, he is not interested and-“

“You’re so dumb girl. Go and have a rest now. Maybe you’ll understand everything better after few hours of sleeping because your brain clearly isn’t working. Have a good night.”

That was weird, saying delicately. What kind of feelings might he had towards me? Come on, he would destroy me if he could. I remember when he put a dog’s shit into my bag. Everything was smelly as fuck but happily I knew a cleaning spell which helped me with it. Do you think this kind of action means liking me?

“Leave me alone, Thorpe.” I heard from behind. It’s was Xavier and Bianca of course. He probably wanted to apologise to her yet she didn’t want to talk with him and came back to the Dance. Xavier’s and mine eyes met but when he wanted to say something, I left. And that was a huge mistake.

On the very next day, loud banging to my dorm room woke me up. I had got up and then opened the door. It was sheriff and probably his coworker.

“What’s going on?”

“Miss Y/L/N, you have to go with us.”

“I’m sorry Y/N.” Wednesday spoke with her usual emotionless expression. “…but I know it was you who attacked Eugene yesterday night.”

I had no time to discuss yet to fight against them. I was taken to the sheriff’s office and I spent several (or more) long days in prison with chains hanging from my wrists. In officers’ eyes, I was a monster which was haunting the woods in the area. A real hag which was looking for a revenge for her death relatives which were burnt alive for doing magic. It made no sense however they had a point. Eugene was attacked on the RaveN Dance night at the time when I left to take a rest. Bianca and Xavier saw me and I was sure it was Thorpe who framed me. At last he was the one who welcomed me with his unhealthy fright of witch monsters from his grandmother’s stories. Nobody could defend me at that moment and possibly prove that I came back to my dorm that night. I had no roommate. Besides I was horrifically worried about Eugene yet I had no clue how to contact with anyone. Sheriff had confiscated my wand before I hid it. To say more I had no visitors since I was considered dangerous and everyone was afraid of me. Wednesday was sure of me being the monster. Enid as her good friend for sure believed her. Xavier probably was happy as ever that he doesn’t have to look at me anymore and that he was right judging my witchy roots. After spending a few days there I broke down completely. I was sitting there in the corner, not wanting to speak or eat. My whole attention was focused on this one little window in the office and at my lovely owl Snow which was sitting behind windows’ glass, observing me. I don’t know how much time passed. It might have been two or three weeks but honestly I don’t know because I lost the track of time.

“Hey, Y/N!” Somebody hissed. My eyes widened seeing Lita Greyback herself, kneeling behind bars. She was the last person I could have expected to see.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came here to help you. You see, I know it’s not you who attacked Eugene.” She said. “We may not have met officially but I overheard Enid’s conversation about you and she said that you know my father.”

Hearing it, I came closer to her, wanting to know more. I sat right in front of her while she reached her hand to me.

“I’m Lita Greyback, nice to meet you officially.”

“Y/N Y/L/N. Nice to meet you too.” I said shaking her hand.

“Look, sheriff doesn’t know that I’m here. I gave his coworker certain something to put him to sleep and I sneaked in. But I have a proof that you’re innocent. You see, since I’ve overheard Enid speaking about you, I kept observing you and saw you coming back to your dorm. I even thought about talking to you that night but then this whole incident happened and I was just shocked to say the least.”

“What’s your proof?”

“It’s my conversation with Sienna about you. I wrote her that I was hesitant about knocking your door and she wrote about the attack. She then sent me a voice message that Xavier thinks it’s your fault and I wrote that it’s impossible because you’re in your dorm. And if it’s not enough which I believe won’t be in this case, I also have a-“

“So you say she’s innocent?” Sheriff Galpin spoke and Lita immediately stood up.

“Yes, sheriff. I’m sure of that.”

“And your only evidence is a stupid conversation?”

“You may call it stupid but it actually is important. You see, Y/N and I aren’t friends. I mean not yet so I have no reason to help her. To say more I heard that Eugene’s scratches were nothing like injuries which could be made by a spell. Whatever attacked him it wasn’t Y/N. Maybe a bear or another monster?”

“What can you say about it, miss Y/L/N?”

“I’m innocent as I said plenty of times. You know, I wish Dumbledore- I mean a principal of Hogwarts could be here with his pensive. I could show you my memories and that would be the best proof yet it can’t happen without him.”

“And where is he?”

“Dead.”

“Or maybe it was a werewolf? Maybe that’s why you want to free her? You feel guilty so you came here and-“

“No, sheriff. It’s not me neither her. Please, show mercy. She spent almost 3 weeks here being innocent.”

“Why did you show up now, not those 3 weeks ago?”

“I knew I should have done it sooner but I was said by others that it’s not my business and-“

“Could you do something for me, Lita?” I asked and she only nodded. “You have to go to my dorm room and find a truth potion. It’s called a veritaserum and I keep it in a trunk under my bed. You’ll find it quickly because it’s the only transparent potion and it looks like water.”

“You think I’ll believe in it?” Sheriff laughed sarcastically.

“If you think I want to trick you, you’ll be the first one using it and you’ll see yourself that this potion can make you reveal the darkest secret of yours. It’s very powerful and if it won’t prove my innocence, nothing will.”

“Fine. Let me give you a ride to your school of freaks and we’ll both go to the damned room to find it. I’ll call the backup to have more witnesses.” He said to Lita and then turned to me. “Is that fine enough or maybe miss witchy wants something more?”

“I want to be free again. That’s it. And could you free me from those chains, please? They’re so heavy.”

“You really expect too much, lady.”

Happily it didn’t take too much time until they were back. The bottle of veritaserum was halfway empty so I had to be very careful with it because it was the only way to prove them wrong. As I said I wanted to use it on sheriff first however he didn’t agree and instead one of his workers took a sip of tea with the potion. After that he was brutally honest and I was sure that he’s to lose his job. Yet, everyone believed that the potion works and to their dismay they had to free me after I told them everything what happened on that certain night.

„It’s true then. Fenrir Greyback is your father?” I said during the way back to Nevermore.

“Yes, yet I’ve never met him. My mum is a normie or a muggle, whatever you call them. They met by an accident and had a short affair. Short because when she discovered what he was, she left UK and moved to the USA. She was really afraid of and unfortunately she found out that she was pregnant. With me obviously. So I’m a half-werewolf. Kind of cool yet it’s really painful to change during every full moon.”

“He’s a bad person, your father. He’s on the dark side fighting against the good one. He also killed many people.”

“I’m so ashamed of having such a father.”

“You shouldn’t be. You’re not him.”

“Do you think he would want to meet me if he knew he has a child?”

“I don’t know, honestly. I didn’t have an opportunity to meet him officially. Happily to me. But I think it’s better for you that he doesn’t know about your existence. Don’t get me wrong but Who Must Not Be Named would kill you and your mother in a matter of seconds. That’s what he did to most of people I knew.”

“I can see you suffering. You lost someone you loved, didn’t you?”

I only nodded not being able to talk about that. Once at Nevermore, we said our goodbyes and I came back to my dorm room. The next day was supposed to be quite chaotic due to the family weekend but I didn’t expect anyone. That’s very complicated and I thought I will never have to talk about that with anyone however it happened very soon. You see…

Saturday, the first day of family weekend. Everyone was over the moon and no one noticed my coming back. Happily for me actually. I felt betrayed for some reason so I didn’t want to talk to anyone anyway. I decided to spend my day in the school library which was totally empty this day. I had my fave spot there from which I could observe what was going on on the quad and in the academy park the same time. I sat there cross legged with my spell book which I was studying in the free time. Once I tried to flip to the next page, several pictures fell from it and made a small mess on the floor. I loved keeping photos in every book I owned. But once I saw all those smiling people waving to me from the pictures my eyes started to water. I felt my heart breaking once again. I don’t know when I bursted out crying. What happened was still unbelievable and I couldn’t agree with it. I don’t know how much time I spent there crying my eyes out, yet somebody joined me.

“You’re sad because nobody came to see you?” Xavier spoke leaning against the book shelf. He wasn’t sarcastic like always. I saw a guilt in his expression. “Just joking. My father left me alone too. Doesn’t have time for his crazy son again. But there’s no need to cry, believe me.” He said eyeing me. I swear that I saw a glimpse of tears in his eyes too. “I wanted to apologise for framing you. I was just mad and-“

“I don’t care about that anymore.” I said coldly. Once he noticed many photographs on my lap, he sat beside me, reaching for them. He was visibly confused seeing them moving like a video.

“Wow, that’s crazy.” He whispered. “Who are all these people? I can see you on this one but the rest?”

“My friends.” I replied not bothering to look at him.

“Where are they?” He kept asking.

„I don’t know.”

“I get it. It’s pretty difficult to keep in touch if you don’t have phones.”

“That’s not it, Xavier!”

I swear I never used to raise my voice at anyone and I was as shocked as he was. Yet I couldn’t stand being silent and left alone with my thoughts.

“They may be dead, you get it? Back then, when the Dark Lord tried to come back to ruling the wizarding world, my friends and I used to have a lovely life full of silly adventures. We had no idea about Vold- Dark Lord’s raising strength and power and then suddenly the wizarding war happened. He had one serious enemy. The boy who lived even though a death spell hit him. The Dark Lord lost his powers and tried everything to kill him what happened exactly a year ago during the war. I lost everyone I loved. The lovely golden trio is dead. Additionally my lover boy was kidnapped because he failed his mission and I don’t know if he’s still alive or not. And I may never know. The Dark Lord killed every muggleborn due to their filthy blood, he also started killing muggles and that’s why I had to run away and clean my parents’ memory. They have no idea that they have a daughter. They live somewhere in Africa or Merlin knows where and I’m here now.” I sobbed.

“That’s sick…” Xav whispered visibly flabbergasted.

“Sick? That’s what you think?”

“I mean, I’m very sorry. I can’t even imagine how it could be to lose everyone. But aren’t you afraid about this Dark freak finding you here?”

“I am.”

“Can I help you somehow?”

“You? You’re no use. I don’t trust you and I never will. You see, I used to have many enemies back there yet anyone had ever hurt me the way you did. I truly wish I could go back to the UK and fight against the dark wizards even though I know I’d collapse dead before I had a chance to reach for my wand. Yet I prefer to be dead than looking at you. And everything because you believe in those silly stories of your grandmother.”

Wow, that was harsh.

“I know I made a huge mistake and I’d do anything to repair it-“

“Just leave me alone.”

“I want to start once again. Please, at least try to give me a second chance. I’ll prove you that I’m worth it.”

“I don’t know about that, Thorpe. I-“

“Please.”

If you’ve never seen Xavier’s pleading eyes, believe me, it was almost impossible to say no to them. I was sitting there, in front of him with watery eyes and tears ready to spill and I wasn’t able to say a word. I couldn’t believe I actually showed him how weak I was. He was the last person who should’ve seen it.

“One last chance and don’t you dare ever asking me for anything.” I said with a breaking voice and after that I came back to looking at the photographs. I started crying once again. The pain which I was going through was unbearable.

The next days were grey and almost lifeless. I got many apologies from Enid and even Wednesday said she was sorry for accusing me. She told me about Crackstone and some shit about it but I wasn’t really paying attention. My mind was wholly focused on my experiment which was going successfully and I expected positive results soon. Of course I’m talking about creating a time turner. I said I loved potions, didn’t I? I was bloody interested in alchemy and that’s why I knew what substances I’m supposed to use to make it. It took a lot of time however I made it. And after trying I found out it worked so I was able to repair everything and destroy the Dark Lord.

“So what exactly are you planning to do now?” Xavier asked looking at the golden object in my hand.

“It happened about 11 months ago so I have to turn it… 8000 times. Quite a lot.”

“Why so many?”

“One turn for one hour. I don’t plan to do it actually. I know a dark spell which makes a magical object do exactly what I want. Confundus. Very advanced magic it is but I know exactly how to use it.”

“And what’s going to happen after that?”

“I’ll be back at Hogwarts. Me from the past and me from the present. I’ll have to be very careful. You know, I don’t want my past myself to see me. I would freak out. I think I have to go and talk with the principal and prepare a plan. He’s the only one being able to help.”

“And what if it works and the dark freak will be destroyed?”

“I don’t know. I probably will be in the UK with the ones I love. And you’ll never meet me.”

His eyes widened immediately.

“That’s it, Xavier. Are you aware of the fact that every little change in the past makes a huge difference in the present?” I asked a bit worried. “It’s very complicated actually. Playing with time isn’t funny. It’s a serious thing and considering a fact of Dark Lord’s possible death-“

“What if you’ll die during the war?” He hesitated fidgeting with his fingers.

“Well, I don’t know if the war’s going to take place if I tell Dumbledore about Voldy coming back to his powers. There’s nobody more powerful than Hogwarts principal.”

“But potentially if something happens to you? Doesn’t matter during the war or not.”

“I have to take the risk. It’s the only way to save my world and those who I love.”

“And if everything goes the way you want to where could you possibly be now? You know, so I could find you.”

“There’s no need to worry. You won’t remember me.”

The purest shock appeared on his face. I’ve never seen him this speechless.

“You want to tell me that for the whole time I was supporting you and you try to run away from us? From Nevermore? And I won’t even remember you?” He said looking straight into my eyes.

“We both know this school is not a place for me. Why do you care actually? As I said you won’t remember me. Once I disappear everything will change. You’ll forget about me immediately and-“

“I thought you wanted to come back after saving everything.”

“It doesn’t make sense. I’m trying to repair my world so I could stay there forever. Why would I come back here if it’s not my place to be?”

“That’s your revenge, isn’t it?”

“What the fuck are you talking about now?”

“Nothing. You know what, keep doing what you do. I don’t care about that anymore. Have a great time with your ‘Hog-twats’.”

“How dare you-“

“Just leave.”

And I did. Just as he wished.

• Xavier •

She said I would forget her immediately yet I didn’t. And I had no idea why. Did her plan work out? Or maybe she failed? My heart broke just at the thought. The truth is I fell for her not so long ago and my silly actions weren’t supposed to hurt her. I just wanted her attention, that’s all. And she chose being a hero only to have her lover boy back.

I had no time to think about that at all because there were some complications with Wednesday and Crackstone. Y/N was probably starting her new life in the UK and I was to fight with a dead man. Everything happened very quickly. Bianca, Yoko and I escorted students from the academy while Addams was in the quad. I could not let her face him all alone so I came back to her and-

“Petrificus totalus!” Y/N shrieked pointing her wand at this dead bastard and throwing a silver sword to Wednesday. Crackstone went totally stiff and then Wednesday stabbed him with it. He started turning into the dust and then disappeared. I was pale as fuck not knowing what the hell was going on. Why Y/N was there? Did she fail? Without thinking I pulled her behind a wooden pillar to talk, however suddenly Thornhill spoke. She pointed a gun at Addams and just when I wanted to go and save her, Y/N stopped me.

“Stay quiet. Everything is under control.” She whispered. Wednesday looked scared. Probably for the first time since she arrived at Nevermore.

“Expelliarmus.”

Thornhill’s gun flew away leaving her shocked.

“Who we have here. Miss Y/L/N, I see you’re getting better.”

“There’s no need to worry about me.” Y/N said still pointing her wand at the red haired woman. “Incarcerous”.

The tip of Y/N’s wand sparked and then Thornhill was tightly bonded by many thick ropes. Impressive.

“Soon someone will come to collect you, professor.” Y/L/N said before leaving. I ran after her but she was nowhere to be seen. She probably came back to Hogwarts and I felt bad again.

• Y/N •

The last few days were crazy to say the least. Everything was going perfectly, then I failed and then I succeeded again. Due to the last events at Nevermore, students were sent home earlier. I believe everyone was tired after what actually happened. You don’t fight with a dead man everyday, do you? Anyway, I appeared at academy too, to collect my belongings before leaving Jericho for the next few months. To my happiness I was welcomed by Enid’s shrieks and a tight hug. She was covered in bruises and scratches yet she still looked ravishing.

“It was amazing! Wednesday told me about your help with this dead freak and you became a school hero. Would you mind if I wrote about you on my blog?” She laughed with pure excitement.

“You have a free hand, Enid. I’m glad you’re okay. What about Ajax?”

“I think we’ve never been this close with each other. You have no idea how caring he is, especially after my first ever wolfing out.”

“I’m glad. What are your plans for the break?” I asked biting my lower lip.

“Oh, I’m coming back home to San Francisco. You have to visit me. I don’t think I’ll be able to bear few months without contacting you.” She said.

“Sure. Thank you, En. Sorry but I have to go to my dorm. I’m still not packed.” I added with a smile.

“I believe someone wants to see you too.”

With that she looked up at the balcony and Xavier leaning against the railing. He sent me a shy smile and a delicate wave. I knew I had to face the truth. I had taken a deep breath before heading up to him.

“So you’re back.” He said calmly with a slight smile.

“Yeah.” I whispered not daring to look at him.

“Why?”

“You don’t want me here?”

“Of course I want you here. But I just don’t understand. You said that I��ll forget about your existence. Yet you disappeared and I didn’t forget.”

“Let’s go talk to my dorm, shall we? I don’t feel comfortable getting all those curious looks from other students.”

“As you wish.”

We headed to my room without exchanging any word. I was unsuccessfully trying to collect my thought but for some reason I wasn’t able to. The chaos which happened lately was just unbelievable.

“So” I began after sitting on my bed. The long haired boy followed and once we were sat facing each other I knew I had to explain everything. “Let’s say that I failed.”

“You fucked it up even more?”

“Not exactly. You see, right after arriving at the castle, I decided to spend some time with my friends. Merlin, I love them so much and-” I sighed. “I knew I had to go to the principal and tell him about everything that was about to happen. However before I got a chance to do so, my lovely transfiguration teacher stopped me. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately she noticed the past version of myself behind the corner and knew exactly what I’ve done. She invited me to her office and forbade to say a word about the future. I could only tell her that the Dark Lord is back and rules the world but… She told me that I mustn’t change anything. You get it? She was aware of her possible death yet she didn’t let me do what I had to do. She said that the consequences might be too serious and I should give up if I don’t want to wreck the present even more. I also heard that what I wanted to do was selfish and I only thought about myself because I wanted to give myself another chance to be happy without thinking about how others’ life would be after that. And she was right. I was doing it go get them all back because I couldn’t stand my life without them but I haven’t been caring about their possible future. It’s our destiny which decided whether we should be alive or not. I only got a chance to speak to them one last time before coming back here and-“

You know that the tears of sadness are different than those of happiness? I almost coughed feeling the unbelievably salty taste on my lips.

“Shh. Don’t cry, Y/N. You can’t change anything with your cries.” Xav spoke, wiping my tears with his thumb. “I know it’s difficult and I’m very sorry that you have to go through this but you’re very strong and I believe you’ll feel better soon. Try to think positively. It was meant to be like that for some reason. What if you saved them and then they died in even worse way? Would you want them to suffer?”

“I don’t.”

“And that’s it. You have to believe that wherever they are they’re probably happy and they wouldn’t want to see you crying over something that you can’t fight with. Grief is awful, I know it but I promise that I will be here for you all the time if you need anything.” He added grabbing my hand gently.

“Thank you, Xavier. And I’m sorry that I wanted to leave you even though you gave me so much support. I truly was thinking only about mys-“

“It doesn’t matter. I was thinking only about myself too. I knew how much you loved them yet I got mad because I didn’t want to let you go. I like you. Quite a lot actually. I know you’re in pain now but I’d love to try and give you as much happiness as possible. Once again I’m very sorry for everything that happened at the beginning. I should’ve known you before judging.”

“It’s fine, really. I wasn’t too friendly myself.”

“I’ve never noticed.” He joked containing a laugh and I smiled delicately. “I have something for you.”

A bottle green box came to my view. It had a big ribbon on it and was not too heavy. I opened the lid slowly, expecting something to jump out of it however what I saw was a phone.

He gave me a phone.

“Xav, but I-“

“I’ll show you everything. Living among so called muggles have its own rules. One of them is having a cellphone so you can keep in touch with people. Don’t get me wrong but Snow is way too slow so she may feel free from now on. She deserves it, doesn’t she?”

“Thank you. Very much. It’s so new to me and.. I think it will take me half of my life to catch up with all those technologies surrounding me.”

“You have me, remember? Besides, I still don’t understand what actually happened during yesterday’s night. How did you know how to destroy Crackstone?”

“I told the transfiguration teacher about him. She couldn’t help me with fighting for Hogwarts so she told me all about him. That’s it.”

“You’re a hero.” He laughed, playing with my fingers. Wait, I haven’t even noticed him still holding my hand. “And where do you plan to spend the break?”

“No idea.“

“What about staying at my place? My father rarely is at home so he wouldn’t mind. And I could keep my eye on you in case you needed help.”

He was so soft and adorable at that moment. I couldn’t believe it was the same boy who used to tease me and put a dog’s shit in my bag. It may sound funny but I swear I wanted to murder him for doing it.

“That would be lovely if it’s not a problem.”

“Silly you, of course it’s not.” He laughed then eyeing my lips. “I know it’s probably too soon but can I… you know.”

Oh boy, what now? He was attractive but did I want it?

“Okay.” I said quietly and then he pecked my lips delicately. It felt like a sweep of butterfly’s wings against my skin. So quick and soft yet so satisfying.

“Let me help you packing your things and then I’ll buy us train tickets.” He said kissing my knuckles and I laughed at him which confused him a bit. Pulling wand out of my jacket‘s pocket, I pointed its tip at my belongings and said “pack”. Xavier’s expression was worth every Galleon. He was so focused on all floating objects that I felt better immediately.

“Intriguing. So if it comes to the tickets-“

“We don’t need them. Hold my hand and and close your eyes.”

I forgot to inform that the teleportation may be rough for those who had never experienced it before. His head was spinning for the rest of the day so our smartphone classes ended up with his head resting on my chest during his unexpected slumber. Happily his sofa was pretty comfortable and I fell asleep as well. There we were, both calmly snoring in each other’s embrace.

And in my dream, my lovely friends from Hogwarts were waving at me happily, saying their goodbyes. I knew, they were in the better place and didn’t want me to suffer anymore.

#percyhyneswhite x reader #xavier thorpe #percy imagine #percyhyneswhite #xavier thrope imagine #xavier x reader #percy hynes white imagine #percyhyneswhiteimagine #xavier thrope fanfic #harry potter #percy hynes white x reader #wednesday #Wednesday x Harry Potter

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muse-rising · 4 months

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How to Name Your Dragon

AKA: How I spent the last hour and a half of my life on something that should be simple and straight-forward. Specifically, this dragon (who is not finished yet):

My new(ish), Solstice-hatched gen 1 with all gem genes and eyes (cries in that's all my current funds).

1. Stare at your dragon in their final state. Try to figure out the vibes they give you. Tip: Use their hatchdate for inspiration. 2. Websearch for names that mean things the dragon makes you think of: names that mean something relevant to the dragon's appearance, theme, or hatchdate. Check out a few of the resulting (usually baby naming) sites that pop up. 3. Write down possibilities as you come across them. I do this in the dragon's bio. 4. Play with some of the names and sounds to try a few of your own creation too. Or combinations of meaningful names. 5. Stare at the dragon's picture some more while trying each name out loud. Pit them against each other to the death. Last name standing wins. 5a. This sometimes involves cross-referencing the meaning of each name because some of these sites are literally just making it up rather than giving you the actual meaning from the actual origin. 6. Do a little spot research on the name source (ie language, fictional work, mythology, and or country of origin. 6a. This sometimes provides inspiration to plop down for creating some lore later. Either way it just makes sense to at least learn a little about the source before you use it. 7. Remember that there was a thematically appropriate pendant or something Galadriel gave Frodo on the whole "Light in the darkness" theme your Solstice dragon has going on.

8. Research Galadriel looking for the name of the thing. 9. Find pretty names and words in that research you might use, research those to see if they're appropriate. 10. Increase your in-depth knowledge of Galadriel and Tolkien's possible folk and myth inspirations on elves as angels. 11. Find what you're looking for and realize that name's not right. 12. End up researching Luthien/Tinuviel (forgot how I got here lol) to learn a little more about her than just the basics. 13. Realize while you like the meaning of "nightingale" for your dragon, Tinuviel doesn't seem to really suit them. 14. Check Silmarils just in case they might yield a gem or two and because you're only aware of the basics. 15. Go back to nightingale. Look up more names that mean nightingale. 16. Cross reference those in case the source is making things up. 17. Highlight the Latin "Luscinia" from nightingale wikipedia. It's a good one. 18. Research the symbolism of nightingale for both lore inspiration and verification it suits the dragon meaning-wise. 19. Read a pretty line by a poet named Percy Shelley. 20. Look him up before officially quoting it in the bio to make sure he's not a horrible creep. 21. Discover he was into political justice and free love way before the US went wild for it in the 60s and 70s and was an atheist in a time that got him shunned for it. 22. Read about his love affair and eventual marriage to Mary Godwin - wait...wouldn't that make her Mary Shelley. 23. Realize this poet is the same poet you knew Mary Shelley had married. 24. Read more about Mary Shelley while you're at it because while you know some of it, it's from an episode of Dr. Who primarily and you're curious about some of the things brought up in Percy Shelley's wikipedia. 25. Write a post about how it took you WAY too much of your life to pick a name. In my defense, I learned a whole lot tonight about a lot of random things. Even more if you count the hour and a half before that where I spent naming a different dragon and learning a bunch of stuff about Azerbaijani, Iran, Persia. + their modern and historical views of queer people. and the Ghost Busters universe/timeline.

Final name for the pictured dragon: Luscinia (Latin name for nightingale - which etymologically could mean "Little seen (as in the twilight) singer" or even "famous singer." Might also be "Little understood singer" referring to the mystery of their nightsong. Oh! 26. Remember that somewhere in there included research into the Greek language for many other names and in what order they tend to use adjectives+nouns. Also Circe, Callisto, and Kalliope research. My brain is full of learning. Azerbaijani/Ghost Busters research-prompting dragon was named Zulejxa. A day later: 27. Remember you also did a bunch of reading up on Amaryllis flowers both in general and according to flower language.

#Flight Rising #dragon game #Naming characters #There is so much knowledge stuffed in my head right now #3 hours of randomized but relevant learning to name two dragons #I'd call it a waste of time but I did learn things #and that's not a waste of time #so does it really matter that the driving force behind the learning was naming a bunch of pretty pixels?

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twoidiotwriters1 · 7 months

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Daughter of Olympus (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: October is going way too fast stop it -Danny Words: 2,645 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter / Next Chapter Listen to: 'Hallelujah' -by Oh Wonder

XXI: Prodigal Assholes Return

The fake spider takes us back to Hephaestus, once we're there he stares into space like he's seeing something we can't, then a blast shakes the ground.

"It's done," he turns to us. "You should get going."

"What about Percy?" Annabeth frowns.

"All in due time, missy, but first..." he points at me. "You. Come closer."

The god regards me with a grumpy face, he's always frowning, but this feels judgy. Am I really so annoying? "You're young and weak," he says. "No weapon in that camp of yours will do."

He reaches for something on a nearby workbench and hands it to me: A compass. I keep my palm open, staring at the item in confusion but not daring to ask how a compass can make a good weapon.

"That's Almighty," sounds like a name more than a description. "I made it from scraps of armor of only the greatest heroes. It holds the power of every monster and divine being that ever bled over it. Use it wisely."

I want to retort: "I'm not an idiot, this is a compass", but it feels weird. I could carry this thing in my pocket and forget it's there. This has to be a weapon, I just need to figure out how it works.

"Thank you," I beam. "I don't deserve this..."

"Of course not," a puff of dark smoke comes out of his beard. "You'll do what's needed to deserve it. Don't disappoint me, Jackson, my son's counting on you."

"Going okay?" Piper crouches between their seats.

"Aces," Leo glances at Jason when he stands behind Piper. "So what's the Wolf House?"

"An abandoned mansion in the Sonoma Valley. A demigod built it—Jack London."

"He an actor?"

"Writer. Adventure stuff, right? Call of the Wild? White Fang?"

"Yeah. He was a son of Mercury—I mean, Hermes. He was an adventurer, traveled the world. He was even a hobo for a while. Then he made a fortune writing. He bought a big ranch in the country and decided to build this huge mansion—the Wolf House."

"Named that 'cause he wrote about wolves?"

"Partially. But the site, and the reason he wrote about wolves—he was dropping hints about his personal experience. There're a lot of holes in his life story—how he was born, who his dad was, why he wandered around so much—stuff you can only explain if you know he was a demigod."

"So Jack London went to Camp Half-Blood?" Leo asks.

"No," Jason and Ara share a look. "No, he didn't."

"Bro, you're freaking me out with the mysterious talk. Are you remembering your past or not?"

"Pieces. Only pieces. None of it good. The Wolf House is on sacred ground. It's where London started his journey as a child—where he found out he was a demigod. That's why he returned there. He thought he could live there, claim that land, but it wasn't meant for him. The Wolf House was cursed. It burned in a fire a week before he and his wife were supposed to move in. A few years later, London died, and his ashes were buried on the site."

"At least they didn't burn him with the house, that shows you he was favored..." Ara muses.

Leo snorts. "So it's a common thing for demigods to be blessed with dying?"

"Pretty much," she grins.

"So," Piper looks at Jason. "How do you know all this?"

"I started my journey there too," Jason's blue eyes are getting darker. "It's a powerful place for demigods, a dangerous place. If Gaea can claim it, use its power to entomb Hera on the solstice and raise Porphyrion—that might be enough to awaken the earth goddess fully."

Ara's itch is getting worse. Piper gave her nectar, but she heated up way too quickly. She thinks it's unfair, Piper spent most of the quest feeding on nectar and ambrosia and she was fine.

"Thirty minutes out," Leo announces. "If you want to get some rest, now's a good time."

Jason goes to the back and secures himself before dozing off, but Piper stays with them. Ara tries to get comfortable, but the space is too narrow. "I think I'll join Jason," she sighs. "I don't think sleep will fix me, but maybe it'll freshen me up."

When she gets up, Piper looks at her funny. "When Dad woke up, he told me he saw our mother's eyes in you. He didn't know how to describe them, but I see what he meant."

Ara could say the same thing about Piper's, but when she tries to speak her throat closes up and her gaze gets a little teary, so she moves without saying anything and Piper takes her seat.

Leo winks at her over the aviator glasses. "Get your beauty sleep, doll."

The girl takes the row of seats facing Jason, she's careful to lie on her healthy side. Ara thinks about the exact moment she decided to be more than just an Aphrodite.

Hephaestus sends us back to camp with a snap of his fingers.

Lily hugs me tight and doesn't let go. "How was it? Did you learn anything?"

"Yeah," I whisper. "I have something to show you!"

No one cares about me, they all surround Annabeth and leave me alone. Only one camper apart from Lily notices I'm leaving, and he follows us as I show my friend the compass.

"Lord Hephaestus gave it to me. In person."

"What!" She stares at it in shock. "What did he say?"

"Contains the power of monsters and whatnot," I frown. "He said I didn't deserve it. Not yet."

"You know what this means?"

"The gods are paying attention to her," Michael speaks behind me.

"Hey!" I give him a hug. "Look at this!"

"Made by the god of blacksmith himself..." He examines the compass with an intent gaze.

"He might become your patron," Lily's grey eyes widen in excitement. Michael taps his nose in response, agreeing with her.

"Yeah!" I smile. "There's something I want to try..."

I press the little nob at the top, and the compass grows in size until I'm holding a sword. It has a strange glow that no other weapon has, not even Percy's. As if Hephaestus dipped one of its sides in gold.

"Holy Athena!" Lily gasps. "Hephaestus armed you!"

Michael's eyes sparkle with ambition. "I think it's time we step up your training."

"But I can't stay here," I pout. "My brother's coming back soon, and once he's here we'll go back to the labyrinth."

The others don't look too worried, it's Percy, after all. I swing my weapon around, it feels perfectly balanced.

"This is great, bug," Michael pats my shoulder. "Experience will teach you what we can't."

I notice the Greek Alpha on the handle, I press on it and it goes back to being a compass.

Half an hour after our arrival, we find out about the explosion. I'm in complete denial just like Annabeth. We're talking about Percy, for Poseidon's sake!

"No."

"Ara, this is standard protocol."

"You'll scare her for no reason," I say, voice quivering.

"It's his mom," Chiron insists. "She has to know."

I'm afraid Sally will give me back to camp if Percy dies. I know it's a wild assumption, but I've been living with them for only two years, I barely got used to calling Sally my mom, and I'm growing so fond of Paul... If Percy dies, who can assure me Sally won't resent me?

I do call her, in the end.

"You have to be patient, okay? Percy's probably with Grover and Tyson..."

I agree with her because we both need to hear it. "Yes, Mom."

"Look after yourself, eat and sleep, or they won't let you go back once he shows up..."

"Mom?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, Ara," she cries. "This isn't your fault."

I pour all of my energy into training. Now that I have a sword I'm progressing at an amazing speed. Lily and Michael can tell I need it, but when Quintus disappears, Mrs. O'Leary doesn't allow us to approach the arena as often as before. She appears to be in some kind of distress.

The lava wall became my expertise. I broke the record of fastest climber, beating the Hermes kid who held the title for five years straight. His time was five minutes. Mine's three.

One day while we're training, Clarisse walks past, sees me and Michael, and yells at us, snatching Michael's sword to take his place.

"You," she points at me with the sharp end. "Nice sword."

"Thank you!" I beam. "Hephaestus gave it to me!"

Clarisse glares at me, but she almost looks surprised. "You're jabbing at Michael like you're trying to fish him out of the water."

"She's learning," Mike argues, thinking she's making fun of me. "You're too big for her, Clarisse, it's not fair."

"Newsflash, punk, life isn't fair," she snaps. "She's going back to the labyrinth, she'll fight things that are twice her size."

"You don't think I'm being foolish?" I ask.

My friend shrugs. "I don't judge soldiers by their looks, only their commitment to battle. I've seen how you suck it up when Drew fights you."

Michael frowns. "Drew Tanaka?"

Clarisse attacks me without warning. She's brutal. Every muscle in my body ends up hurting and it's torture, so Michael has to carry me to the infirmary.

We find Chris Rodriguez there, and he's in terrible condition. That explains Clarisse's sudden urge to put me in shape. Michael places me on a bed, and as he teaches me—and Will Solace—how to treat someone after a tough training, he asks me about Drew while applying K-tape on my back.

"So why is she annoying you?"

I sigh. "She's minded her business lately, I think she's decent enough to let me worry about Percy in peace."

"But why was she bullying you?"

"I'm not telling you," I scowl. "I don't want you scheming with Lily—"

"Who said anything about that?" He presses a bag of ice against my wrist. "I just wanna know why I'll be hating Drew from now on."

I stare at him. "I really wish I could believe you."

"Drew doesn't like her because Ara's not a proper Aphrodite" Lily walks into the infirmary playing with her pocket knife.

Michael looks over his shoulder and smiles. "Atta girl!"

"The Stolls told me," Lily continues. Michael tries to take her knife away and she dodges his hand. "They found out she's been bullying Ara ages ago, but the kiddo asked them to stay out of it. Connor was dying to tell me."

I pout. "Bullying is such a dramatic term..."

"It's the right term," Michael raises a brow. "Silena knows about this?"

"No," Lily sits next to me, still playing with the knife. "Drew's a charmspeaker like Ara. She's got everyone scared."

"Silena's got charmspeak too," Mike frowns, removing the bag of ice.

"I don't need help!" I argue. "This is my fight!"

Lily hums. "If you're sure you can take it..."

"I've been through worse," I sulk. "She's not a real problem."

"Tough beast," Mike boops my nose. "Put that away!" He barks at Lily to stop her fidgeting with the sharp blade.

When Ara wakes up, Jason's crouching between Leo and Piper's seats. "Get ready, we've got to be getting close."

There is not much she can do, her left arm is restrained against her body, her clothes are torn, and she's shivering thanks to the snowstorm around them. The only thing intact is her stupid cloak.

"There!" Jason points ahead and the copter makes an abrupt turn.

As they get closer, the sounds of the fight become louder. Ara's instincts kick in and the itch on her arm intensifies, she's ready to join the battle. Leo makes a successful landing in the middle of a clearing, but they spot something large coming straight at them.

"Out!" Jason grabs her and jumps out of the chopper.

He makes sure to land on his back, which is probably not good for him, but it's certainly a relief for Ara's beaten body. The helicopter gets crushed under a gigantic snowball.

Ara pushes herself off of Jason with difficulty. "Thanks..."

"No problem," he coughs.

They go to Piper, who's checking on Leo. He's shivering, Aphrodite took away his jacket when they got sent to California. "Guess we owe that ranger lady a new helicopter."

"Fighting's over there," Piper's about to point when she realizes something. "No... it's all around us."

"Jason! Ara!" Thalia runs up to them.

An Earthborn comes out of nowhere and tries to attack her. Leo shouts a warning and Thalia turns, shooting her last arrow at the creature. As she approaches to retrieve it, she realizes it's broken.

"That was my last one," she stomps on the clay. "Stupid ogre."

"Nice shot, though," Leo comments.

"Just in time," Thalia approaches them with urgency. "My Hunters are holding a perimeter around the mansion, but we'll be overrun any minute."

"By Earthborn?" Jason frowns.

"And wolves—Lycaon's minions. Also storm spirits—"

"But we gave them to Aeolus!" Piper says angrily.

"Who tried to kill us," Leo makes a face. "Maybe he's helping Gaea again."

"I don't know. But the monsters keep re-forming almost as fast as we can kill them. We took the Wolf House with no problem: surprised the guards and sent them straight to Tartarus. But then this freak snowstorm blew in. Wave after wave of monsters started attacking. Now we're surrounded. I don't know who or what is leading the assault, but I think they planned this. It was a trap to kill anyone who tried to rescue Hera."

"It's so good to be back on this bullshit," Ara says. "I was so bummed out after the war, thinking I wouldn't get to experience a painful death..."

Thalia notices the bandages and her eyes widen. "What happened to you?"

Ara's almost the same age as Thalia now, but there's something about her that makes Ara feel like she's still eleven years old.

"Your brother threw lightning at me," she blurts out.

"I didn't!" Jason blushes. "It was an accident!"

"We're sidetracking," Ara interrupts him anxiously. "Thalia, your hunters are too busy to help me, so I'll make do with the arm I've got left. Where's Hera?"

"Inside. We tried to free her, but we can't figure out how to break the cage. It's only a few minutes until the sun goes down. Hera thinks that's the moment when Porphyrion will be reborn. Plus, most monsters are stronger at night. If we don't free Hera soon..."

"Love high stakes, especially when they're about the annihilation of humanity as we know it..." Ara mutters in a bad mood as they walk forward.

Once they enter the ruins, Jason stumbles and Leo catches him. "Hey! None of that, man. What's wrong?"

"This place... Sorry... It came rushing back to me."

"You remembered something?" Ara asks.

Thalia's voice breaks a little. "This is where my mom took us when Jason was a child. She left him here, told me he was dead. He just disappeared."

"She gave me to the wolves, at Hera's insistence. She gave me to Lupa."

"That part I didn't know. Who is Lupa?"

"The Roman version of Chiron, I guess," Ara replies.

The ground shakes as more explosions happen around them.

"Maybe this isn't the time for questions," Leo speaks. "Show us the goddess."

Annabeth finds out I've been training with a new sword and asks if it's the compass Hephaestus gave me. Her face has a shadow of something else than just worry, I think she's proud.

Now she, Clarisse, Beckendorf, Lily, and Michael are training me. Some are trying to distract themselves, the others are trying to distract me.

Beckendorf is over the moon when I tell him I met his father. "He thinks you're fit for the forges!"

"Does he?" I ask skeptically.

"Come!" He insists. "I'll teach you how to give maintenance to the chariots..."

Cabin Nine begins to treat me like a real apprentice, not someone trying to avoid her actual chores. Michael doesn't go easy on me either. These two weeks could've been my most prolific at camp, but Percy's still missing, and each passing day feels like a stronger confirmation of his demise.

I read Lily's book of myths to pass the time (and not think about Percy), there are pages missing, but I don't know what those are about, the index has been censored with black marker.

Next Chapter ->

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