(10 Days Before)

They're twenty three years old and loving life. After leaving the camp at age nineteen, monsters have mostly left them alone. The blonde boy with the scar on his lip graduated from UCLA with a Master's degree. The girl with the kaleidoscope eyes took two years at NYU before dropping out and crossing the country to be with him. Technically, they don't live together, but nearly all of her things are in his apartment anyway. He's got a steady job at Duke Energy and she's a waitress at the nearest Applebee's.

Nothing could go wrong.

(4 Days Before)

The blonde boy with the scar on his lip can hear the girl with the kaleidoscope eyes on the phone with her father in the other room. The handsome man is driving across half the country to visit in a few days. It's been a year and a half since she's seen him and her excitement is contagious.

She hangs up and comes out, sitting herself on the blonde boy's lap. Some random sitcom is on the television, but neither is watching it. He traces patterns with his fingers on the exposed skin of her stomach and her foot rubs up and down his calf.

The girl with the kaleidoscope eyes tells him all about her conversation with the handsome man before jumping up and frantically announcing that all of her things need to be hidden. Since she hasn't officially moved in with him, the presence of her clothing and various other items would not be taken well by her father.

And so the blonde boy with the scar on his lip chuckles and helps her shove t-shirts and sneakers haphazardly under the couch and into the coat closet.

(1 Day Before)

He decides to take her out that night. They have reservations at the fanciest place in town and he's dressed in his nicest suit and tie. In a very rare occurrence, the girl with the kaleidoscope eyes slips on a pair of high heels to go with her dress and even puts on an extra bit of makeup. Of course, he doesn't think she needs it, but he tells her that she looks beautiful nonetheless.

Their dinner is lovely, albeit terribly cliché. The lights are dimmed, candles rest in the centre of the table, and a cellist sits in the corner, strumming all night long. There's an elderly couple four tables away and as they head towards the door, they tell the boy how lucky he is to have a bird like her. He resists telling them that he knows.

At some point during the taxi ride home, something clicks between them and as soon as they're inside the apartment, he's got her slammed against the wall. They make it to his bedroom and her hands are in his hair and her legs are around his waist and fuck, he's never loved anyone as much as he loves this girl with the kaleidoscope eyes. Then her dress is on the floor and his lips are on her neck and he's whispering it over and over and over and over.

(The Day Of)

The blonde boy with the scar on his lip is alone when he awakes the next morning. He pulls on a pair of sweatpants and walks out to the kitchen, expecting to find her drinking a cup or two or six of tea. She always does after nights like that.

But he doesn't find her in the kitchen and she isn't drinking tea. In fact, the girl with the kaleidoscope eyes isn't even in his apartment. He calls her mobile, but the melody plays from the purse on the floor and he knows she's forgotten it.

Assuming she's just popped down to the grocery store or maybe back to her own apartment, he goes back to bed and passes out immediately.

There's a loud bang and a stream of curses when the blonde boy with the scar on his lips wakes up again. He ventures back into the kitchen and finds an unusual sight. There's the girl with the kaleidoscope eyes wearing his dress shirt from the night before, though the buttons are done up wrong. She's also got on black soffee shorts and her Ugg boots. It's a strange combination made even stranger by her messy hair and smeared makeup.

She doesn't notice him at first, but when she does, she runs straight into his chest and begins to sob. He's extremely confused. After a few minutes, she's able to speak. Her words are separated by gulps of air and she wipes tears off her cheeks constantly. She finishes her story and begins to sob again, though this time, he joins her.

(3 Days After)

She hasn't moved from her spot on the couch. Sometimes the boy with the scar on his lip will bring her food or a cup of tea, but she never acknowledges him. He's not sure if she ever sleeps; she doesn't come to bed and the circles under her eyes get darker very day. He knows it's no use trying to speak to her, so he leaves her be and hopes she gets better soon.

(7 Days After)

She doesn't.

(13 Days After)

The funeral is that morning and it's beautiful. Policemen block off the three blocks surrounding the church so the service isn't interrupted. Friends and colleagues come to pay their respects and each person who speaks has a touching story to tell. The girl with the kaleidoscope eyes decides last minute that she can't read her speech, so the girl with the princess curls does it for her.

There's not a dry eye in the room.

(24 Days After)

She doesn't sleep, she doesn't eat, she doesn't speak, and he's worried. The blonde boy with the scar knows everyone grieves in their own way, but all she does is sit on the couch and stare at the wall. He knows it's not normal and he knows it's not healthy.

He calls different people, hoping they can bring the life back into her. The girl with the princess curls, the boy with the black hair and stunning green eyes, the sister he had forgotten. They all try and fail. The curly haired jokester manages to get a low grunt from her, but nothing more. Even the centaur can't fix anything.

(30 Days After)

The blonde boy with the scar on his lip is exhausted. He's nearly at his breaking point and knows that if he doesn't get away, he'll explode.

So he packs his things, gets in the car, and drives. He doesn't know where he's going but it doesn't matter. Because he's already gone away.

A/N: Inspired by Sunday Best by Augustana. Listen to it, it's fantastic.

Disclaimer: PJO belongs to RSquared and random companies/brands I mentioned belong to whoever they belong to.

Note: I really like this style. I've got another piece written like this that I'm not quite sure if I'll end up posting. Thoughts? Opinions?