A/N: I AM SO SORRY!
Wow it's been SO LONG. Like a whole WEEK at least. I'm turning into MEGAN. Don't you just hate it when life interferes?
Ooh the last chapter was exciting! I got a few new reviewers, which was awesome! I'm going to try something new and acknowledge my reviewers at the END of the chapter, so people who don't care don't have to scroll through my rambling.
Sorry updates have been so scare. I had big plans, but my teachers decided to assign so. much. work. Ugh.
Anyway, my birthday passed, yay! I had a great birthday eve and actual birthday. My parents did get me a drum set, whoo! Unfortunately, the company sent the wrong one and it didn't come until the week AFTER my birthday. So they gave me the chair, which I've been spinning around in since my birthday.
Also, tell me if you guys feel this on your birthday too: I feel no difference. The day before I turn 15 I might finally feel 14. It takes a while for it to kick in.
Wow, that Hunter question created a lot of controversy, and a wide variety of answers. I see where some of you are coming from, wanting to be a Hunter. Although I personally would hate to see the world around me grow, everyone I love die, and give up on romance while the idea of it sounds so appealing now. Although as my friends say, "all the good guys are either taken, gay, or imaginary." But Hunters are awesome, we all must admit.
So in honor of that question…
Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING.
Enjoy.
CHAPTER 8: THE GIRL WHO COULDN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE
Katherine Delaney's POV
I can't get him out of my mind.
The messy brown hair that he constantly ran his hand through. Those big emerald green eyes who's corners crinkled when he laughed. The loud, genuine, laugh that escaped his mouth whenever I said something witty. Those pink lips which I couldn't help but imagine how they would feel against mine.
Curse you, Oliver Mayor. You turned the pit of my stomach into a giggling gaggle of butterflies. Most would define it as a crush.
See, normally this wouldn't be an issue. Unfortunately, I'm a Hunter of Artemis. I left Camp Half Blood about two years ago as a daughter of Aphrodite to become a Hunter.
If you don't know who we are, we're an elite group of immortal female archers who travel around slaughtering troublesome monsters. It sounds pretty cool, but we're eternal maidens.
Meaning we swore off boys long ago.
I shook my head out of my thoughts. It was late at night; the time when I usually got most of my thinking done. I had crept out of the tent we set up and scaled a tree. I now sat on one of the thick branches up high, spending my time gazing at the stars and feeding thoughts into my brain.
My crystal blue eyes were locked on the sky. It really was beautiful, the constellations and the stars twinkling within them. I tucked a strand of my fiery red hair behind my ear and sighed as thoughts of Oliver consumed my mind once again.
If only that one fateful day, the day that changed everything, hadn't occurred...
"Katherine," barked Thalia, essentially the leader of the Hunters (besides our lady, Artemis, of course).
"Yes, Thalia?" I answered.
"We're running low on supplies. Here's some mortal money," she slapped some in my hand, "here's a list," she gave me a crumpled white sheet covered in scrawly handwriting, "have fun."
I nodded and crammed the money into my pocket and smoothes out the list, neatly folding it and tucking it into my left boot. I left the forest and started walking. Thalia had given me directions to the nearest mortal town. I yanked my hair into a ponytail and continued to walk until I had arrived at a quaint little town. I entered the local convenience store. It was rather empty, except for one old man, a short woman and her young daughter, and a handsome teenage boy who looked around my age.
Wait…handsome?
Slap yourself out of it, Katherine, you can't date! Remember that tiny little vow you made? The whole eternal maiden thing? If you date a guy you'll be blown to smithereens by an enraged Artemis and anger a gang of girls armed with arrows. Brilliant idea, Katherine, I applaud you.
I then realized I had been staring and the boy sent a dazzling smile my way. I scowled and looked away, gathering all the snacks and supplies Thalia had listed. Walking with my head low, I accidentally bumped into someone.
"Oh, sorry," I apologized.
"No problem," answered the male voice. I looked up to see the boy from earlier. Wow, he really was handsome…STOP IT, KATHERINE! You just HAD to be the daughter of a love goddess, didn't you?
"I'm Oliver," he introduced. His voice was charming, with the slightest hint of a British accent. He stuck out his hand for me to shake, which I did. Handshakes really can help you identify the nature of a person. A firm grip is the one I have mastered and tend to use, and it means business and and radiates power and intimidation. Whilst my grip was firm, Oliver's was quite the opposite, loose and relaxed which translates to him being calm and at ease.
"Katherine," I answered, brief and curt.
"A lovely name for a beautiful girl," Oliver smiled.
"Cliche much?" I snorted. He laughed.
"It's better than 'did it hurt when you fell from heaven?' " he grinned.
"Yeah," I agreed, allowing a small smile to grace my face.
"Or 'are you from Tennessee? 'Cause you're the only ten I see?' "
"Stop," I laughed. "They're so cheesy."
"See this shirt I'm wearing? It's made out of...drumroll, please...wait for it...boyfriend material!" By then I had collapsed into a fit of giggles.
"Oh my gods please stop," I chuckled. "It's way too punny for me."
"It's puntastic to meet you, by the way," he told me.
"Absolutely punderful," I agreed.
"Ah, you should be rewarded for such a magnificent pun. Care to go to the cafe across the street?" he offered, holding out his hand.
I hesitated.
For a long moment.
"Yes," I answered finally, taking his hand.
After that, I would always volunteer to go into town for supplies. I would meet up with Oliver and we would hang out; simply eat lunch or take a walk in the park. We never went any farther than holding hands or the occasional kiss on the cheek in these four months.
Today I was going into the village for supplies again. I glanced in the mirror and took extra precaution in my outfit, carefully selecting black skinny jeans and a red tank top, Oliver's favorite colors. I laced up my boots and brushed my hair with my fingers. Thalia eyed me suspiciously when I left the tent but I ignored her.
"Here's the list and some cash." She handed me the mentioned materials and I turned away to walk to the town. I saw Oliver glancing at his watch as he stood outside the convenience store where we had first met.
"Hey Kath," he greeted, kissing my cheek. A blush rivaling the color of my hair crept onto my face.
"Hi Ollie," I smiled up at him. He took my hand and led me to our cafe, where we took a seat at a table outside and talked over coffee and croissants.
Afterwards we walked over to the park and sat down at a bench. I wrapped my arms around my body, simultaneously shivering and scoffing at my choice to wear a tank top.
"Are you cold?" Ollie asked.
"N-no," I stammered, teeth chattering.
"You are," Oliver countered, peeling off his leather jacket and draping it over my shoulders.
"But now you'll be cold," I pointed out.
"Nonsense," he shrugged. I gripped the jacket and wrapped it tighter around me, instantly feeling the warmth seep into my body.
"Besides," he added, "you look cute when you're flustered." I blushed deeper and he chuckles.
"I love you, Katherine," he said, turning to face me fully, locking his eyes on mine.
"I-"
I thought about everything I would be throwing away. The Hunters. My sisters. My promise.
"I-"
Love makes some people do crazy things. But…the Hunters. All I've ever known or done, thrown away for this boy? Immortality, everything?
"I-"
I had never believed in love at first sight...until I met Oliver. It just felt different now.
"I-"
I would be throwing away everything. But...I love him.
"I love you too, Oliver Mayor," I responded with a tone of finality and decisiveness. Hie eyes flickered down to my lips and I leaned in, letting my eyelids flutter shut.
When I felt my lips meet his, the feeling that rushed through me was indescribable, it was-
"KATHERINE!" shouted a feminine voice, and I felt myself roughly yanked off of Oliver by my shoulders. I looked up. It was Thalia. I looked over at Oliver and he was being pinned to the bench by Lucy and Jennifer, two other Hunters.
"Katherine, what in Zeus' name are you doing?" Thalia demanded to know. "What the Hades is wrong with you? You are a Hunter of Artemis, ring a bell? You are an eternal maiden!" I looked down at the grass.
"You're right, Thalia," I said hoarsely. "I don't know what got into me. Can I at least say goodbye to him? Please." Her hard expression softened for a moment and she nodded. The Hunters released us and Oliver took my hands in his.
"I love you, Katherine," he said in a pleading voice.
"I love you too, but I...I can't. I can't fall in love with you. I'm sorry," I answered, tearing my eyes away from his hypnotic gaze so he wouldn't see my tears.
"Kath…" he stated softly. I felt the tears pour out of my eyes and Oliver gently released my hands to touch my cheek. I slapped his hand away, hard as it was, and felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. And this was one thing that couldn't be repaired. In tears, I grabbed Oliver's jacket and hugged it to my chest while Thalia, Lucy, and Jennifer dragged me away.
I didn't dare turn back.
FIFTY YEARS LATER...
I walked over to the graveyard, eyes scanning the grey stones for a familiar name when I spotted it and my breath hitched in my throat. I glided over and sat down on the grass beside it, looking over at the mound of dirt covered in dying flowers I recognized as a grave. His grave. I began reading the words carved into the stone.
Oliver Robert Mayor
Died on January 14th, 2016
Age 68
Passed away from leukemia
A great man, husband, father, uncle, and grandfather
May he rest in peace
I felt tears prickling at the corners of my eyes that hadn't fallen for fifty years. Here I sat, still a sixteen year old girl even though fifty years has passed by since I had met Oliver. He had aged. He had aged a lot. It never would have worked anyway. I was so stupid, swept up in the concept of love and romance. But that doesn't change the way I felt-feel-about him.
I loved Oliver.
I still love Oliver.
And I always will.
For the rest of my eternal life.
Where the curse of immortality continues to haunt me day by day.
A/N: That was quite different from what I normally write.
NOW I SHALL ACKNOWLEDGE MY REVIEWERS!
Calefe: GOOD CATCH. The document where I write these is honestly a mess of random ideas and I swear I am TERRIBLE at coming up with names. Somehow I probably just wrote Andrew Hart twice, but I didn't intend for them to be the same person. By the way he is returning soon, since I'm (finally) writing part two. I'll probably change the name by the time this chapter in posted. Also, thank you! I agree, Percabeth is awesome, but it would be great to include more variety.
CrazyBlueOwl: HI AWESOME PERSON! I don't personally have any siblings, but I've seen my cousins fight over food and it's gotten ugly. A fight over a phone led to a broken hand. No joke, an eight year old boy managed to break his fourteen year old sister's hand because she took his phone. Yep, I was the witness. We laugh about it now though. Honestly sibling fights come across as very entertaining to me, idk why. Maybe my family's just crazy.
LavenderMoonRose: Thank you! Haha lucky you, the hiatus didn't effect you! It's not weird-I've been trying to focus on strong endings, and it's become a pattern. Glad to see it went noticed!
EchoesInTheNight (Guest): Hm, good point. I feel like immortality would get rather boring. I would be dreadfully bored all. of. the. time. Been there, done that, all the time. Do the Hunters get sick? If the gods don't get sick, then all other immortal beings shouldn't as well. Then again, monsters can be killed and have to crawl their way up from Tartarus to return. I don't think Hunters would get sick, in my opinion. Or at least even if they do, I think they shouldn't.
We're All Okay: Yeah I know you guys rehearse A LOT. You guys always hog the auditorium. Of course it's perfect for me that as a member of set construction we have to wait for you guys to be done first. I get to leave school really late at night. It's marching band all over again. Update EVENTUALLY. Preferably before I turn 76 and shrivel up like a prune.
KoalaLower-ABC-123: Siblings are great, honestly. Yeah, I totally agree with you. I wouldn't want to lose all my male friends (annoying as they can be) and want to grow up and get married and have a family and all that. Living forever wouldn't be fun. I remember reading a book in elementary school-Tuck Everlasting. There was a family that lived forever. The father tried to kill himself but couldn't. The boy fell in love with a girl who discovered their secret. She chose to stay mortal though, so that sucked for him. They were going crazy watching the world move on without them. I couldn't stand watching the world age as I stayed the same. I'm not ready to give up on romance just yet, and I certainly don't want to live forever.
StarFlight: I see where's you're coming from. It would be cool to be a hunter. I would probably end up shooting myself with an arrow. Not the best option for me.
Neutrino2000: Thank you!
Livana10145: Thanks! I don't mind constructive criticism. But I hate flames, because I am sensitive with my writing and the whole sharing it with the world thing.
Bad: "Ur story sucks."
Good: "I feel like it could be improved here, here's an idea, and your grammar here…etc."
So, no, I don't mind constructive criticism, but be watchful of flat out mean comments with no explanation. Although you're so sweet, I'm sure that won't be the case with you. And when you do get an account, if I'm still active on here I'll definitely read your stuff! I'm sure you're a much better writer than you think. I always thought I sucked at writing until my teacher told me I was actually pretty good. I see your perspective on becoming a hunter, I get it. I will admit it sounds cool. And someone as nice as you should have loads of friends! Thanks :)
marciavilla779: YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY! THANK YOU SO MUCH! AND WOW OMG HERE'S A STORY: I was in the band room during last period, annoying people with various percussion instruments as usual, when our band director sent me to the choir room to get a drum someone left in there. And when I went to get it I saw one of my friends and HE WAS CRYING. DOES THAT MEAN HE'S MY SOULMATE? AND HE'S A TOTAL HUFFLEPUF ASDFJKLFDJHDISGH HAVE I FOUND HIM? THE ONE?
LOVE YOU PEOPLE!
QoTD: Who is your LEAST favorite of the Seven?
Answer: I have to go with Jason. He spends too much time being unconscious for me to have an opinion of him.
Constructive criticism: good. Flames: bad. Read, review, follow, favorite, review again, click buttons, do stuff.
"I can see the stars again, my lady."
-Zoë Nightshade *moment of silence*
Bri
