This is my second update this week, so if you haven't already, make sure you read the previous chapter before reading this one. Ciao!
I do not own PJO/HOO.
….
And I want a moment to be real
Wanna touch things I don't feel
Wanna hold on and feel I belong
And how can the world want me to change?
They're the ones that stay the same
They can't see me but I'm still here
….
"Never thought I would see this again," My mother said, as we once again stood atop Half-Blood Hill, looking down over the valley in which camp lay.
"It looks pretty much the same," My dad replied.
Carolyn perked up a single eyebrow. "I was expecting a waterpark or something- not a lava wall."
"Wait till you see what's in the woods," I told her, as we began descending the hill towards the bottom.
I decided not to mention to Carolyn anything about a certain barrier. As expected, she was not amused- neither when she first ran into it, nor when I pretended to think about whether to let her in or not. I braced myself for the inevitable punch to my shoulder. It still hurt a bit.
We didn't see anyone until our group reached the very outskirts of camp, as we rounded one of the more outlying cabins. A kid walked right in front of us, about to take a bite out of an apple. Upon seeing us, he froze, apple halfway into his mouth already.
We all paused as well.
"Hey Nathan," Alek greeted the boy casually.
Nathan looked us up and down, his eyes growing wide already in seeing Alek and I, even wider still upon seeing Carolyn, and the apple fell out of his hand completely when he beheld my parents standing somewhat awkwardly behind us.
The boy took off towards the big house, screaming and shouting as he went. We continued our trek right behind him. My parents paid little heed to the attention we were drawing- or more specifically, that they were drawing as we walked through the camp. They seem more enamored with just being there, and pointing out things to each other.
Up ahead, I could see the big house, and kids running out of it, no doubt having been alerted by all the ruckus. Demigods were gathering on either side of us, watching in awe as we passed- well, mostly as my parents passed. I wondered if they felt as awkward as I did.
A figure emerged out of the crowd directly in front of us, and I felt Alek immediately halt next to me, which led to rest of us stopping as well. The son of Ares' breath hitched, as a girl with pretty blonde hair and eyes that looked like jewels approached us carefully.
Silena scanned our group, as if counting heads, to make sure we were all there. It came as no surprise when she asked in a worried voice, "Where's Erica?"
Alek broke down beside me, and I placed a hand on his shoulder, while meeting Silena's disbelieving eyes.
"Luke," She said in disbelief, "Is she- "
I nodded my head solemnly. Thomas Grace soon appeared out of the crowd as well, just in time to see Silena clasp her hand over her mouth. No doubt, upon seeing the reaction of his sister, as well as the crowd, and the fact that one of our original members was missing, he was quickly able to put two and two together.
Silena ran, tears filling her eyes, and embraced Alek. I moved aside to let her, and took the opportunity to greet Thomas with a brief hug as well. Clasping me on either shoulder, he then looked past, and finally noticed the figures standing behind us.
His eyes widened. "Uh- um, Luke… are those- "
"Yep."
"They're here."
"Yes."
His mouth opened again, and then closed, and then opened again, and closed yet again. I rolled my eyes.
"I think we need to see Chiron."
"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear," The centaur's voice boomed forth, as he strode out in front of us, followed closely by Mr. D, who for once looked semi-interested in what was happening.
"I'm sorry to hear about dear Erica," He said, "But I am happy to see you and Alek here safe… again… " His voice trailed off once his eyes were laid upon his once favorite pupils.
My parents' eyes sparkled, and I wasn't sure I had ever seen either of them run so fast. They looked like kids who had just spotted the presents under the trees on Christmas morning. Such was the joy my parents had, that my dad was happy to see even Mr. D, and surprised him, and all of us, when he hugged the usually cantankerous Olympian.
All around us, demigods stared on with a variety of expressions. While most stared at my parents, some stared at Alek and I, and few others (mostly guys, I noticed) stared at Carolyn. She seemed to have noticed as well, and we subconsciously (but also maybe consciously) moved closer together.
A shout rang out above the sounds of the reunion. "Percy Jackson! Annabeth Chase! I'm going to kill the both of you!"
Apparently, my parents were neither afraid of, nor unaware as to whom the voice belonged. The crowd split, and a girl came flying in, dressed out in silver camo, as she collided with my parents almost head on.
There was something almost violent in the way she hugged both of them at the same time, in such a way that only Thalia Grace could have been capable of achieving. It was weird, watching a girl who looked to be younger than me, talk and cry with two full-grown adults, as if they had been friends their entire lives.
But such was the reality of the life of a demigod, I guess.
I felt a bit bad for my parents. They could hardly finish one reunion before another one came barging in. At this rate, their schedule would be booked up till the end of the summer.
There was a blinding flash of light, and as it dissipated, I couldn't deny the fact that I was interested to see how this meeting would go down. When I first met my godly grandparents, I got the feeling they weren't the super emotional type, especially not Athena.
They looked more or less the same as when they had first appeared to reveal my identity. The only major difference was that Athena lacked her armor, and Poseidon had donned an even more unattractive shirt.
My parents approached the Olympians slowly, cautiously, respectfully- but all it took was a simple smirk on the part of Poseidon for my dad to break, and jump into his arms. Looking at the two of them, you probably couldn't have told the two apart if you didn't know better. Poseidon, with all his immortality, only looked a few years older than his son.
My mother seemed to be noticing the phenomenon as well; she blinked, and tried to wipe the confused expression from her face, as she approached her own mother.
"These ten years have been good to you, my daughter," Athena stood there proudly as she spoke, her voice monotone, and seemingly unmoved.
"You know that's anything but true," My mom replied in an equally as muted tone.
"I was referring to how you looked- specifically your hair."
"Oh," She awkwardly reached up and felt her blonde locks, "Right. Thanks, I guess."
Athena's rough exterior broke, and her face sunk in sympathy. "I know how hard this past decade has been, and I'm truly glad to see you." She stepped forward and embraced her daughter.
"And I'm even glad to see you, Perseus," The goddess added on, as she turned to hug my surprised father. "And I'm glad you didn't succumb to the prophecy."
"Um, thanks- " He gasped, like a fish out of water. His face was red with embarrassment at having been caught off guard. "Speaking of prophecies, is there any chance, you think, that I could maybe be exempt from having any part- "
Athena held him at an arm's length, her face taught and serious. "We've talked about this, Perseus. You know I have no control over that."
"Right, got it." My dad retreated back to his wife's side, nudging her as she giggled at him.
"Luke," Athena's voice called out to me, and I found myself approaching her, albeit very hesitantly. My heartbeat relaxed when she smiled. "Well done," She said, which I found a tad bit odd. It felt off, out of character for her, or for any god really, even Poseidon.
"Poseidon and I," The goddess suddenly announced, turning to my parents, "Felt that there was someone else who would want to be here to see you."
"What in Hades!" Mr. D suddenly cried out, "Who has let a mortal into my camp?! Don't lie now! I can feel it!"
I whipped around to look at the first person who popped into my head. Carolyn fidgeted nervously where she stood, slowly raising her hand.
"Um, that might be me," She admitted rather quietly. A roar of whispers went up from the crowd of demigods, but Mr. D shook his head.
"Not you. I've been aware of your presence ever since you stepped foot in this camp."
Poseidon cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Um, that would actually be my doing. You see, I didn't feel like sending a taxi for them."
I caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye, as two more figures appeared out of the woods and into the clearing in front of the big house. Beside me, my parents' breathing almost stopped altogether.
The woman could almost be described as elderly, except she still had a youthfulness about her than was unexplainable. Her brown hair was beautifully adorned with shades of grey. The man with her was different, but at the same time, he was just as remarkable. There wasn't a hair on his head that wasn't already greying, and he looked like the sort of person who would listen to you talk about pretty anything, and seem interested.
The two of them appeared to be rather lost and confused, dazed almost as to where they were, and why. That is, until they finally spotted the large assembly not too far off from them, and then their eyes were almost naturally drawn to the two godly figures standing off to the side a bit.
From there, it was only a matter of time until these two strange people spotted my parents. They froze on the spot, not fifteen yards away from where we stood. Almost everyone else was completely confused as to why Poseidon had brought two mortals to camp. My parents weren't, and I was starting to realize.
My father had the same ghostly pale expression on his face that he did upon discovering who I was. He took a hesitant step in the direction of the figures, and then another, and before long he broke into a brisk walk, which evolved into a full-on sprint.
Tears had already hit the ground by the time he reached the woman, and wrapped her in his arms. My mother wasn't far behind, and she embraced the older man just as happily. The rest of us watched on awkwardly, no doubt everyone else being rather perplexed.
For once, I was not ignorant of anything. I knew exactly who they were. Their reunion, no doubt, had been a long awaited one. Inexplicably, I felt a twitch of a smile tug at my mouth, and the ever-content feeling of finally seeing something go right for someone who deserved it.
My parents most definitely deserved this, and I could only hope it lasted.
"Luke."
The smile disappeared when I heard my father calling my name, and I looked up to see all four of them- my parents, and the 'strangers', staring at me.
My father beckoned me to come closer, and I noticed that the older couple didn't appear convinced. I gulped, and fought down an internal groan, as I began the most awkward, and seemingly eternal, walk to ever take place in human history. I felt the eyes of all of Camp Half-Blood on me, staring on in absolute puzzlement.
I looked around at everything but those whom I was approaching, unwilling, almost ashamed to meet their gaze.
"Luke?" My name came again, but this time, it was a different voice.
My eyes couldn't help but snap around at that point. It was like two magnets with the same poles that someone had been trying to force together, but refused to meet- that is, until one was turned around, and then they couldn't help but be drawn together.
"I-I can't believe it," The woman cried. Her eyes sparkled, and suddenly, the memories were rekindled.
Not only did I see, but I also heard, and probably most incredibly- I smelled. Cookies fresh out of the oven, the sounds of laughter and giggles while gathered around a dinner table, the very woman whispering to me not to tell anyone about 'our little secret' while she put an extra scoop of ice cream in my bowl.
I glanced at the older man, and the same thing happened. I remembered the feeling of falling asleep to his stories about famous heroes. I remembered laughing while he bounced me playfully on his knee when I was just a toddler, and how for some reason, I just had to- always absolutely had to tug on his soft grey hair. He never seemed to mind.
And from that point on, I didn't care about the crowd of people watching, or what they were thinking. The bliss coursing through my body was incomparable, probably even better than the moment when I first remembered, and got my parents back.
"Do you remember, Luke?" My mother asked hopefully, though she seemed prepared to be disappointed.
I smiled. "Grandma Sally?" I asked, knowing full well I was right, but still sounding unsure.
The kindly woman looked like she was about to burst into another round of sobs. Turning to the man beside her, I tilted my head. This one had been trickier for me.
"Gran- Grandpaul?" I said, finding the word odd, but not foreign on my tongue.
He actually chuckled a bit. "Your father was proud of that joke when he first made it."
"Oh, I can't stand it," Grandma Sally cried, and I found myself suddenly wrapped in her arms, but not complaining. Paul was in on it too before long.
I could've forgotten all about everyone else there- the entirety of camp, Chiron, my friends, the gods standing there… just chilling as if Zeus wasn't currently off trying to impregnate someone and cause another war.
But then, there was a whirling of wind, and the trees began to rock, but not so much as to cause a stir. There was a loud rustling sound, like a pile of leaves being crashed into. We all turned back to where the sound seemed to be coming from, next to where Athena and Poseidon stood.
Standing there beside them now, was a young girl with auburn-colored hair, whom I recognized as Artemis. And in her hand, held by the scruff of his Ralph Lauren polo collar, was someone whom I could only assume to be Apollo. His hair was quite almost the literal definition of being kissed by the sun, as was his skin.
Judging by his face however, he wasn't exactly in a sunny mood.
"Gee sis," He exclaimed, "What's the big idea?"
The oddly shorter goddess shoved him forward, and then found me with her eyes, and nodded. "Heard you might be looking for my brother."
Apollo perked up at this. "Someone looking for me?"
This was it, I decided. This was the last item on the list, the last checkmark of this quest. A little Olympian healing magic, and Carolyn would be free from the curse. She could go back to her- normal life.
I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say I didn't hesitate for a moment. There was no denying the fact that this possibility had been in my mind for a while now. The possibility that things would change, that Carolyn would be completely 'normal' again, or as normal as a remarkable girl like her ever could be. But what did that mean for me?
I hated myself for thinking so selfishly, as if I had any right to try and convince her otherwise. As if it mattered that I might possibly care about her a lot- as if it were my right to think that maybe, just maybe, she could still be happy with the way things were now.
Immediately, I drowned such thoughts deep down in the depths of my mind, and pushed to the very forefront what I knew needed to be done.
"Carolyn?" I asked, stepping away from my parents and grandparents, "Are you ready?"
The crowd parted a little bit, as she hesitantly stepped out, looking shy and quite possibly a bit scared. It was one of the first times I had ever seen her look unsure about something. My traitorous mind dared to think maybe she didn't want to do this either, but I quickly dispelled that notion.
Carolyn was cautious to approach Apollo for some reason, and so I found myself coming beside her, and casually taking her hand, and throwing the best, most encouraging smile I could muster at that moment in her direction, then I slowly led her over to where Apollo stood.
"And who do we have here?" The Olympian asked, an eyebrow raised in piqued interest.
"Caro- " I started to reply.
"Carolyn King," She interrupted before I could finish, answering his question confidently.
Giving her a sideways look, I found that she once again had that inner confidence I was so used to. A grateful smile on her part let me know all I needed to know.
I slowly dropped her hand, and stepped back.
"Carolyn King?" Apollo repeated, tapping his chin, "The name sounds familiar- "
Artemis spoke up somewhat sharply from behind. "How surprising- my shallow brother can't remember the name of a girl whom he once tried to get with."
A slow wave of mumbles and whispers surged throughout the assembly of demigods.
Carolyn didn't appear fazed, as she looked Apollo dead in the eye. "Emphasis on 'tried'," She quipped, sending a roar of oohs and ahs through the crowd, as well as more than a fair share of snickers.
The sun god merely rolled his bronzed shoulders. "I'm offended, my dear sister," He said lazily, "I remember all the girls I'm ever with." He turned back to Carolyn, "And seeing as how you were one of the few to actually reject my advances, it comes as no surprise as to why I should not wish to remember you."
"Can you help her?" Artemis demanded, desperate to move on, having rolled her eyes several times already.
"She doesn't seem to be in need of helping," Apollo said, as he appeared to examine Carolyn for any obvious injuries or ailments.
"She does," I answered him boldly, "You cursed her."
Apollo threw his hand over his chest. "Me? I've never cursed anyone- at least, not in a few years. Especially not her. Trust me, if I had cursed her on purpose, you would've known the moment you saw her."
My face dropped. "So you didn't curse her- what about the Curse of Cassandra?"
The Olympian's face shifted, and his mouth straightened. "The Curse of Cassandra, you say?" He asked. All of sudden, his demeanor became much more severe. "Well, in that case- this is serious indeed."
"So you did curse her?"
"Not exactly," Apollo attempted to clarify, "The Curse of Cassandra doesn't descend by my will, but rather, it has a mind of its own. I cannot prevent it from plaguing those who reject me."
"But can you fix it?" Artemis asked.
Her brother took a few seconds to walk around Carolyn, examining her as if she were a model trying on his latest fashion design. He leaned one way, and then to the other, and I was honestly starting to feel bad for Carolyn.
"Well?" I said, breaking the silence.
Apollo tsked, and took a few more seconds to investigate, before finally appearing to come to a conclusion. "I can heal her," He announced, and all of us breathed a sigh of relief.
"But," The word cut into my heart like a knife through butter, "There may be side effects."
"Side effects?" I repeated.
"May be?" Carolyn asked.
"Most definitely will be," Apollo amended almost instantly. "I'm sorry to say it, but as a licensed doctor, it is my duty to inform you of such outcomes."
"What are these outcomes?" I inquired with a clipped voice, "These side effects?"
"There's only one really," He replied.
"So- what is it?"
"….memory loss."
My eyes blinked rapidly, as my brain tried to process. A silent gasp seemed to ebb and flow through the gathered crowd, followed by hushed whispers from one demigod to another.
"Mem- memory loss?" Carolyn stated, the disbelief etched in her words and her voice.
"I'm afraid so," Apollo confirmed, "From the moment you received the curse, all the way up until now. You won't remember any of it."
"Any of it," I repeated out loud, but mostly to myself, "Like nothing at all."
"Yep," The god popped the p sound, "If it helps, I can repeat it to you all in a haiku?"
A total groan rose up from the entire camp, but it did little to abate Apollo's eagerness to show off his talent in the realm of poetry.
"On blissful camp morn
young girl accuses me now
memories go poof."
Everyone stared in stunned astonishment as the realization settled in. I was just now starting to understand the implications of it myself. Carolyn was not only going to become a normal girl again- she wasn't going to remember any of this. She wasn't going to remember the quest, Alek, Erica… me. As if her being normal wasn't going to change things enough, now I had to deal with the reality that she wasn't going to even know who I was anymore.
Once again, those selfish thoughts jumped to the forefront of my mind, and I dreamed of taking her hand right then, and begging her not go through with it. Begging her just consider leaving her old life behind-
"Carolyn!" I heard Alek shout suddenly, and I looked up to see that the girl had taken off through the crowd, her brunette hair trailing wildly behind her. I could tell by the way that she ran that she was running to get away.
Being the clueless guy I was, I hesitated and just stood there like an idiot. It wasn't until my mother came up behind me, and tapped my shoulder, telling me to "go after her," that I finally ran after the girl.
She was a hard one to catch up to, though I wasn't surprised by that. She had been… was a track star after all. I found her hiding behind a cabin, her back up against the wall, and her face buried in her hands.
"Carolyn!" I gasped, heaving for air. She glanced up at me, her face red and puffy, as tears rolled down her cheeks. I didn't understand.
"Why-why are you crying?" I asked in puzzlement.
She sniffled, and wiped her face with her hands. "No reason," She replied.
I tensed my jaw. "You can't seriously be considering not getting the curse healed? Carolyn, this is a chance at your old life back. You deserve as much."
She turned away from me for some reason. "No, it's just… I'm not ready to forget some things."
Her answer caught me off guard. I shifted awkwardly on my feet. "Some things?" I asked.
Carolyn paused, and then turned around to face me once again, a pained semblance of a smile on her lips. "…someone," She added on.
It was then that I realized that letting go of Carolyn King was going to be the hardest thing I ever did probably. There was so much I would miss about her; things that not too long ago, I would barely have even noticed. Like the way her lips tugged to one side when she was trying to hide a smile or a laugh, or the way she rarely got embarrassed, but when she did, she subconsciously pulled all of her gorgeous brown hair to one side. I would miss the way those brown eyes could at one point be so easily accessed and read like a book, and then at another, they could hide their secrets behind a sleek, beautiful curtain of mystery.
Crap, I was doomed.
"I-um… Uh- " The stuttering came at the worst moment.
Carolyn looked down at the ground, and with a decisive sigh, she said, "We better get back to Apollo. Let's get this over with."
…..
When we got back to the lawn, I found the words to say a second too late.
"Carolyn, wait- "
Her hand left mine, and the moment- the opportunity was gone, as I watched her approach Apollo with determination. I felt Alek appear by my side, and he clasped a supportive hand on my shoulder.
"Are you ready?" Apollo asked, to which Carolyn only replied by nodding.
She was turned sideways towards me in order to face him, and I could notice the way her eyes kept fleeting back and forth between Apollo… and me. The god raised his hand towards her head, and gently began to lower it.
This was it. She was leaving before my very eyes, and I had done too little, too late-
"Wait- stop!"
Carolyn's voice echoed over the valley, causing Apollo's hand to freeze mid-air, mere inches away from her head. He quirked up an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?" He said, but Carolyn had already made her move.
And that move was towards me, and boy, what a move it was. In a few quick strides, Carolyn covered what little ground lay between us, and faintly rose up on her toes to press her lips to mine.
I would later on be told about the loud cheer that rang up from the crowd, full of whoopsand hollers, but in that moment, my brain registered nothing else but the absolute bliss that settled in my stomach, while at the same time, my heart doing light speed.
Carolyn caught me off guard, of course, which was so like her. She would probably always do that to me, and I think I could've grown to love that about her, had she not walked away that day.
Just as I was finally starting to lean into the kiss, she pulled away, and then softly leaned to one side, and whispered something in my ear. And with those final words, Carolyn King slipped out of my grasp, and walked back over to where Apollo stood, her lips tugging to one side, and her hair pulled completely to the other.
She never looked back at me.
I was pretty sure the entire Aphrodite cabin was crying, though for what reason, I couldn't exactly be sure. I remembered the actual goddess' words to me, when I spoke with Aphrodite in the back of the salon… "We can still make this work. Some drastic measures will have to be taken, but rest assured, your love life will be quite interesting."
Alek leaned over to me, and asked quietly, "What'd she say to you?"
Apollo touched his hand to Carolyn's head. There was a blinding flash of light.
"She said… come find me."
…
Epilogue coming up soon! I have a couple surprises in store for Percabeth, so be sure to come back to see that happens there.
Thoughts on LukexCarolyn ship name? Lurolyn or Caroluke?
