Hold on to me, cuz I'm a little unsteady
Percy looked at Lamia in disbelief,"You're joking."
"Nope."
"So this entire time...you...oh my gods." Percy erupted into laughter, leaning on his sister for support as he buried his face in his hands. Lamia laughed along as well, the siblings tried to keep their voices down, but it was as difficult as fighting the Chimera.
"You're terrible." Percy chuckled; laughter finally dying down, his sister merely smirked at him.
"I know." Lamia was a very spiteful monster and everyone knew this. For the past couple days, Jason had been going to Percy and complaining about her, saying she was up to something sinister and they needed to stop her. But Jason was the only one upset by her.
Apparently, Lamia had singled Jason out, and would constantly pick on him. When no one was looking she'd bare her fangs, hiss, or unsheathe her talon like nails. She did it just for fun, just to make the boy paranoid, and man did it work. The two quarreled often and Piper would usually be the one to break them up, Percy would try but soon he was always wrapped up in their arguments.
Annabeth had grown to enjoy Lamia's company because she talked about the past so much, and Annabeth was a total history nerd. Nico and Lamia didn't usually talk, but he was suspicious as to why Lamia hung around Hazel all the time. Frank could tolerate her but Lamia pointedly ignored him.
Hazel was utterly infatuated with the monster, the two conversed in Swahili more often than not, and it was maddening because every so often they'd look at Percy and start laughing.
Leo was a bit agitated with her, often she would divert Hazel's attention from him, and pull her away while smirking at the fuming Latino all the while. But the son of Hephaestus still thought she was pretty awesome.
Piper and Lamia had gotten rather close. Whether it be talking about Percy's biggest blunders, or discussing Piper's heritage (Lamia had confessed to Percy that Native Americans were her favorite meal), which Lamia was fascinated about, the two got along rather well. And Percy was happy with, even when Lamia would purposefully point out attractive guys to Piper who would blush and laugh when Percy glared at her.
"Alright but what's with you, Hazel, and Leo?" Percy asked, still grinning like a mad man,"You talk with Hazel and always aggravate Leo when you can by taking her attention." Percy pointed out and Lamia chuckled quietly at this as well.
"I believe I am Hazel's...woman crush?" She looked at Percy for confirmation and he nodded,"So that is why she likes being around me so much. It makes Leo jealous that her attention is more focused on me than him...so it's very fun to mess with him." Lamia smirked and Percy shook his head with a grin.
"You're just an instigator." He rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. His sister chuckled lightly before reclining in her chair. The quest members were residing in a small hotel, they had figured out their riddles, knowing where to find the god killing weapon. But it was late and they'd have to wait until tomorrow. Lamia had gotten them rooms free with her...uh persuasion.
Boys slept in one room and girls in another. Percy and Lamia were currently in the lobby of the hotel. They were catching up, enjoying each other's company. It was almost like having Thalia back.
"Now, do you want to tell me the real reason you're not sleeping?" Lamia asked, leaning back casually in her chair as she looked at her brother. Green eyes narrowed in suspicion as Percy looked away from her, swallowing thickly as he thought of what kept him awake.
"Just uh...just some night terrors-"
"About Tartarus?"
"No." He shook his head,"Those don't come as often as they used too. More often than not...my nightmares are about Thalia or Nemesis..." He trailed off, clearly not wanting to talk about his dreams. He had a far away look in his eyes, clearly enraptured by his troubled night terrors.
Lamia was silent for a moment before speaking,"Percy, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that your nightmares aren't all that's bothering you." He huffed, biting his lip as closed his eyes momentarily, she and Piper could always read him too well for his liking.
He smiled wryly at this, glancing at her briefly,"My voices...my insanity...it's all still here." He tapped his temple and an overwhelming rush of rage temporarily consumed him,"I'm so sick."He hissed as he clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut,"None of my insanity is going away fast enough...it's taking too long, I want it gone!" He demanded, eyes snapping open and darkening in pure ire.
He had gotten better, but the progress was too insignificant. He still lost himself in flashbacks, he was still consumed with such hatred, he still fed himself anger...thinking it was his strength. He indulged in his voices because they were the only ones that had kept him company in his years of torture. When Lamia wasn't there for him, the voices he manifested for himself were.
When Nemesis was killed, his voices came back because he was lonely. He almost missed having her in his head. Heck, the new voices sounded just like her, and it had always comforted him in a way. He didn't like thinking about the goddess being gone, especially after how much she did for him.
"You were tortured for years. You can't expect all that to go away in one night. It takes time, Percy." Lamia spoke soothingly reaching out for her brother.
He jerked away from her,"No, I'm a ticking time bomb. I need all of this to go away, now." He growled angrily,"Lamia, when I got out of Tartarus, for those couple months of freedom, I had forgotten all about you. My mind was so clouded with hatred and self loathing that I forgot that...being in hell with you wasn't so bad. I just wanted revenge, it was all I focused on."
He let out a sigh, his anger slowly evaporating as he saw her surprise at his outburst,"I'm...I'm getting better." He mumbled meekly,"But the process is so slow." The feeling of defeat washed over him, his shoulders slumped, and he bit his lip as his hands balled into fists.
Lamia wrapped him into a hug. He laid limply against her, head resting on her shoulder, and he curled into her as she held him. She rubbed his back comfortingly, resting her head atop his. They sat in silence for a moment, Percy had caved and slung his arms around her, needing someone to hold onto.
"Percy, you're broken, and we all know that. But this world, humanity, the gods...we're all broken too. We're just broken in different ways. You're kidding yourself if you think you're the only one hurting right now. And you're kidding yourself if you think you're the only one with demons. Yours are different than mine, but they're just as bad. I'm just better at acting than you." She chuckled softly, planting a kiss on the top of his forehead.
"And I know you've been through a lot. But...I like to believe hardships make us stronger. Even when they hurt us so severely at first, most of us learn to adapt and we get better, stronger, smarter, and wiser. You're very strong, Percy, not many would try to bounce back like you are after experiencing what you did. That's what I truly admire about you. You know how to keep moving forward." She murmured, Percy's heart swelled with affection for his sister.
Percy felt as though a weight had lifted off his chest. Lamia was right, and he wasn't the only screwed up one. It was hard, naturally, for people to look outside of themselves and glimpse at the big picture. He had to toughen up, put on a brave face, and save the world from Gaea. He had to keep moving forward.
"Thanks...I love you, sis." Percy mumbled, his eyelids growing heavy as he leaned deeper into her warm embrace.
"I love you too."
-Line Break-
"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"
"Go back to bed."
"...Hazel-"
"I said, go back to bed, Piper." The dark hued girl growled, hands balling into fists as she turned away from her. The daughter of Aphrodite merely sighed, it was three in the morning and the two girls were in the parking lot of the hotel.
Hazel was hugging her knees to her chest, glaring into the night sky, brown curls danced gently in the breeze, and gold eyes were dark with anger and confusion.
Piper sat next to the girl,"I know you're sad...angry...confused...and you're really scared. But why?" Piper breathed making Hazel glower at her.
"Go back to bed." She said again, turning away from her. Piper only shrugged, refusing to move, she stared out at the stars and remained by Hazel's side. The girl was close to breaking and Piper could feel it.
"It's a nice night." Piper murmured, cracking the faintest of smiles,"My dad used to take me stargazing. He'd tell me some Cherokee myths and we'd always do the rain dance afterwards. Then we'd mount our horses and go find some buffalo in the vast land of Hollywood-" Hazel chuckled lightly at Piper, making the girl grin, she was glad she had been able to make her companion the tiniest bit happy.
Hazel wore a small smile,"Did you guys wear feathers in your hair? And war paint on your face?" She asked in amusement and Piper nodded.
"All the time. We'd put it on all the time before sharpening our tomahawks and spitting on Columbus's statue." Hazel's laugh grew louder,"And then we burn the twenty dollar bill, because Andrew Jackson's ugly mug is on it." Piper began laughing along with the dark skinned girl. With the somber atmosphere gone, Hazel looked at the daughter of Aphrodite curiously.
"I gotta say, Piper, there's more to you than I thought. You just always seem caught up with Percy," Hazel shrugged as she looked back up at the stars,"didn't think you cared much for the rest of us." She commented, glancing at Piper, gauging her reaction.
Piper winced a little at this,"I know, sorry about that. I guess I just worry about him a lot." She confessed before sighing,"He can be a bit...unstable."
Hazel hummed,"Well, gods knows he has a reason to be. Lamia filled me in on...a lot of things he's been through. I have to say, I'm impressed, most people would break." She then faced Piper,"I'm impressed with you too. Not many girls would want a guy with so much baggage. Says a lot about you." She mused before running a hand through brown curls.
"He's worth it." Piper noticed the tension continue to leave Hazel's slouched form.
Hazel glanced over at her again,"And cheesy comments like that remind me that you're a daughter of Aphrodite." She teased, not noticing the way Piper stiffened,"But you really don't act like one, ya know? I like that about you, you don't try to braid my hair every two seconds." Ignoring the mention of her treacherous mother, Piper chuckled softly, she was glad she wasn't like the corrupt goddess.
"I fight the braiding urge when it arises. Usually I have to get Percy to restrain me but I manage." Hazel laughed at this, patting Piper's shoulder.
"Ninakupenda, you're funny." Hazel grinned before laughing again at Piper's dubious expression,"I said, 'I like you', ninakupenda can also mean 'I love you' based on interpretation." Hazel informed her with a shrug.
Piper grinned,"Well, I suppose you should be saying that to Lamia, seeing as you're around her all the time. What is it with you two anyway?" Piper prodded, looking at the daughter of Pluto curiously.
Hazel blushed and shrugged,"I don't...I don't love Lamia if that's what you're implying. Sure she's my woman crush but I'm not...gay or anything. It's just nice to talk to her about stuff. Especially when she speaks Swahili. That's nice too. I don't know." Hazel shrugged again, fiddling with the hem of her shirt as she spoke.
Piper nodded before the two fell silent again. She wasn't sure how to approach Hazel's unease without making her angry. She didn't want to prod, but she didn't want Hazel to bottle up her fear and anger. Percy did that to the point of exploding with rage because he let his insecurities erode his brain for too long. Piper didn't want that to happen to Hazel.
She had been sensing the girl's unease for a couple days now. She noticed how Hazel would withdrawal from the group on the occasion. She would go silent, slumping her shoulders, and making herself look small as her thoughts fueled her with such unease. Once mirthful, golden eyes were now a darker amber. They looked so old, so hardened, a lot like Percy's eyes. Hazel was harboring real pain.
"Hazel, do you want to talk about what's making you upset? You don't have to if you don't want to. I just hope you know that...I'm here if you need me." Piper offered, giving an easy going smile,"And if you'd rather not talk about it, I can always tell you more stories about my father and I's Native American adventures." Hazel stared at her for a moment. Unbeknownst to Piper, her kaleidoscope eyes flickered a bright gold, the same color as Hazel's.
Hazel looked away and sighed,"…someone in our group is going to die really soon. I can feel it." She whispered, drawing her knees back to her chest once again. There was utter silence, Piper's heart grew heavy, and the atmosphere was once again thick. Her mind was racing, who? When? Why?
"D-Do you know who?" Piper stammered, losing all composure as Hazel glanced over at her.
A sullen shake of her head,"No." She was lying, Piper could tell, but she wouldn't pressure her. No, that wouldn't do either of them any good,"Just...don't tell the others...okay?" Hazel's voice was thick with raw anguish as she fought back tears,"I don't want them to become paranoid...I don't want to scare them." Piper nodded, instinctively drawing Hazel close to her, and combing through her curls with her fingers in a calming fashion.
Hazel cried silently into her shoulder, clinging onto Piper as though she were her lifeline. The girl was trembling; whoever was going to die had to have been extremely close to Hazel. Piper mused, thinking of those closest to the girl. There was Leo and Frank...gods she hoped it wasn't Leo. Leo was one of Percy's best friends and the boy would undoubtedly lose his mind if he died.
Then there was Nico. Maybe it was Lamia? Percy and Hazel got along rather well, but they weren't extremely close. Piper didn't want anyone to die. It would be too heartbreaking. Regardless of who fell in battle, it was always too sad, they were all too young to die. None of them were even legally considered adults yet, but they were fighting in gruesome wars that would have anyone shaken up.
"Hey, I can't promise you that everything will be okay. But I can promise you that I'll be here for you. You and I, we'll get through this, we'll get through this, we'll get through this..." Piper continued the mantra, rocking Hazel in her arms, and holding her tightly. Hazel let out a muffled cry as she wrapped her arms around Piper's shoulders and pulled her closer to her.
With a sniffle she pulled away slightly and looked up at Piper,"I know we will. But...getting there isn't the hard part, Piper...it's letting go. I'm afraid to let go of this person." Gold eyes were alight with grief and fear; they searched Piper's, as though pleading for her to make all the pain go away. But they both knew that was beyond her control.
It was hard seeing Hazel like this. Eyes full of tears, brows furrowed in confusion and frustration, and lips pressed tightly together in an attempt to choke back another cry. She was still shaking and Piper couldn't resist pressing a comforting kiss to the smaller girl's forehead.
"Don't think of it as letting go...think of it as a temporary goodbye." Piper breathed,"We'll see that person soon enough, in Elysium. And now...all we can do for them is love them. If anything they're lucky, they'll be kicking it in paradise soon, and we'll be stuck here with annoying gods and the threat of Hillary or Trump being our next president."
Hazel gave her a wry smile, eyes red and puffy from tears,"Yeah," She croaked,"temporary."
"C'mon, let's get you to bed." Piper whispered and Hazel shook her head.
"I can't sleep. It's all too much." Hazel cried,"I just-"
"You can sleep." Piper soothed, lacing her voice with charmspeake,"You know I'll protect you, you know you're safe, so you want to sleep." Hazel's eyes drooped and a soft yawn escaped her.
"N-No I..." She trailed off. Shutting her eyes she collapsed against Piper.
Piper's eyes widened,"Wait how am I supposed to carry you...gods." She groaned, mentally hitting herself for not thinking this through. She was sure all their friends were asleep by now seeing as it was past midnight, and there was no way she was strong enough to carry Hazel by herself. Ah crap.
It wasn't that Hazel was fat, the girl was rather thin and lithe, but she was pure muscle. Hazel was a naturally strong girl which was surprising of someone with such a small frame.
With the help of the hotel manager, Piper was able to get Hazel back to their room. It was embarrassing, awkward, and annoying but Piper had finally managed to drag/carry Hazel to their bed. With a huff she lifted the blankets and tucked the girl in before settling in next to her. That was more of a workout than it should have been but Piper was exhausted.
Just before she could shut her eyes she felt cold hands grab her arm. With a squeak she nearly jumped out of her bed before she realized it was Hazel. The girl had burrowed herself deep into the covers and was curled into Piper's side, holding onto her arm tightly as she did so.
A soft sigh escaped her as she faced her friend and wrapped an arm around her,"I hope you find peace, Hazel."
-I'm bringing Line Breaks back, yeah!-
It was six in the morning. The quest members were gathered outside of Jupiter's temple, looking upon it with various mixed feelings. Feelings of admiration (Jason and Frank), indifference (Hazel, Leo, and Piper), irritation (Nico, Percy, and Lamia), and skepticism (Annabeth.) All of the demigods had their different opinions of Jupiter/Zeus.
"So, we're supposed to dig up a grave...inside the temple?" Frank asked and Nico chuckled dryly. They needed the blade that could kill gods if they were to defeat Aphrodite and other gods swayed by Gaea. And for some unknown reason, the riddles led them here, where a coffin was apparently harboring the blade. It was just their luck that they'd have to tear up a monument to get what they needed.
"Yep." Nico's monotone only exhibited his lack of excitement. He hated Zeus/Jupiter, which was understandable seeing as the god killed his mother when Nico was a child.
"Isn't that illegal?" Leo questioned.
"Probably." Hazel shrugged carelessly; she and her brother had no qualms with messing with the dead.
"In all fairness," Annabeth interjected,"the grave isn't in a cemetery."
"It's not, it's just under the temple of Jupiter, which we have to tear up." Jason grumbled heatedly, arms crossing over his chest.
"Oh please, Jupiter is worse than Zeus." Lamia scoffed and Percy raised a brow at this,"No one even liked the Romans." Jason and Frank bristled at this while Hazel looked indifferent. She distanced herself away from the crowd, which didn't go unnoticed by Piper, who moved to stand next to her.
"Hey-" Jason began only to be cut off by Percy.
"Okay, Jupiter is pretty bad," Percy agreed,"but Zeus is plain awful."
"Zeus is a pain." Leo piped in and Lamia snorted.
"But isn't Jupiter the more intense and egotistical god version of Zeus?" Piper asked, glancing at Percy for confirmation. Jason opened his mouth to defend his father but he wasn't quick enough.
Annabeth responded,"Yes, but Zeus is such an airhead." She rolled her eyes and Percy laughed.
"No truer words have been spoken...were you going for a pun?" He asked and Annabeth furrowed her brow in thought.
"No...oh..." She muttered in realization before shaking her head,"Please stop, Percy." He only chuckled before shrugging sheepishly.
"What, some would say he's pretty full of hot air. For a god of the skies he lacks a...fly personality." A loud laugh escaped him but was ignored by the quest members as they groaned at the pun. Piper smiled briefly at the boy, Percy and Lamia reuniting had put the son of Poseidon in better spirits than he had been in months. And while he still had his issues, she could tell he was improving.
There was a consistent spark of mirth in his eyes that hadn't been there before. He smiled more, it was actually genuine, and he didn't exhibit as much bitterness as he had originally. Yes he still suffered PTSD, yes he still had nightmares, yes he still lost himself in his rage and insanity, but there was large difference between the new Percy and the Percy she had met months ago. This Percy was trying to get better, he was no longer indulging in his spells of psychotic behavior, and Piper was ever so thrilled to see the improvement; however small.
"That was the worst." Jason grinned at Percy who stuck his tongue out in return.
Nico grunted,"Zeus is the worst." Nico and Jason began to squabble and Percy tried to interject, he really did, but they were ignoring him completely.
Piper had refused to leave Hazel's side. The two's bond had strengthened immensely since last night. And while Hazel and Lamia conversed often, the daughter of Pluto remained with Piper. And while all the quest members noticed, none of them commented on their new behavior.
However, Leo seemed to notice Hazel's rather, somber mood. While the rest of the quest members tried to break Nico and Jason apart, Leo turned to Hazel.
"Hey, are you feeling okay?" He asked in concern, Piper glanced between the two of them, making sure Hazel was all right before stepping away from the two. Hazel watched the daughter of Aphrodite go to her boyfriend; he turned to her with a grin before pulling her away from the squabbling demigods.
"Yeah." Hazel mumbled, looking down at her hands,"I'm just tired." And pretty bad at lying.
Leo let out a breath before grabbing Hazel's hand comfortingly,"Hazel, you know you can tell me anything...right?"
Pulling her hand away she gave him a strained smile,"I know." She said curtly, turning away from him. Briskly she walked away from the demigods, needing to be alone. Leo watched her leave, sadness enveloping him, what was wrong with Hazel?
Meanwhile Piper was talking with Percy quietly,"Percy this is hardly the time-"
"Piper, c'mon. We're not gonna be young forever!" He grinned, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze,"It just occurred to me that we haven't really been on an official date. What's say you, me, and some McDonalds after this is over?" He offered teasingly, wagging his eyebrows as he did so.
Piper laughed, shaking her head at his antics,"Perseus Jackson, you know I prefer Burger King."
He looked at her in shock,"Pipes, I don't think we can keep this up...I didn't know you were a BK girl. You should have mentioned that before we started dating." He sighed in mock annoyance, feigning a look of heartbreak.
"Oh no, what can I do to make it up to you?" She laughed, trying to keep a straight face.
He turned serious, eyes smoldering,"Well, if I'm going to be honest, I've been wanting you for a long time now."
He watched as a blush lit up her cheeks,"W-What?" She spluttered, utterly flustered. Her fingers instantly went to her braid, tugging at its tip lightly, something she always did when she was nervous. Her eyes were wide open, looking at Percy in shock.
He smirked,"I've been wanting you to give me a nice foot massage, my feet have been killing me!" He complained, only for Piper to huff and smack him lightly on the arm.
"You fiend!" She growled, scowling as he laughed at her. He loosely wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his forehead against hers.
"You should have seen your face." He chuckled, planting a kiss on her nose, a wide grin still on his lips. However, his grin soon died when Piper gave him a sultry smile and wrapped her arms around his neck.
She leaned in close to her boyfriend,"And to think, I was going to say yes." She said breathily, making Percy's jaw drop. Now his face was the color of a tomato. He began stammering and rambling, not sure how to respond to Piper. His eyes darted around nervously, never landing on Piper as he tried to calm himself.
"Are you serious?" He finally found the words.
Piper pulled away and winked at him,"Of course I was. I've been told I give pretty mean foot massages." Realization dawned on Percy as Piper began to laugh at him. His laughter soon joined hers as the two leaned against each other, holding one another up as they laughed in a carefree manner.
Hazel smiled slightly at the scene. However the knowledge of the ominous, looming future quickly wiped the grin off her face. She turned away from the two, squeezing her eyes shut. She knew who would die. And that's why getting closer to Piper made everything all the more painful.
Yeet! Sorry I've been away, been in NY! Kicked it with Percy and whatnot. This chapter I wanted to expand more on Piper's character. I'll admit, in the series she was really hard for me to like...so it's a bit difficult writing her.
fireflame789: Not gonna lie, haven't picked this story back up since 3-4 months ago. Now, reading the last few chapters, I forgot why I put it down in the first place. Amazing job capturing a different persona of our favorite characters. Also, I have that feeling of half wanting to give you a hug, and half wanting to punch you. I can say that to very few people, but dozens of authors. Amazing story, great twists, relatable moments (not really), 10/10 on extreme emotions (I might've cried when Thalia died, you monster :P), and I just have a fun time reading it in general. To be continued...
Aye thanks man! Review meant a lot so thanks for being baller! You're the and I'm pretty pumped you think so highly of my story...even if you want to punch me half the time! And I'm glad I've been able to inspire you! But your profile pic...dear gods you're not a Monochrome shipper are you?!
July 22: Can you please honor my birthday by posting today?
Although late, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! *Throws confetti into the air and pops balloons excitedly*
Guest: i love you
Aw love you too babe!
Acorbe: If you look back to when Reyna first met Percy she said she was sent by Juno, will there be cold blood or any expansion on that?
*Waggles eyebrows but is currently sweating because I didn't even think about that*
Cupcakeheart2005: FINALLY!,YAS BITCH WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE
WAITING FOR YOU! ;)
Aight, mostly a filler chapter. Big battle scene next chapter. The end is near my friends! The fic will only have a couple chapters left!