Hey guys!
So, this is yet another one-shot in response to Gazing Into the Mist. Hope you guys like it and feel free to check out the others at the forum.
Now, about the fic itself, this is just my take on what Silena might have been feeling when she died.
Disclaimer: I don't own this characters.
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Cheers for reading!
"The Day You Slipped Away"
Everything was too bright.
Strangely, the venom didn't hurt. She just felt weak, as if she needed to sleep for a long time.
Silena knew what that meant. She was shutting down. She was dying.
As she lay on the ground with a thud, she couldn't help but be grateful. If it'd hurt, the story would be another.
And, after everything she had done, the least her friends deserved was for her to slip away silently.
After what seemed like an eternity, she felt trembling hands taking off her helmet. Even though it was night, everything somehow was brighter as it came off but she couldn't shield her eyes, she couldn't even voice her complaints.
When the pain left her, her strength disappeared too.
"Silena!"
Silena struggled to recognize the voice. She slowly glanced upwards.
Untamed black hair. Sea-green eyes.
Percy.
A tear rolled down Silena's cheek. She was not ready to die, especially as a traitor.
They deserved to know, though. They deserved to know who she was. They deserved to be at peace knowing that after that day, there's no traitor amongst them.
"It was me. I'm so sorry, Percy, I'm the traitor." Silena whispered, gulping as she noticed how hoarse her voice sounded. She wanted to escape when Percy's eyes widened in shock but she carried on stubbornly. "He told me I would save lives, that I'd stop the war. He lied, he killed Charlie. I'm so sorry, Percy."
Slowly, everything seemed to be growing darker. Silena swallowed down a sob. She didn't want to die.
More than anything, she wanted more time. She needed to make up for what she'd done, she needed to defeat Kronos herself so when her turn came, she would go to Elysium and be able to meet Charlie's eyes with pride.
She knew better though. The venom was still advancing, burning into her skin, killing her internal organs one by one.
She would die ugly inside and out. The irony of that fact almost brought a smile to her face.
A daughter of the beauty goddess dying ugly. Songs should be written about her.
Perhaps Charlie wouldn't recognize her. That'd be okay. She didn't know whether she wanted to encounter him, anyways.
The guilt was too great.
"You are going to be okay, Silena. Just hold on, okay? I need you to keep your strength." Percy was saying with as much confidence as he could muster but Silena glanced into his eyes and knew better than to hope.
In movies, dying people are calm, almost as if the certainty of their passing gave them the tranquility to face it bravely. They die peacefully, without complaints. They comfort their loved ones with their last breath, instead of the other way around.
'Perrhaps they didn't show their true feelings in order to give their loved one some peace of mind', Silena thought.
Because right then, as everything continued to grow darker, Silena was desperate. She needed to get up, to continue fighting, to clean her name.
She needed to live like a hero, not die like one.
She needed more time.
She focused one last time on the son of Poseidon, noticing with mild concern that it took her great effort to do so. "Tell everyone I'm sorry, Percy. Please."
And with that, she looked up towards the stars as she let out her last breath.
She didn't feel anything anymore.
She felt as if she's floating.
'Good,' she could only think. 'It doesn't hurt.'
And everything turned black.
It had taken a few hours for Clarisse to swallow down her pride and approach the son of Hades.
They had burned the shrouds that morning and the daughter of Ares hadn't let anyone but herself burn Silena's.
She was still struggling in accepting her friend's death. A part of her was certain she would be appearing at camp any day now, smiling and ordering everyone to stop crying and tell her the latest gossip.
Another part of her wished it could've been her the one who died instead of Silena.
The thing was, Silena deserved better.
And so did they. The living. They deserved more time with those they had lost. They deserved to not spend their lives grieving.
Clarisse quickly masked her feelings with a scowl as she approached Nico at the Dining Pavillion. Regardless of the mess she was right now, she had a reputation to mantain.
"Di Angelo." Clarisse called as she sat in front of the demigod. Fortunately, they were alone at the table. "I need a favour."
Nico looked at her almost with fear before glancing down at his food again. "What is it?"
Clarisse wanted to smirk and mock him but quickly decided against it. She was too tired to keep pretending and besides, she needed to control her strength and emotions until she actually heard his answer.
After hesitating, she finally leaned forward, her voice lowering into a whisper. "I was wondering...about Silena. Do you know if she's in Elysium? Do you know if she's with Charlie?"
Because if there's anything positive to take out of this situation, something that would keep Clarisse sane as she dealt with her grief, that was the knowledge that her two friends were together for eternity.
Nico cocked his head slightly as he studied Clarisse. Finally, he smiled slightly and nodded. "They are together."
Clarisse gulped, trying her hardest to swallow her tears. She carrasped as she stood up and reached forward to punch Nico's arm lightly. "Thanks, Death Boy."
Nico watched her leave, waiting for her to be far enough to sigh sadly.
He could feel Silena's struggle. She was dead against reaching Elysium. She didn't think of herself as deserving of it.
Perhaps he could help her.
For the sake of those alive.
Nico stood up to gather his things. Not for the first time, he wished he wasn't son of Hades.
He could feel their pain. The pain of the dead.