Disclaimer- I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, nor any characters
Written for the Capture the Flag Competition in Percy Jackson Fanfiction Challenges.
Elysium feels like a dream. It doesn't really help that Silena's fingers are slightly translucent as she nervously taps them against her leg. She's wandering the twisting streets full of a mish-mash of buildings from every era in human history, struggling to convince herself that she's actually here. Ghosts in everything from Victorian era hoop skirts to Japanese kimonos wander the seemingly endless city. They seem to be entranced with the world around them, stuck in a permanent satisfied state of mind.
It occurs to her that she should probably stop referring to the ghosts as "they" and start referring to them as "we," but she can't. All she feels is relieved right now, and she's not even sure if she really deserves to be here. Her case might be the first where the judges went easy. The mindless chattering of the souls in Asphodel that repeats over and over again in her head is a stark reminder to what could've been if she hadn't gotten lucky.
Looking up, Silena realizes that she's entered a different section of Elysium, the cobblestones having faded to some kind of newly paved asphalt that doesn't smell, and the buildings turned to pleasant brick townhouses. Every block or so there's are small buildings with shops advertising bits of ambrosia or jewelry made from stygian iron. The setting is much more familiar and she feels more tangent now.
Ghosts walk by, chatting happily to each other as they stroll down the streets. Most of them are in modern dress, with the exception of a few ghosts dressed for 1950s America who are clearly just passing through. Though, Silena notices that the interpretation of modern might last a few decades, as there are some ghosts who are wearing more platform sneakers and chokers than others. She looks hopefully for Beckendorf, though she's aware of the fact that there are at least millions of dead in Elysium.
She finds herself wandering into one of the small commercial centers, dodging wrought iron outdoor tables filled with content people, and children chasing each other down the sidewalk. The thought of dead eight year olds make her sad, even though smiles are plastered over their faces now.
Silena still doesn't feel quite like she belongs, not immediately happy like everyone else seems to be. Is there anyone in this place that isn't overjoyed with death?
She ducks into a restaurant that has darker windows than the rest of the shops around her, hoping that she can at least hide in the shadows for a while. She isn't disappointed. The restaurant appears to be a traditional pub, out of place among the flower and tea shops.
The table she sits down at is at the back, and Silena busies herself with watching ghosts walk in and out of the door. She's pulled out of her trance like state when a server comes by, a smiling woman with curly black hair tied back into a ponytail.
"'Lo," she says, still smiling. "You look like a newbie."
"I guess so," Silena replies with a shrug.
"Well, newbies get a free drink." The server sets a glass of gold liquid in front of Silena, leaving before telling her what it is. She's reluctant to take a sip now, worried that it has something weird in it. Who knows what they drink in the underworld?
She props her head up with her left hand and lets her black hair drape over onto the table, still irritated at the fact that she can still faintly see the grain of the wood through it. Discontent, she flips it back over her shoulder before sitting up and closing her eyes.
"It's non-alcoholic, you know," says a familiar voice. Silena's eyes fly open and they meet dark ones, surrounded by a smiling face.
"Oh my god," she says, throwing her arms around Charlie and breathing him in. He feels real, and she feels real now too.
"Hey," he says, a hint of sadness to his voice. "I hoped I wasn't going to see you for a while."
"Well," she says, giving him a crooked smile. "I messed up. Badly."
"Yeah," Beckendorf replies. "I know the feeling. But you're here now. That's good enough, right?" His eyes twinkle a bit, and Silena almost laughs.
She smiles and takes a sip of the drink in front of her, tasting the strawberries from Camp Half-Blood's garden. "Yeah. It's perfect."