A/N: So, here's a really depressing story, that touches on some major psyche problems. the main focus is on my OC, Strike Tyler. I hope you like it, warning this is mild mind games, so if this gets too confusing, stop reading, the mind games in the story get more and more complicated. Now, they're fully explained there's reasons that it goes to third POV but its mostly in Strike's POV so you can understand what she's seeing/ hearing versus what is actually going on.
Everything in BOLD and ITALICS (both criteria) is memories taking over and becoming hallucinations.
Underlines put emphasis on things.
Bold indicates information and/or change.
Please enjoy, read and review!
Ravyn
Strike Tyler is Percy's half sister, she was there through everything, and she went missing about three days after the Giant War 2, nobody could find her, not even Nico, her best friend.
Strike wasn't the child of the prophecy, but she was there through it all, going on the quests with Percy and Anabeth (even to save her) and taunted Percy consistently about his crush, long before he and Anabeth kissed at Mt. St. Helens. The Titan war, the Giant War, she'd survived alongside Nico, and Percy, and Anabeth… Until…
Strike's POV
"You'll never be able to warn them in time, and I intend to have the power I deserve!"
Octavian kicked my hand and I screamed as I fell and before I knew it, Octavian was screaming, and falling too….
TWO MONTHS LATER
I climbed out of the pit, my arms exhausted, but if I let go now, it would have all been for nothing.
I was exhausted, my entire body was marred by blood, bruises, and new scars… scars that would haunt me for a life time.
Camp was quiet, in the woods, I stared down at the opening that had been created and reached for the kitten on my shoulder. As long as he was alright, I knew I could make it.
I scratched the little animal's head and he mewed before laying back down sleepily on my good shoulder. For the first time in nearly three months, I sheathed my sword and drank in the moonlight. It was beautiful.
Octavian kicked my hand, forcing me down into the pit, only the ground crumbled beneath him, and he fell too. His form silhouetted against the beautiful moonlight...
Octavian had been trouble, and perfect, and kind, and an asshole, and sweet, and… is dead...
"So, Hex, ready for something along the lines of more torture?"
The kitten purred, already asleep, and I smirked, though it was more of a grimace, before sitting down against a tree and sleeping.
Maybe three hours had passed when I woke, the frightening nightmares… I'd become insomniac.
"Let's just… go home." I muttered to myself before trudging up the gentle slope of the forest floor and out of the woods. Camp was already bustling at sunrise, and what I saw on the far corner of the area was terrifying, a sleepless Percy stood, halfway between consciousness and sleep, waving off his girlfriend, Anabeth, who was trying to get him to eat.
I'd really worried him that much?
Not knowing what else to do I walked around the edges of camp, skirting the rectangle of cabins, it was October at least, the trees had turned, and leaves crunched beneath my slow moving feet.
Nobody noticed me which was great, until I tried to get to my cabin...
My hair was sloppy, all over the place, tangled, and in my face, I was bleeding from multiple places, and was extremely slow, Hex, sensing something, stood up on my shoulder, then hopped down, following behind me as if a dutiful pet. People began to surround me and it made me start to hyperventilate.
"They just keep coming!" Octavian yelled wielding his daggers. He'd become skilled since getting down here…
"Where have you been?"
Percy, my brother was standing right in front of me, he snapped me out of it and my breathing returned to a normal pace...
I didn't respond, so Percy extended his arms and I took a hesitant step closer to him. Percy frowned, but lowered his arms. Soon, I was only millimeters away and fell against him.
"I've missed you so much," Percy whispered, kissing my hair and holding me close. Everyone else cheered at my return and Anabeth ran up. Then Nico appeared. Percy let me go and I stumbled slightly only for the Ghost King himself to catch my arms. I flinched.
"Hey! Careful! We have to be careful!" I'd caught Octavian by the arms and clamped a hand over his mouth. He pinched me…
"You were gone so long," he finished… Nico had been saying something...
I wouldn't meet anyone's eyes, Nico went to brush the hair out of my face, but I stopped him, grabbing his wrist.
I opened my mouth to speak and only managed a small blink...
"Tidal Wave?" Nico whispered. I shied away and looked around… camp… home...
I sat down and held myself.
"We've got to think this through…" Octavian muttered, holding my arms. I looked up at him, "it's going to take bravery."
"I can be brave," Octavian joked.
"It's going to require strategy."
"You know how to do that better than most."
The joke made me smile sadly and we charged...
I hadn't quite figured out when, but Nico soon picked me up and took me to the infirmary.
Nico, Percy, and Anabeth hardly left my side. The latter two of the three had gone to get me clothing.
"My dear, you must let me care for the wound on your face." Chiron said as I backed away from his hand as he tried to brush my hair from my face.
"No…" I muttered, glancing at the Ghost King.
Chiron suddenly nodded and whispered something to Nico. Nico just nodded sadly and turned around.
"Now, may I?"
I nodded reluctantly and let Chiron pulled my hair back into a ponytail. He took one look at the wound across my face and his gentle smile became grim.
"It's not… irreparable." THe old centaur told me. I reluctantly nodded and closed my eyes as he cleaned and stitched the wounds.
It hurt for a while, but eventually I got used to the pain, it became normality.
"It's something I'm used to by now, you?" Octavian asked.
"Yeah, I know, it's crazy…" I replied. Octavian shot me a grin, and handed me the scrap of food we'd gotten at the altar.
"To insanity, the gods, and getting out alive," he toasted, I held my bread in the air and took a bite.
"Alright, we're good." Chiron said as he tugged the pony-tie out. My hair fell back down over the white gauze that now covered half of my face.
"You can turn around now," Chiron told Nico. He obliged and Percy then walked in with a bag of clothing and a hair brush.
"You want us to go?" Nico asked.
"Just turned around," I whispered to them. Both boys spun and I changed into clean clothing, the t-shirt, I noticed was Nico's, the one I'd kept after he'd let me borrow it on our quest.
"I'm decent." I said once I'd pulled my shorts to my waist, I then sat back down and stared at the sneakers, socks, and hair brush.
"Want some help?"
I nodded solemnly as Nico picked up the hair brush and sat behind me, brushing the knots out of my dark ebony curls as gently as he could. Percy slid the black socks over my feet then helped me tug on my old converse shoes that were still coated in the Sharpie drawings as usual.
"The drawings?"
"Doodles," I told the argur, then I remembered the sharpie. I pulled the black sharpie from my shoe and handed it to him as I held my unfinished braid.
"Have at it."
And he drew...
"Feel better?"
I nodded to myself, still to traumatized and exhausted to really do anything. Tartarus… no wonder the gods never went.
"Hey, maybe you should sleep? You look exhausted." Percy told me looking me in the eye with the same over concerned brotherly look he gave me whenever he was worried.
"No… I'm fine." I replied before itching at the gauze wrapped around my wrist. The ambrosia would only do so much, meaning I couldn't remove any of the annoying bandaging until the later in the day.
"Yeah, and I'm not prince of the sea." My brother mocked. I shot him a look, and he shut up.
"I'm fine." I repeated before standing up and walking away. Hex was at my ankles, she mewed angrily at me and turned her head back at the others.
"Do what you want, don't let me stop you," I said to the kitten, she mewed again and butted me with her head in Nico's direction.
"No." I said, continued to walk away. In actuality I was extremely tired, but too terrified to go to sleep. Nico however was right on my heels.
He was silent, which I appreciated, but at the same time, I wanted him to say something.
Nico eventually stopped, I stopped with him.
"You're quiet, what happened."
I looked at my shoes, "What'd you draw?" I asked as I tied my complete braid. "A teddy bear… to remind you of the crazy, stuffed-animal murderer, you made an alliance with." something I'd been reminded of all day.
"Alright, you've forced my hand, beach, now." Nico said, gently slipping his hand arm around mine. We went to the beach where there was a set of cliffs that was our favorite spot.
"Have you ever wondered what happens to monsters after we kill them?" I suddenly asked, knowing full well he knew what happened. Nico stared at me.
"Why… I mean, I know but…." Nico stopped and stared at me, "oh my gods…"
"It's not nice looking at all, and to be frank, not that fun to smell. Imagine the most revolting thing ever, now put it into a blister that smells seven times as bad, with a skeleton, fangs, and talons, now take that, multiply it by ten and you've got the gross factor down by about three percent." I said while staring out at the ocean.
"That's revolting." Octavian muttered gagging as I resisted the urge to vomit. The huge "Monster Zit Bubble" looked disgusting. It had a nearly formed dragon in it. Octavian raised his shield arm and I poked at it with my sword, destroying the monster.
Nico stared at me, "you… how… you…"
"Don't tell Percy." I said, rubbing my uncovered and very sleep deprived eye.
"Don't tell… are you kiddi… you're not kidding."
"It's bad, I almost felt bad, until they tried to kill me. It's just so…." I trailed off.
"Die!"
I ducked, dodged, rolled, swung, stabbed, this monster just wouldn't die, he kept screaming at me to die instead.
"Stupid demi-god, this is not where you belong."
Then my face erupted in pain. Three huge slashes that I knew would leave a nasty scar. I cut off the things hand and stabbed forward. It screamed and embedded a poisoned tooth into my leg. I pulled it out and vomited, the bile burned my throat, nasal cavity, and the parts of my wounds it touched. I wanted to give up, but I knew I couldn't. I had to keep my promise to Octavian.
"Strike, Strike! Hey, it's not real, snap out of it!"
I saw Nico staring at me. He looked terrified. I shook my head and pet the kitten that sat next to me.
"You can't tell him, he'll freak, and then I'll freak, and I don't think I can handle that."
"Okay, I won't tell him, but he's going to notice this change in you."
I nodded and continued to pet Hex, she'd been following me, so I assumed that made her mine? I didn't know.
"It's almost dinner, you coming?"
I nodded and stood up scooping Hex into my arms. Nico smiled as reached out to pet her. Hex leapt at him and curled up in a ball on his shoulder.
"Traitor," I muttered, petting her and walking with Nico to dinner. Hex sat on the table by my plate and I gave her a some of the scraps. Chiron gave me a surprised smile, I grinned at him, but my visible eye didn't convey it, and he knew that.
"So, who's this?"
"Hex, that's Percy, you should only swat at him when he annoys you, meaning all the time. Percy, this is Hex, be nice or I'll feed you to her."
Hex rubbed up against Percy and purred, "yeah? Let's hope she doesn't like seafood." My brother said with a grin.
I smirked and stood up, "you coming?" I asked my little kitten. She mewed and hopped down, then scampered off after a squirrel.
"Silly cat." I muttered, then I turned into a burst of ocean mist and raced away in a swirl of wind, re-solidifying in my cabin.
I looked around and sighed, then grabbed my shower stuff and locked the bathroom door. This stuff included a towel (I liked the feeling of drying off like everyone else…) jean shorts, a clean camp t-shirt that I ripped the sleeves off of, fresh underwear, fresh socks, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, a knife, and my toothbrush and toothpaste.
I covered the window with a black shade and began the grueling process of removing all the gauze that wasn't covered by clothing. It mostly filled the trashcan, then I tossed my clothing into a pile, leaving my sneakers and sword on top, then I removed the gauze around my waist, and the gauze on my back (yeah, that was easy… gods…). I turned the water on and made sure it was the right temperature, as close to boiling as it would go. Before stepping into the shower I made sure the knife was in there, the idea of being defenseless was unthinkable.
As I massaged the shampoo into my scalp and scrubbed away the dried blood, dirt, monster guts, gross smells, and stuff I didn't even want to try and guess, I thought about teaching Percy how to Vapor. It didn't seem like a bad idea, it was easy, just difficult to steer… we'd do at the canoe lake where he could fall into the water.
Rinsing it out scalded my body, but it felt amazing. Tartarus had been so… cold… if only I could have brought Damasen back, he was so kind, and gentle, he'd even asked me to care for Hex, the innocent skeleton cat that had been grown from a tyrannosaurus tooth. I promised to be good to her.
As if on cue, the little kitten poked her head around the curtain and licked water off the wall. I smirked, "I don't even know how you got in here…" I muttered, scratching behind her ears with a soapy hand. She mewed angrily and batted my hand. I giggled to myself, and shook my head. So innocent…
As I conditioned it occurred to me; hadn't I once been that innocent? Odd to think of now… being so traumatized. Nyx… she was really cool though… even if she was an anti-olympian god… sorry dad…
I scrubbed my body and it took two cloths and I threw them both out most of my wounds were healed and had been reduced to some minor scars and some that weren't so minor... I didn't dare look in a mirror.
Claw marks on my calf that would never go away, six of them… a huge gash that had become a thick white line across my back, and a ring of thirty white oblong circles that marked where an empousa bit me on my right arm near the corner of my elbow.
I'd used most of my soaps to get rid of the smell, and then brushed my teeth, knowing my breath was awful. Stepping out, I forced all the steam out of the room and out the window as I wrapped a towel around me and looked into the now flawless mirror.
My wet hair hung in my face, covering my entire left eye and cheek, as well as the left side of my mouth. I gulped and looked at my broken form. Bags hung beneath my eyes, I was thin, malnourished, and extremely pale. I more closely resembled Nico than I did Percy. Then I saw my eyes. The once vibrant green turned a deep color, nearly black, but there was the occasional metallic fleck that reinforced the original color. I looked dead.
Reluctantly, I pulled my hair out of my face. Three long, nearly but not quite, vertical white lines, each about a quarter inch in length extended from my eyebrow, across my eye and cheek to my lower jaw, one crossed over my lip. I stared.
"Strike?" Percy called from the other side of the door.
"Just getting dressed," I called to my brother, dropping my hair. I forced the excess water away and looked at the clothing I had…
Slipping on my underwear I called through the door.
"Percy, could you grab me a pair of jeans and my black sweatshirt?" I called.
"LIke, long stuff?"
"Yeah," I said, leaning against the door. A few moments later my brother tapped on the door, using my un-scarred hand I accepted them through the door, closed the door again, and then slipped the jeans on over my legs and covered the scars; pulled the tank top on and slipped the sweatshirt over it; belted my sword using the chain I'd had on me in Tartarus. From there I stepped out of the bathroom, attaching the knife to the garter holster that attached to my belt with a single strap. The garter was black leather and matched well with my outfit.
"Whoa…" Percy muttered when I dropped my stuff in its proper places as I exited the bathroom. I'd put my hood up and let my hair hang in my face.
I didn't respond and pulled my gloves on, covering the scrapes and burn scars on my hands. The black gloves were simple driving gloves that covered all of my hand to my wrist except for a small portion of the back of my hand. Now, black was usually common in my outfit being a punk-Goth. This however seemed to everyone else to be overkill.
"Um… do you really want to wear that? It's like 80 degrees out there." Percy said, staring at me.
"I'm fine." I said as I made sure my hair covered the scars. I needed to consult someone. I needed Piper, but she was in New Rome. Turns out, she'd been looking for me there, and I resisted every urge to call her.
Suddenly, a shadow swept over me and I grabbed my sword, pulling it's coral hilt an entire six inches of it's magnificent three feet of Stygian Iron from the sheath.
Spinning I was met with arms thrown around me, I went into autopilot and pushed the person off, rolling then drawing my sword, ready for battle.
My "attacker" was Piper. Someone must have told her I was back...
"Oh my gods."
I sheathed my sword as Jason helped her stand up. He glared angrily at me, we'd never seen eye-to-eye and this surely wouldn't help the not-so-friendly status between us.
"Piper! I'm so sorry!" I gasped, running up to her, but not hugging her or anything. Piper stared at me.
"No, I… I should have expected… you've been gone for months."
I shrank back and chewed the unscathed half of my lower lip.
"Yeah…"
"Where were you? People said you were last seen with Octavian, and he's nowhere to be found."
I grimaced and scowled at the ground, "he's dead." I told her.
Piper looked at me, "what?"
I wouldn't meet her eyes, "I killed that son of a bitch."
Jason's mouth hung agape, "you… you killed the augur of New Rome?!"
I looked up at him, "indirectly of course, no… it was the Drakon that got him I believe… that was interesting." I was smiling maniacally… I'd lost it, I really had, "granted it was entirely his fault, because if he hadn't…" I stopped short as I mused to myself. I wasn't about to tell anyone what had happened.
"Where's Strike, that's not the Strike I know." Piper said backing away, Jason had a hand on his sword. I glared, "get used to it McLean, because these past… how long was it? I've been told three months… Either way, they changed me, and unfortunately, this is who I am…" I said with a malevolent sneer that didn't even seem like me. Octavian was dying in front of me, ripped to pieces, nothing left… eaten by a drakon... I'd hated him, but… I still didn't want him killed like that. The blood, his guts, his screams…
"See ya!" I chirped as I walked away, Hex followed behind, digging her claws into my clothing and crawling up to my shoulder.
So, I thought, this is the Strike that comes out of Tartarus. Not too… yeah, no… Nyx was right…
"Strike!" Someone else ran up to me, it was Leo. I spun and offered a smile, "hey Flame-Brain." I said using my pet name for him. Leo grinned.
"What, no hug?"
I hesitated, Leo settled for a handshake, "sorry…" I said.
"No, no, I get it… I kinda saw you judo flip Piper."
I chewed my lip again, "yeah… well… she and Jason hate me now."
"Yeah right…"
I gave Leo a look and he shrugged, "so what happened? People saw you dueling Octavian and then you were gone."
"A lot happened, a lot that I'd rather not talk about."
"Okay, well… I'm glad you're back." Leo said offering my one of his signature impish grins.
"So am I…" i said before walking away.
Octavian's screams continued to echo in my ears… he'd saved me… and I…
"Worthless, stupid, insane…" I growled out insults to myself, each one worse than the last. That was how Anabeth found me, pacing circles in the woods around a tree, insulting myself.
"Strike?"
I stopped and looked up, "oh…" I muttered as she walked up to me.
"Piper sent me after you… she said she was really, really worried about you."
"She's worried about me? Surprising…"
"Why would you think that?"
"I scared the living shit out of her and Jason, as in Jason was ready to cut me down with his sword, and made them run away."
"She said you killed Octavian."
"Don't say his name," I whispered, Octavian's screamed obscenities at me in Greek, Latin, and English, good thing he didn't know Italian. I put my hands over my ears and began to pace again. Anabeth stared.
"Strike?"
Anabeth had been to Tartarus, so had Percy, and Nico, but they hadn't been there for months, only days.
"He's screaming, he won't stop screaming… " I whispered as I began my circle again, hands over my ears. "No! Strike, watch out!"
"Strike!"
Anabeth's voice was faint. Octavian screamed, I couldn't find him though, only hear him, screaming my name.
"Strike!" It was hardly there, as if only a memory. Octavian, and the Drakon, and Damasen, and Iapetus, and the empousa, and the dracaena, everyone I encountered was surrounding me, Octavian moved forward, his hand ghosting my chin.
"You're amazing… especially for a Greek."
"Not so bad for a Roman who tried to kill me…" I replied. The monsters closed in, Octavian gave me a look and I nodded, standing back to back with him, we fought… no.. he's dead… I'm dead? I….
Third POV
Strike screamed and dropped to her knees, she'd begun swinging on Percy when he showed up, Anabeth jumped in to help, then Leo arrived, they were all just trying to disarm her, but she fought like a monster.
Then she screamed and fell to her knees, mumbling, her sword was cast away.
"Alright for a Roman who tried to kill me… not bad at all… Octavian… no… the bastard, that amazingly, perfectly, stupid, racist, asshole…" Strike began muttering as she knelt on the forest floor, leaves surrounded her, and the trees had gone silent, the wind still, nobody moved as Strike continued mumbling to herself.
Then she began laughing, and she laughed, and she laughed, it wasn't even a terrifying laugh, she was legitimately laughing as if Leo had made a joke, or Percy had tickled her.
"No!" The laughing stopped and she screamed at the top of her lungs.
Strike fell to her side and curled into a ball, the brown of the leaves creating a negative scene around the black of her clothes.
Nobody moved, Strike whimpered as she lay, barely moving except for the gentle tick here and there. Then the strangest thing… she… "woke-up"...
Strike stood and sheathed her sword looking around.
"What?" She asked.
"Strike… where were you these past three months?"
Strike's POV
I looked around, when had everyone else arrived? Anabeth was expecting an answer. She always was, and part of me wanted to give it, but part of me didn't want to.
"When we get out… are we ever going to tell anyone?" I asked as Octavian brushed his thumb across my hand. He kissed my cheek and shrugged, "do you want to?"
"The Greek hating augur of Rome and the other child of the sea from Greece, can you see the headlines in the papers?" We laughed.
"Strike?" Percy looked at me expectantly. I sat down on the crunching leaves and took in my surroundings. Colorful trees, and fallen leaves, concerned faces and still air… everything was holding it's breath to hear my answer.
"The Greek hating augur from Rome and the other child of the sea from Greece, can you see the headlines?" I murmured, Leo stared at me.
"Are you talking about Octavian?"
"The odd pair who survived Tartarus." Octavian relayed. I grinned, "they'll make you Praetor for sure."
"The odd pair who survived…" I said with a sad smile, "except he didn't survive. That stupid drakon got him, and… and…"
My brother knelt next to me, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Are you alright?" Octavian put a hand on my shoulder, we'd been attacked and I was out quickly, the descendant of Apollo smiled nervously at me, gingerly moving his hand to the bleeding cut on my cheek, not knowing how I'd react…
"Strike… were you in Tartarus?" Nico asked.
"Make him Praetor for sure…" I choked, "and I killed him."
"Strike!" Octavian shoved me out of the way and the drakon's claws ripped through his body.
"OCTAVIAN!"
"Octavian… I promised… and I killed him…"
I looked up, a small breeze had begun again, more leaves drifted to the ground, and Anabeth was no longer there.
"I killed him…" I said looking my brother in the eye. The wind blew my hair from my face and Percy's eyes widened as did Nico's and Leo's.
"No, you didn't, he fell into Tartarus and he died saving you." Percy said, "it was his choice, not yours. You did NOT kill him."
I didn't believe him. I don't think I believed myself, or anyone… I didn't know….
I began to hyperventilate, memories flashed, melding with reality, there were shouts, something hit my head… and then it was dark.
A/N: So there's chapter one, I don't really know exactly how to go from here, but I should post soon. Please Review, and for clarification, Strike is having major hallucination problems due to the trauma of being in Tartarus for three months.
Yes, Octavian is dead. I put a hint at romance in that Octavian and Strike may have had a relationship, you'll have to continue to check for new postings to get the details on that. Thanks again!
Ravyn
P.S. Please leave a review!