Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus series, RR does.
Alone
[REYNA POV]
Inhale...
Exhale...
A sticky substance on your hands...
A painful cry in the distance...
You can't hear it... Or at least you seem like you can't...
Inhale, exhale...
Your breath getting shallow, fast... Desperate...
Dust getting into your nose, your mouth, your eyes, making you cough and cry...
Or maybe you're weeping..?
But why..? What would you weep for..?
It's alright...
We've won...
Everybody's safe...
"He's dead..." you choke on your tears.
Who's dead..?
Your raise your head and turn to me, fiercely, hastily...
The orbs of a madman...
You grab my hand and stain it with the sticky substance... What is it..?
You grip my fingers so hard your knuckles turn white... A contrast with the unknown substance...
Blood, something in myself whispers... Blood...
Jason's blood...
No...
Jason's safe...
Everybody's safe...
We've won...
An animal-like groan escapes you as you start screaming out of grief... Why are you screaming..?
"Everybody's safe..." I mumble, looking in your dark, faraway eyes that would break from suffering, if they could. Your screaming halts and you look at me, insanity creeping from your eyes, your face... Your everything...
"They're dead..." you whisper in an emotionless voice. "Our friends... They're dead..."
I furrow my eyebrows. "No..." I say. "They are safe... We've won..."
You put your stained fingers in my mouth. "Taste it..." you croak out, smearing the substance on my chin. "Taste his blood..."
It's salty. His fingers are salty...
Like blood...
I suddenly feel something heavy in my arms. I look down.
Into Jason's dead eyes...
A flame of panic starts growing in my stomach. Slowly, yet without restraint...
"No" I breathe. "No, they are all safe..! Everybody's-!"
"Dead..!" you interrupt. "Dead..!" your voice breaks.
I need to get rid of that weight. I push it away with disgust.
Jason, where is he?
I try to stand up but stumble over something soft. I turn in that direction and look down.
Into Piper's dead eyes...
My breath hitches but I try to pull myself up again.
"I need to..! I need to find..!" I whisper anxiously.
You grab my hand and pull me down, into your arms.
"Let me go, Leo..! Where's Jason? Where-?" you squeeze me so hard I can hardly breathe, a grievous growl on my shoulder...
"They won't come back... None of them will..." you whisper into my ear, sobbing.
And I can suddenly see them...
Percy and Annabeth, locked in an embrace... I smile at their closeness and want to call to them...
Until I see a monster's claw chaining their bodies to the ground...
I can't look. I shut my eyes.
"Rey... Na..." I hear a quiet hoarseness... I turn to the source of the sound...
Frank..! He's there, he's okay..!
He's holding Hazel's hand...
But why does her body lie somewhat away from him, not moving..?
There's an iceberg in my chest.
I turn to him once again, just to see his eyes go frozen as well...
I suddenly forget how to breathe.
Inhale, exhale..!
It doesn't work.
I cough, I gasp... I choke...
You grab my arms and hold them forcefully, leaving bruises...
"Reyna..! You have to stay with me..!" you yell in panic, but I almost can't decipher the words.
I'm suffocating...
I'm dying...
"Please stay with me, don't leave me alone-!" your voice breaks.
And, somehow, I know how to live once again.
I choke on air but feel it coming down to my lungs... My body gets back its strength...
I put my chin on your arm and lock my fingers on your hair.
You're so soft, so warm...
So alive...
"We're alone..." you mumble, and I feel the first tear fall down my cheek. "Alone..."
ZJeM, 10.02.14
From author:
Inspired by 1st episode of "Shingeki No Kyojin".
Can be considered a prequel to this: zjemmxms. tumblr post / 75716712681 / mxms-zjems-written-this-in-like-5-minutes (just delete the spaces).