Oh, I forgot to mention that the first chapter happened about a week before the war. Oh, and another thing. Ok, so I thought it would be cool if after the titan war, Manhattan was still destroyed and whatnot, so like, there's crumbled buildings and stuff near the empire state building. So yeah. And im changing a few things from the book, nothing major, though. Songs used in this chapter: Here Comes Goodbye –Rascal Flatts.
Sometimes, just walking through the rubble of Manhattan makes me sad; makes me remember. Sometimes it makes me remember back to when I walked through the streets, when I was so innocent and had never seen a war, let alone been in the middle of one. It makes me sick to think that the Gods could let it come to this, and then I remember what started the war in the first place: resentment of the gods. I hadn't known Luke very well, since I'd only come to camp the year Percy went to retrieve the Master Bolt, but I could see the devastation it caused the camp. How shell shocked they were, after hearing of how Luke tried to kill Percy. I remember that I was glad Percy had survived the scorpion poison, but I was confused, of all things. But then again, i was only twelve at the time, so I really didn't know all that much about the dangers, and the sacrifices that demigods have to deal with their entire life. It still scares me, even though I know the pain. But now that im older, four years can really make a difference. I'm in no way the same person I was back then, which always makes me wonder why one person stuck through it with me. All the ups, and all the downs, all the doubts, and all the fears.
*flashback*
Those last few days before the war had been crazy; I kept myself busy with things to do, messages to run, and training to prepare for what was too quickly coming. I had to keep myself busy, so that my mind wouldn't wander around, subject to subject like it loves to do on a regular basis. Normally I don't mind though, that's just the ADHD. But it was a shock that one day when we all piled into the camp vans, prepared and armed for battle.
Though nobody was ready for it.
But here I am, ransacking a store for medical supplies, hearing screams and weapons clashing and calls to one another all around. I've always had a tinge of guilt if I stole something from the camp store, or even smuggled in some coke for our black-market. But right here, right now, all I knew was that I had to get these supplies back to the Apollo cabin before too many lives were lost. Most of the Apollo cabin was up on Olympus, tending to injured campers, but their best fighters were out in the city fighting. I believe most of them were the older kids; the ones with more experience and training. I think that Percy had sent them over to Williamsburg Bridge, to block off the entrance to Manhattan from Brooklyn.
I started wondering how they were holding up, if Lee was ok, but then I remembered that we weren't together anymore. We weren't two peas in a pod; we weren't the pop to each others tart, or whatever the Aphrodite kids used to tell us. It was Emily, and Lee. Not Emily and Lee. Not anymore.
I needed a distraction to stop thinking about it, so I called out to my brother Travis.
"Hey Travis! D'we need any pain killers?" I shouted across the drug store.
"Sure! Take as many as you can get!" He called back.
The only sound in the store for a few more minutes was the rustling of my brothers and sisters grabbing things off the shelves, and the metallic sound of their backpacks being zipped up. Then there was a ring. I heard nothing but murmurs for a few minutes; I think they were coming from Connor's cell phone. Then a click and a shout:
"Guys! We need to get back to the plaza right now! Big injury, Apollo cabin needs supplies!" called Travis and Connor as they ran for the doors with their backpacks stuffed, and numerous shopping bags full. My siblings followed quickly, their backpacks full as well.
We ran through the streets of Manhattan, dodging battles, cars parked in the street, and random poles. We couldn't see very well, being that it was probably just after three AM, but we knew our way enough to make it back to the hotel without any trouble. Once there, we were sent to the conference room where the makeshift infirmary was, but Travis and Connor pulled a few of us to go to the terrace where the 'big injury' was.
Travis had a list, and Everytime he called out something, one of my sisters or brothers would hand it to my sister Kaithlyn and I and we would put it in a bag to be delivered to the terrace. As soon as the bag was full, and the list completely checked off, we were running up the stairs, thankful that all children of Hermes were good runners. By the time we reached the terrace, and pushed through the crowd of people, only then we found out that the big injury everyone was talking about was Annabeth. Of every other camper who could be injured and so close to death, it had to be her. This only made me more determined to do whatever I could to help her stay alive. And not just because she was a good person, and would be missed by so many, but because if she died, Percy would never be the same. He'd be crushed.
Just as that thought passed through my brain; there came the hero, dragging Will Solace by the arm. The crowd dispersed as they reached the area where Annabeth was lying on a makeshift cot, covered in blankets but still shivering like it was -40 (im Canadian, so its Celsius).
I half expected Percy to break out crying, or yelling, or something at least, but all he could do was stand there, looking very lost with his mouth hanging open, looking like he was trying to say something, but words weren't coming out.
"…. A-Annabeth…." He finally managed as Will assessed the injury. His face was grim, but he told Annabeth to be very still as he cleaned out the wound with Nectar. Every ounce that touched the wound, Annabeth clasped Percy's hand harder, and it started to turn red. It was looking rather blue and purple when Will was finally finished cleaning the wound, humming a hymn to his father, and wrapping the wound in some white gauze that we had brought from the drug store.
When all was said and done, Percy, Annabeth, Will and I were the only campers left on the terrace. I turned to leave, but someone caught my arm before I could.
"Emily, I think you should know something," said Percy solemnly. "You too, Will," he said as Will walked over towards where we were standing beside a sleeping Annabeth.
"Yes?" he asked, looking very tired.
"Y-You know how I sent your siblings to the Williamsburg bridge, right?" he asked, looking directly at Will.
"Yeah, but I got swept away by some campers, heading towards Broadway I think," he said, looking totally confused.
"Well, I-I'm not really sure what to say, but, I thought you guys should be the first to know that, well, yenno how Lee was leading the cabin?" he said carefully, looking back and forth between Will and me. Then it hit, just a split second before Percy spoke again. My knees started shaking so hard, I fell to the ground.
"H-He didn't make it back. He fell off the bridge when he was helping me create a chasm to separate the enemies from getting across the bridge. I-I'm so sorry, Will. And Emily, I know that, well, you guys had something special. I'm sorry guys. I really, really am," he said before leaving to go sit beside Annabeth.
At the moment, I thought he was lying. Lee promised everything would be ok, even if I didn't promise him that, he had promised me. I wanted to punch Kronos right in the face, right in that smug little face of his. Even if it was really Luke being trapped inside and taken over by Kronos, I wanted him dead. An eye for an eye.
That morning, I went to my hotel room I was sharing with three of my siblings, and sat on my bed. After a while of them asking me what was wrong, I finally got fed up of all the questions. Couldn't I just be alone for one single moment? No?
"Lee's dead," I whispered quickly before getting up and practically running out of the room. I don't know how long I ran, and I don't know why I did it, but when I stopped running, I was somewhere in central park.
I knew it was very dangerous for me to be out there alone, and I knew I should've been getting some sleep for the up-coming battle tonight, but I didn't care. I just found an empty bench, sat down, and for the first time since that night only about a week ago, I cried.
I guess I cried so hard, that I didn't realize someone was sitting next to me. but when I did, my first instinct was to reach for my sword, and kill them. Good thing they caught it before I could. Demigod instinct, sorry.
I looked up, and almost died right then and there. at first, I had thought it was Lee, but then I realized it wasn't. there were only very few characteristics that gave Apollo away from his son. Like his eyes; his eyes were gold, and Lee's were green with hints of blue. And the face. it was very similar, but Apollo's grim smile was distant, not warm and welcoming like Lee's was. Other then that, I swear they could've been twins, not father and son.
"Lord Apollo, shouldn't you be fighting Typhon?" I asked before I could turn on my 'word filter' – otherwise known as my brain. He chuckled, but it sounded cold.
"I should be, but this seemed more important to me. Now Emily, I'm not here to comfort you about my sons ….. my sons death, but there was one last thing he wanted to give you before he, well, you know," he said, looking down at his hands, neatly placed in his lap.
"He wanted to give me something?" I asked, confused as to why he had even thought of me the moment before his death. I'd broken his heart just a few days ago, hadn't i?
"He wanted you to know that he forgave you for what you did, and that he understood that you were only trying to protect him. But yes, he wanted to give you something. Normally, this is a very sentimental object to my children, and they use it everyday, and they might just die without it. and usually, if one of my children happens to perish, then this goes with them. Each one is personal. I've blessed Lee's for you, because that's what he wanted. I have to leave you, but I'll make sure you make it back safely to the hotel; a few enemy demigods have been stalking you for a while now, but I'll make sure they …. Go away. Thank you, Emily, for making the last year of Lee's life the best he could've ever happened. I honestly thank you," said Apollo, before standing and taking something out of his pocket.
The entire time he spoke, I'd been wondering what he was talking about. There'd be so many things that could be personal to each child of Apollo, but I could only think of one thing.
What he handed me, was an Ipod, with headphones to match the green case. It was about the size of my palm, and the screen was covered with a screen protector. I turned it over in my hands, just admiring the green case as it sparkled in the early morning sun.
"T-Thank you," I whispered. Apollo gave me a sad smile, before turning and walking away down the sidewalk.
I did the first thing I could think to do with an Ipod; I put the headphones on. I unlocked the touch screen, and went straight to the music. I searched through almost three thousand songs, but I still couldn't find anything I wanted to listen to. There was every song, every genre, everything on this Ipod; but nothing that I wanted to hear.
I thought I had accidentally put it on shuffle when a song started playing, but I realized this song didn't sound like a studio song. It sounded acoustic, and fresh. I listened to the lyrics, before figuring out that I knew this voice.
I can hear her say "I love you" like it was yesterday
And I can see it written on her face that she had never felt this way
One day I thought I'd see her with her daddy by her side
And violins would play Here Comes The Bride
But here comes goodbye
Here comes the last time
Here comes the start of every sleepless night
The first of every tear I'm gonna cry
Here comes the pain
Here comes me wishing things had never changed
And she was right here in my arms tonight
But here comes goodbye
It was his voice. It was him singing. I just knew it. He had sung for me before, but it sounded different then most songs listened to on the radio, or on an Ipod. It sounded like I was sitting right next to him, and he was strumming his favourite guitar.
I closed my eyes, and just listened. I wanted to cry again, but there was nothing left. Only two tears fell down my cheeks as I sang along to the song in my head, listening to Lee's voice in my head, trying to memorize it word for word he sang.
*end of flashback*
That first time, I didn't realize something that probably would've killed me then and there. Now, whenever I miss Lee, I stick in those same headphones that never seem to break, and listen to him sing from Elysium.
SO! That was my latest chapter, and I think it was ok. I liked the last part, but of course, I can't really say that about my own writing; it might be considered conceited :P but still. So, if you are interested in listening to the song, here's the link to Youtube:
http: /www. youtube. com /watch?v =1Uq3nI11w4g&feature=relmfu (without the spaces). This video always ALWAYS makes me cry. It's just so sad D': but anyways. Please review!
`Swimmergirl3