Hell on Heels-
A.N.: so as promised, here is my short companion story to What to Expect When You're Expecting: Demigod Edition. It features Lou Ellen, and will explain, in flash back mode, what happened to our beloved Connor Stoll. She will make an appearance soon in WTEWUE:DE (I didn't feel like typing it out again) and I strongly suggest you read that as well, just so you can get a better picture of how the gang is now that they're adults. Anyways, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I wish I owned PJO. It's definitely on my Christmas List this year.
One:
In life, certain things happen. Things that you will never forget; no matter how hard you try to drown the memories. I should know.
I've been trying to forget for the last four years of my life.
I sighed and took one last drag from the cigarette I was smoking before stubbing it out with the five-inch heel of my leather boots. They were old friends, bought at a T.J. Maxx in New Jersey shortly after the Incident. But good leather lasts a long time, and the hundred bucks I'd spent on them was well worth it. Sleek, black, and thigh high, they never failed to make an impression.
I checked my phone. The subway was late, and I was getting impatient. I could've hailed a cab, but it would've cost me a lot more money. Plus, I didn't like cars. They interfered with forgetting him.
Glancing around the waiting area, I could tell people were sending me wary looks, and trying they're best to look like they were doing the opposite. Too bad they didn't realize that I didn't care. I was long past that by now. The boots, the leather jacket and the smoky eyes spelled INTIMIDATION with all capital letters. Add the cigarette and the tattoo peeping out from above my jacket's collar to the mix and you had TROUBLE. Or at least, that's what people tended to think. That I was some young girl who'd lost her way.
I wish. I wish, I wish, I wish. I mean, trying to be found is a lot easier than trying to get lost, if you know what I'm saying. I've learned that trying to get bad things to happen doesn't work as well as not trying.
The train screeched to a halt in front of me and the doors dinged open. I stepped inside and grabbed a seat towards the back of the car. I had a long ride, all the way to Manhattan, and I was hanging around in DC. A few days ago, I'd received a text from Reyna, inviting me to her and Leo's wedding. I hadn't received the official card invite since I had no address to tie me down. My cell was practically the only thing that kept me connected to my old friends. That way, it was easier to avoid them when I wanted. Granted, the wedding was nine months from now, so that wasn't my real reason for rushing back to my home state. A few days later, I'd received messages from both Annabeth and Katie. Annabeth and Percy were expecting, which was great and all, and so was Katie. Although, her situation wasn't nearly as desirable as Annabeth's. She hadn't given me the dirt, but I knew for a fact that goody two-shoes Katie Gardner would not have sounded to freaking urgent if she was hitched. And I also knew that she wasn't, because I would've attended the wedding. Or tried to, at least.
I leaned my head back against the cool glass window of the subway, closing my eyes and hugging my purse to my chest. I didn't bother with a sleeping pill to block the nightmares out. The normal doses didn't work, and as cynical as I may seem, I didn't want to die. He wouldn't like the idea of me dying just to get life over with. And his opinion mattered the most.
Sleep finally took me, and just like always, so did the dreams.
Laughter. His laugh was the best sound in the world, and my face split open into a smile. We were on the hill, lying beneath the shade of Thalia's pine, and everything was perfect.
He grasped my hand, intertwining our fingers and moved closer, whispering in my ear. I laughed and playfully pushed him away. He leaned in for a kiss, and he got one, too. I was never hard to get when it came to him. Everything about him—his curly hair a shade lighter than his brother's, like caramel, was soft underneath my touch, and his eyes were such an endless blue that sometimes, I just wanted to drown in them. And his hands, gentle and surprisingly polite, even his mouth, the pale pink lips and perfectly sculpted Cupid's bow. Young and innocent and promising when he kissed me.
"I'll be back at six to pick you up, Ellie," he told me, and with one last chaste kiss on the cheek, he stood and walked down the hill. He probably thought I missed the glance back he took, but I didn't.
It was the last time I ever saw him.
I woke up, sweat peppering my forehead, and I gasped for breath, gulping air down like I hadn't had the opportunity in years. I glanced at the clock. I had still had hours to go until we even crossed into New York.
He was only nineteen.
My eyes burned with tears and I closed them, clenching my jaw. The back of my head thudded against the glass once more, but I was nowhere near sleep now. My hand found the chain looped around my neck, and the silver band that hung on it. My index finger traced the pair of initials engraved on the inside. Two for me and two for him. And an infinity sign in between. A false promise of forever that made the small diamond set on the outside pale in comparison.
But even infinity ended.
L.C. and C.S.
So there you have it, folks. The beginning of the side story. As you can tell, Lou Ellen is a bit of a troublesome character. I mean, she did loose the boy that was the love of her life. As to how… well I can't just give it all away in the first chapter can I? And this story will be about three chapters I think, and will be finished quickly, to clear the smoke. So please review, it's the first time I've written in flashback before, and I'd like to know what you thought. Constructive criticism is ALWAYS appreciated, so don't be shy. Thanks so much for reading, and I love you all!