I know I should be working on my "Sherlock" fanfic but this little plot bunny just won't go away and I really needed to get it out. Can't exactly focus on psychopaths and murder when my brain is drifting off in the land of demigods and pegasi, can I?
Uncle Rick owns all, I make no profit except the glee of having the plot bunny finally leave, yadda yadda yadda.
Silena was walking with Annabeth to Cabin Six when she noticed the younger, grey-eyed camper's gaze drift off towards the amphitheater, where one son of Poseidon was practicing his skills with Riptide against another demigod. Silena couldn't help but grin a little and nudge the so-called "wise girl" a bit.
"Enjoying the view?" she asked mischievously. She really didn't mean to be rude; it was in her nature, in her very blood to be nosy about romance as a child of Aphrodite.
Annabeth's eyes locked back to Silena as her eyebrows knit together. "I suppose, if your idea of a good view is the sun blaring in your face. I personally prefer it a bit more, y'know, stormy."
The daughter of love rolled her eyes back. "No, silly. I'm not talking about the sky."
"Then what are you talking about?" Annabeth asked, obviously confused.
Oh, gods. Maybe Silena would have to take back the "wise girl" nickname. She could barely hold back a groan at the young girl's clear obliviousness to her own feelings, instead opting to shake her head. One day, she could only hope, one day Annabeth would understand. One day she could look back and think, Holy River Styx, Silena. How did you know?
"Actually, it was nothing, Annabeth. I thought I saw something interesting. I didn't. Never mind."
Annabeth shrugged and kept on walking. To Silena's disappointment, her sharp eyes didn't wander bacl to the amphitheater.
XxX
The next time it happened, Silena lacked the will to stop herself from saying something. Percy and Annabeth were just way too adorable to give up on so quickly, and every cell screamed they're not through yet!
Silena had been strolling along with Charlie, comfortably resting in his warmth, when she caught Annabeth sneaking oh-so-obvious glances at Percy (who, of course, didn't see any of it) as she tried to teach the boy Ancient Greek. From what Silena had heard, it was a hopeless case. However, if there was something Annabeth was, it was persistent – but Silena suspected there was another reason for the continued lessons. She told Charlie not to wait up, paused to let Percy leave for privacy, and practically dove in.
"So?" she asked suggestively, raising her eyebrows.
"Hey, Silena. So what?" Annabeth replied, offering a friendly smile as she ran her fingers down the cover of her Ancient Greek textbook.
"What was that with Percy?"
Annabeth rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You mean me teaching him Ancient Greek? Chiron's offering me more architect books if I do it, and it really is sad watching him stumble. Gods, he's basically hopeless, but hey, more reading for me."
"Is that really the only benefit? I saw you constantly looking at him."
"He's my student," Annabeth defended lamely. Already Silena could see faint patches of red across her cheekbones.
"Am I supposed to think of anything other than that, Annabeth?" Silena probed.
The patches grew fiercer, staining her face crimson red. "Eww! No! He's just my friend, Silena. Gods, no!"
But Silena left the scene smiling, satisfied with her results. The girl doth protest far too much.
XxX
However, one thing she never really saw coming was to find Percy moony-eyed over the girl he fondly called names.
But she did.
Annabeth was scolding him for something he had done, a sight that really wasn't all that uncommon on the campgrounds. Percy had probably flooded the creek again or something. Silena could tell by his gaze that the words she was saying were flowing right into one ear and flowing straight out the other. He was not listening to her; he was looking at her.
Really looking at her.
Percy's sea-green eyes were zeroed in on her face, staring at Annabeth's stormy grey irises, the wisps of curly blonde hair that escaped from her ponytail, the curve of her face. His gaze held so much feeling it almost made Silena topple over that Annabeth, still yelling at him, clearly couldn't see it.
So, once Annabeth had finally wasted all the breath in her lungs and dismissed her dazed friend, Silena decided to be a good person and deliver the news to Annabeth bluntly. The girl was a daughter of Athena, and still she wasn't getting it. Perhaps a straight delivery would make her understand. She headed up to the blonde camper. "I think Percy likes you." Think? More like know.
"Shut it, Silena," Annabeth snapped half-heartedly, tiredness and irritation flashing in her grey eyes. "I don't want to hear it."
Silena stepped back. A tired and irritated Annabeth was not a good Annabeth, but still she believed she heard a flicker of hope in the girl's voice.
XxX
When Annabeth returned to Camp Half-Blood, weary and bloodied and bearing the burden that was the news of Percy's death, Silena crushed her into a hug despite the bracelet she wore on her wrist, choosing to ignore it for the time being and electing for sympathy. She had no idea what she would do if her beloved Charlie was lost to her.
For two weeks the camp was silent and somber in the mourning for Percy, taking quiet note of Annabeth's empty seat during dinner and absence during the day. Sher rarely came out of her cabin anymore, choosing to lock herself up and grieve in solitude for her fallen best friend.
Silena felt terrible for the poor girl, resulting in an anger aimed at Percy for sacrificing himself for a cause that seemed to be in vain. She was angry that he had left one of the strongest demigods she knew so broken and beaten and downright crushed. It hardly seemed fair.
On the day of the son of the sea god's memorial, Annabeth came out of her sheltered bed in Cabin Six to speak. She was a walking mess – sniffing, eyes red and puffy, wet streams down her cheeks betraying her tears.
And then Percy crashed his own funeral.
The look of utter joy that lit up Annabeth's grey eyes – eyes that had lost their light – before being eclipsed by fury was a look that Silena knew could only be cause by one thing.
So she thought, as she rubbed the bracelet in her pocket.
XxX
But the day that Silena knew, the day she realized for certain that the two were really more than best friends, was not on any of those days.
In fact, it was on the last day of her life.
Because even though she was technically the enemy as she led the Ares cabin into battle, even though she was a traitor, she could still find something strong in them even when she was supposed to hate them. Silena could still see that spark, still see that fire, still see that powerful bond that connected the two of them, something so strong it had stood against all odds and still survived. Unbreakable.
She saw them, as she raced towards the drakon and to her doom. It was them, really, that made her do it. She saw them fight together, laugh together, live together. Saw them look at each other and read each other and just know instantly what the other was trying to say. It reminded her of Charlie, and though it was a painful one, it only steeled her resolve – that what happened to her and her precious Charles Beckendorf was damn well not going to happen to Annabeth and Percy.
Gods, even if it killed her.
So as Silena gasped out her last breaths, begged for forgiveness she didn't deserve as she held out that hated silver bracelet, watched the most adorable couple glance at each other from her ruined acidified eyes, she had to smile. Smile because she was redeemed from her betrayals, smile because she was happy, smile because she was going to see Charlie again. Soon.
And smile because she knew that she had done her best, and Annabeth and Percy knew it too.
*disappears into pile of tears and whispers* reviews? anybody? no? ok. *crawls further into pile of tears*