Chapter 6: Katie Gardner - Guilt
Author's Notes:
Katie's was super, duper fun to write! *:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*
Warnings: graphic displays of violence
Thank you to I'mALazyProcastinator for grammar checking this fic!
[Katie Gardner sat rigid in the chair, eyes on her hands. Her fidgeting hands tapped an irregular rhythm on the table in front of her. A box of tissue in the center of the table the only object dividing us in the Big House. By her side, Miranda Gardiner and an unknown older man stood. Former rock still and stoic. Latter casting worried glances to Katie every few minutes.]
Chaos. That was the only word to describe it. Absolute chaos. Ichor and blood everywhere. Dead bodies, both demigods and mortals, littered the streets. Monsters in every corner, every alley, and every street. Everybody was scared. They're lying if they tell you they weren't.
We weren't prepared in the slightest. I mean, yes, we were trained to kill monsters. To use a sword, spear, bow and arrows. To use any "godly powers" we had. But it's one thing to practice on a single, sometimes two or three dummies and another to actually kill a dozen, two dozens monsters dripping with your friends' blood. It's different. You're blinded with fear, adrenaline is pumping through your veins, your nerves telling you to slash at anything that so much as breath in your direction.
We weren't fighters and we're not powerful. Not like the way Ares, Athena, and Hephaestus cabins are. We used our powers to tend to the strawberry fields and to decorate our cabin. We weren't super smart or had instinctive weapon fighting skills. Yeah, we had Miranda and Clover who were the best at plant control, but most of us could barely spar one on one with our fellow campers let alone handle three or four monsters.
We were all shaking and crying. Praying to our mom to help us, protect us.
She didn't answer our prayers.
But we fought. We all stood up when the call was raised (unlike a certain cabin).
[The drumming grew faster. Miranda narrowed her eyes. Katie's gaze remained locked on the tissue box as she recounts the tale.]
We were assigned to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, the point where the Hudson and East River splits. Right where we could see the speedboats coming our way. I nearly vomited when I saw it was packed from front to back with monsters and demigods.
But something happened. The water swirled and waves rose and envelop the boats. We watched the river gods sink the enemy's boats and drown monsters and demigods alike. We could hear their screams of terror and cries for help from where we were. They treaded water for seconds before they were sucked down into the water.
I looked away. My brother started weeping. My chest tightened, like someone had their hand on my heart and they were slowly squeezing. They were our enemy but…
[Katie's eyes clenched. They reopened after a few moments, cold and controlled.]
We kept the younger children in the back. The older and more experienced on the front lines.
We lined both tunnels with vines and poison ivy and every other plant we could think off. We thought that if we could trickle the flow of monsters down to maybe two or three it would be more manageable.
It didn't turn out that way. Nothing goes your way when you're a half-blood.
They had some kind of poison. It destroyed and disintegrated our defenses within seconds. And in no time we were swarmed with monsters.
[Her voice held a slight tremble.]
It wasn't a huge surprise Trixie was the first to die.
A hellhound had rushed past me as I was occupied with an empousa. My sword clipped its shoulder but it continue to run. I could hear her terrified screams behind me, screeching, "Oh my gods, oh my gods, oh my gods," and the beast snarling and the clanging of metal. When I turned my head, she had her sword deep in the hellhound's shoulder joint before it turned into dust. Could you believe she didn't run away? I…I was so proud.
[A tear trickled down Katie's cheek and the drumming stopped. Miranda said in a warning tone, "Katie."]
She was so brave.
The bravest 10 year old I've ever met.
Another hellhound tackled her to the ground. Her sword clattered to the ground. She clawed for her weapon, screaming and crying, "Katie, please help me. Katie!" It dragged her from her calf, pulling her off to the side. I tried to save her. But I wasn't fast enough. Every second a monster would appear from behind, slowing me down. It took me two strikes to kill them. One strike too many. Trixie was being pulled further away from me. Soon she slipped from my vision. Then her screaming stop. I should have stopped there. It's clear that she'd d…
But I didn't.
I still thought I could save her so I followed the trail of blood.
I followed it to an alley. It had bitten her arms off and torn open her chest. It was still buried in her stomach when I walked up to it. The monster looked up right when I plunged my sword into its eye.
[Miranda tensed. She looked over to the right, to the open window, and I followed her gaze. Nothing out of the ordinary-wait, are the strawberry fields...are they...shaking? Katie's voice grew unsteadier.]
I remember thinking in that alley…
Trixie's dead. Trixie's dead. She's dead. I screwed up. She's dead because of me. But I'll be more observant next time. Stronger. Faster. I'll make sure no one else dies. I'll protect them.
So I grabbed her necklace and stuffed it in my back pocket before I ran back out to the battle.
We fought for so long. More and more monsters flooded in. We were being pushed back. Overwhelmed, running only on adrenaline alone. Monsters surrounded us on all sides. No one could help one another. We each probably had two to three monsters. The ones we slayed were soon replaced with another. And behind the lines of monsters, I could see them. Dressed in full Greek armor, shuffling around and kicking cans. Not one looked our way.
Damien was the next to fall. Clubbed to death by a giant, a stain of dark red on asphalt. I chopped the giant's limbs off, his pained screams did nothing to quell the fire in my chest, before I dug through the mess of what used to be my gardening buddy. I pocketed his necklace after beheading the giant.
I told myself there wouldn't be a next time.
Then Little Joshua was sliced in half by an empousa. I ripped out her vocal cords not a second after. Joshua's blank expression stared back at me when I slip the necklace out. I closed his eyes. Green, I remember, like mine. But just a shade darker.
A few moments later Henry was poisoned. By what, we have no idea. We brought him into the closest building. Me and two others were inside, the others were out fighting. Every second, Henry grew worse and worse. Seizures wrack his body, blood was erupting from every orifice of his body. We press our last remaining ambrosia to his lips, urging him to open and swallow. Whatever he eats, he throws up. Ambrosia and nectar don't work unless it's in your stomach. There was nothing I could do. I could feel the hand tightened. I stood up and turned to leave when he snagged the tips of my fingers. He gasped out, blood spurting everywhere, "It hurts, Katie. It hurts so bad. Please, please help me."
Henry looked at me with desperation. I wanted to plead with him. To hold out a bit longer. Maybe Will or some healer will come by. And he'll be fine. But it was a lie. I haven't seen Percy or Annabeth all day, who promised they'll go around and help us all. What are the chances Will is going to come by? He's with his cabin.
I took his hand into mine and nod my head. I tried to smile. I send the two out.
[More tears streak down her cheeks. Outside the sound of laughter ceased.]
Henry's necklace was the hardest to get.
We fought for a long time after that. No monster attacked me for some reason. I had to go find some to kill. Gradually, the battlefield began to clear out. I thought we'd won. I had forgotten about them. The demigods. They stood in the back, hiding behind the wall of monsters.
When we cleared the last of the monsters, they attacked.
I was so tired. I didn't want to fight them. They were just kids.
I would look at their faces and I would see Trixie, Joshua. They were terrified. And their knees were shaking so badly, I wonder how they ever manage to swing the swords.
I couldn't kill them. I couldn't.
But they didn't feel the same way. They fought with all they had. Every strike aimed to kill, no hesitation whatsoever.
I was careless. I didn't paid attention to the younger ones, only the older ones. I didn't see the dagger racing toward me. I thought it was the end but Clover…
Clover…Clover jumped in front of me. He was stabbed in the neck.
There was someone screaming, me or the stabber. Maybe both. Clover slumped against me. I pressed my hand against his wound, other hand digging through my nectar sack. I totally forgot I had used the last of it for Henry.
My chest hurt, burned, cracked when I hold Clover's body. His life was fading fast. That stupid idiot smiled, a joke as his last words. "Katie. Don't cry. You look like a tomato, and not a pretty one,"
[Katie's eyes clench shut.]
My chest hurt. I couldn't breathe. All I saw was red and Clover's quick, hot breaths hitting me in the face. Him telling me not to cry. That it'll be alright. To go and fight.
[The ground tremble.]
I couldn't breathe. I looked up from Clover's face-told myself that he wasn't smiling-and at his killer. It was a little girl, no older than Trixie. She was trembling. She looked at me in horror, the blade close to her chest. Still dripping. She stammered something but I didn't hear. There was a roaring in my ears. I-
[The walls rumble. The light overhead swayed. The man looked around in alarm Miranda shouted, "Katie!"]
She was no older than Trixie. Yet I-.
[There's screaming outside.]
I-
[Miranda grab Katie's shoulders. "Breathe, Katie. Breathe." She instructed in an even tone, but her eyes were wide and her grip a little bit too tight. I looked down, leaves sprouting from between the wooden boards. Vines crawl along the wall, enveloping items in a tight case.]
I killed her. I killed them, all of them.
[Katie pressed a hand to her forehead. A tree erupted from the ground beside my chair and I could feel the Big House trembling.]
I didn't mean to do it. I didn't want to kill them. I-I-I was protecting my friends. My family. The only family I have left. They're all I have left. I couldn't let anymore die. I had to do what I had to do.
I had nothing but them. They were all I had. All I had. And I couldn't even protect that.
[There was a hacking sound and Chiron burst through the door, machete in hand, his face saddened with pity. "Miranda, I believe it is time you and the little historian leave." Miranda already had her hand looped around my arm, leading me out, when Chiron spoke.]
[Miranda led me outside, to the back of her cabin. She sat down on the ground, chin resting on folded hands. I looked back at the Big House. The farmhouse was speared through the center by a tree. It hung 10 feet above the ground, still inching its way higher.]
We're sisters, you know. Katie and my dad are married. Been married for three years.
That's how I met Katie. That's how I came to Camp Half Blood.
Do you know about that huge hurricane two summers ago?
When Percy blew up Mount Saint Helen, he weakened a seal and Typhon was released. Did you watch the news? He was that hurricane that ravaged the northwest. As soon as I heard, I called home. My dad lived with Katie's in Idaho along with her grandparents, aunts, uncle, and cousin. He told us to stay here at Camp Half Blood because it's safer.
We stayed year round for the first time. The last we saw our parents was when they dropped us off last summer.
That day…that day, my father went down to Los Angeles to visit his parents. Hours after, Typhon stormed her hometown. Her dad, grandparents, uncle, aunts, and baby cousin. They all died.
That's what she meant. When she said we were all she had.
After the battle, she resigned. Said I would make a better counselor than her.
[Miranda picked up a rock in her hand and hurled it out into the field.]
I only accepted so she could maybe relax and find a way to deal. She didn't.
["What do you mean by that?"]
Just that. She didn't.
Chapter 7: Pity