You, Me, and the Sea

by sacrificial

The aftermath of the Giant War is a serene, quiet calm of madness. Many have died, believing in a hopeful future, and those who haven't carry on with simple, short mourning. But Reyna is trapped within her own mind, slowly unhinging from sanity. Her love was lost, gone, and forgotten. This is her release, her escape, from a bitter life. All Rights to Rick Riordan.

They hadn't gotten to the point where it would all fit in, in fact, it might never fit. They were odd, those two. But they probably wouldn't have it any other way.

But you still wished you had the love they had.

You can see them hold hands, see blushes creep up their necks as they sheepishly admitted something to each other, see them just enjoy each other's company in silence.

You can still remember the boy that left you, as you see your friends laugh with one another. He was like your sun that came after a summer rain. He made you fly; he carried you higher and higher and you never wanted to go back down.

But he was no different. After all, no one stayed with you. So it was your fault to open up to him. You knew that everyone would eventually leave. But that didn't stop you from loving him. You should have known.

You still see your friends cuddle by the fire pit. He was planting kisses on her head. She was smiling as she leaned against his chest.

They would last. They were called the eternal couple. You were jealous of them, you knew they would last, too. All around you seemed happy.

But you? You were still caught up in the aftermath of the war. It damaged you greatly. As a leader, you would never show fear. But inside, your heart quivered at the thought of losing loved ones, family. But it seemed they didn't think of you that way. All you seemed to be to them was a waste of time and space. You were just the pawn, surrounded by knights. And the king.

He was the king. He had his queen. They got their happy ending. They were still sitting by the fire, nearly asleep. Oh, yes, you were jealous of them.

Your Prince Charming never cared for you, did he? He just moved on without a second thought. It seems like Charming wasn't charming after all. You would never have a king. Like the faithful one by the fire, flames dancing across his face, and the sound girl in his arms. Your Charming deserted you.

But everyone did, didn't they? You never even knew your mother, your father. Your sister left without a second glance. Your brother was just imagination. "Friends" didn't exist. You were always alone. But that only made you stronger, didn't it?

"Well, well..." the voice inside your head would tsk. "Lost your touch? Need a love?"

You grit your teeth and train. That's all you did since the war. You trained without a cause. There was nothing going to attack. Except, maybe, heartbreak.

"Heartbreak? Are you getting soft?" the voice would jaunt.

You trained.

War was bloody, cold, and hateful. The victor didn't really win.

"Nobody wins in war."

In the dead of night, when all else slept, you would sneak out to the woods and take in the fresh air. You could feel danger lurking, but you never moved. Each night since then, you came here, to remember, to hope, to dream, to cry. No one saw your absence. Only the moon kept you company. The stars would turn their head in shame at your face. Silver tears would fall like rain.

The moon was a friend that guided you through the night, the sun, a monster that revealed you to the light. They would pass by you without a single hello. After all, you weren't the hero. Heroes don't cry.

"Frightened, hon? Don't worry, it's only pain."

The hole in your chest would never fill. The gaping emptiness it left inside you was only darkness. The blood spilt would always flash before your eyes. The cries of help, pleas of mercy, the gaunt look in their eyes...

Night by night, the moon would sing without words, flowing the wind into music. The soft calls of the dim light would lead you lost or found. One night, when no one was watching, after Prince Charming was at it again, you saw the King with his lovely Queen and you stole away into the night. The princesses and damsels were pitiful. They always needed a savior.

You don't have to need one. Not a soul noted your leave, not even in the morn, but when Prince Charming came out for you again, the shadows hid you well.

You don't need a prince, or a fancy knight in armor. All you needed was the moon, the moonlight and the rain.

"Brave? Girl, no one is ever brave. All one can be is a fool and sleep in their sorry grave. You are different, and alone, for all eternity. Leave your home and loves, become who you're meant to be."

Nothing you bring with you, no reminders of the past (except for your scars and burns).

You make a new life, traveling around, and never staying in one place. They finally try to look for you, but how can they find you if you don't want to be found?

Battles will forever follow you, no matter where you go. They always catch up to you. Once, you see the King and his Queen shouting for you. You are compelled to go, but you don't move. You wipe off the tears.

Crying is for the weak.

Then one fateful day, you step into the ocean. The little voice that was forever there speaks its little words.

"Wishing will do you no good, girl. Peace is your escape."

Peace? You have had no peace for years, and you yearned for it so badly. There is only one escape from this world, and the one you choose to take.

The doors behind you slam shut. You face Death. It's too late to turn back now. The River would wash away memories.

You keep them. You need to know your past, so not to make the same mistakes in the afterlife. You watch yourself slowly fade into a ghostly transparency. Your eyes are dull, now. You have seen. Small tears leak from your the corners of your eyes as you see them search vainly for one already found.

But crying is for the weak.

Days after your body is found, dead, yet calm and true, they found your book. Pages were still damp with your tears. There wasn't much in it, except for pain and anguish and all your petty secrets. The moon shed rain to water your bed, ravishing in black roses with petals as thin as paper, smooth as silk, dark as night.

In your little book they read your final words to keep. They lay upon you a blessing to last forever as you sleep. They read to you, your own words and scar you with their pain. You have no regret, save for saying goodbye.

"Hush, hush, I'll sing to you now. May death heal your soul, sewing the wounds together. I'm always by your side. Don't worry, I'll be there."

---

I can still see his eyes.

The moon is with me still.

The waves lash upon my feet

And the wind sweeps me away

To my demise.

I am still alone,

Just me and the sea,

Drifting away from shore,

Away from the pain that

Haunts me still.

The ocean green and blue,

The moon's silver gray,

The eyes of my king and queen

Are with me to this day.

Then are his lightning blue

That chill me to the bone,

And seep into my skin

Like the melting winter snow.

He comes for me at night

And leaves me in the day.

My superman comes flying through the air,

On a horse,

My Prince Charming.

Yet he was the one who left me,

Broken to pieces on the ground,

And turned away when I needed him.

I will never forget.

The water is cold and refreshing,

My knees are now soaked.

The hem of my raggedy dress

Is swaying in the tide.

This is where I heard that voice

That sang to me in my slumber

To run away from hurt and pain,

Now giving me a choice.

"Hush and forever sleep in peace,

I am always here,

Or sneak away in dead of night

With no one by your side."

The moon shed one tear for me

As I drowned beneath the waves

And I looked up, my final glance

To the stars that finally looked my way.

The wind, once again the soft whisper

That lulled me to my sleep,

Brought the moon down to my fingertips

And I was engulfed in its white light.

The singing still sounds in my ears

As I lie here under the water,

All I've ever had

Was nothing, nothing, and nothing.

All that come

Will always leave.

I should have known from the start,

But that doesn't mean

That I had scattered parts.

It filled my chest

With an undying love

For the moon, the sea, the stars

That watched over me.

All that's left for you to find

Is a painting of blood and knives

With broken hearts and broken souls

That lie under the waves.

I was alone, as I will always be,

For none shall find me,

The moon,

The stars,

And the sea

Protect me

For eternity

Beneath the waves in their keep.

I will not cry.

Crying is for the weak,

And after all,

Since when did Queens weep?

The voice was always there,

Whispering to me

In my infinite sleep,

Where he never was.

My king and queen

Green and grey,

Don't weep for me.

Though all leave me from the start,

I haven't died a

Broken heart.