Hola! I know you Zena fans will love this chapter.
Sorry for not doing review replies yesterday. I suck. If you asked me a question you wanted me to reply, please re-ask in review.
Oh, and I may or may not update tomorrow. I'm crazy busy and have morning practice thurs so I can't stay up late. Sorry.
Hey, you guys should all read Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson. I finished it and it was really good! That family was so f***ed up it was hilarious! Best part was when the entire family flipped an entire restaurant! Epicness! I had to keep from cracking up in English when I was supposed to be listening to teacher. But Nook makes it easy to read in class (Which I shall be doing in ONE WEEK! AHHHHHHHH!)
So, the MoA cover...anyone else thinking 'Jason...Percy will kick your f***ing ass!' ? I am! CAMP HALF-BLOOD ALL THE WAY! WOOOTWOOOT! Now, I like Jason well enough, but Percy kicks his f***ing ass.
Oh, whoopies, you defeated a titan.
Percy defeated like four.
Led a victorious war.
Was involved in 4 minor-ish prophecies.
Plus two (or however many) mini quests.
He beat a f***ing god (THE GOD OF WAR) when he was TWELVE!
F*** that s*it Jason!
Percy wins.
Your argument is invalid.
Guys, no joke, my World History teacher's first name is Athena. I am NOT joking.
Omigod, all you other Percabeth fans gotta look up Percabeth: Chuck Norris Style. It's f***ing hilareus!
Since it was all reviews, I'm just gonna go straight to replies. BUT YOU ALL GET VIRTUAL HUGS IF YOU ARE LISTED BELOW!
Meepmeep123: ;) And yeah, thankfully we were able to save a lot, but yeah. Still sucked.
Kip00: Aw! That means so much! Thank you!
Storm35-50: Ha. Yeah, I'm one of those odd kids who's really good at spitting out random shit in essays in ten minutes on a labtop...I'm really good at 'fluffing'. ;) And, ha. Whenever I hear a Vball girl complaining about practice I wanna be like "Huh, that's funny. I didn't see you at practice this morning. Oh, yeah. You guys don't have morning practice." And I'm also that odd kid who does her homework DURING classes, either in the class its assigned or the next class, so I've had minimal HOMEwork this year so far. ...so...yeah. I'm THAT kid. The really nerdy one.
mrpuppy: Right? I always want that (HELLO FANFICTION!) And I love doing Zack's PoV, but I also love doing Lena's and the story is kinda centered around her, but I love throwing in the occasional Zack's PoV of heartfelt moments and you guys don't seem to mind. ;)
The Avian-Olympian: Ha. I don't see the connection but I've done that plenty of times where I see a connection between two things and my friends look at me like I'm high. And I thought it would be cool for y'all to see how everyone kinda views Percy and Annabeth, in contrast to who they really are. I always found that an interesting topic. How will they be remembered? How will they be viewed? Well, you just got a look at that. :)
TezzPJFan: Yeah, they suck. :) And don't worry, he will. I have a REALLY GOOD (or bad, depending on your PoV) memory of Lena's for him to see! HEEHEEHEEHEE! I'm really excited to write it. AND YAY! What's your fave bands?
thuyngan.2111: Thanks! And this is obvi my first High School year cuz I'm a freshman, but I;ve been doing the local summer swim team since I was seven. So I just finished my 8th year, while most people my age have been doing it for 4 or 5 years most. :) I mean, we have lots of little people who do it, just not many stick with it. For me, summer=swim like fall=school(and now high school swim). It's a part of life for me. I don't love it all the time (sometimes I REALLY REALLY HATE IT!) but I can't imagine not doing it, ya know?
Pandastyle: Dude, that made me crack up! You always make me laugh! Ha! I think in like fifth or sixth grade my friend and I devised a plan to get rid of all the gods we didn't like and for Poseidon to become supreme god of everything that is awesome. :) We enjoyed it. In sixth grade it was funny learning about Greek Gods cuz I had a personal opinion about each god due to the PJO series! :D And we would do these games where we had to name the gods, and other teams found me an unfair advantage. ;) My teacher made me take two steps back from the buzzer and put hands behind back. I still got the point. :) And, sadly, no. I was busy and too engrossed in this story.
Soccer688: THANKS! And with great reviewers I will!
Kip00(again): Ha, I was typing reviews when my phone vibrated with [New Review]. :) ANd your welcome! Thank you for reviewing!
Anyhoo. Yeah. :)
Song: Absolutely (Story of a Girl) by Nine Days.
Lyrics: Hero by Skillet.
You'll see the connection to the song and story later on in chapter. :)
I'm just a step away
I'm just a breath away
Losin' my faith today
(Fallin' off the edge today)
I am just a man
Not superhuman
(I'm not superhuman)
Someone save me from the hate
It's just another war
Just another family torn
(Falling from my faith today)
Just a step from the edge
Just another day in the world we live
[Chorus:]
I need a hero to save me now
I need a hero (save me now)
I need a hero to save my life
A hero'll save me (just in time)
I've gotta fight today
To live another day
Speakin' my mind today
(My voice will be heard today)
I've gotta make a stand
But I am just a man
(I'm not superhuman)
My voice will be heard today
It's just another war
Just another family torn
(My voice will be heard today)
It's just another kill
The countdown begins to destroy ourselves
[Chorus]
I need a hero to save my life
I need a hero just in time
Save me just in time
Save me just in time
Who's gonna fight for what's right
Who's gonna help us survive
We're in the fight of our lives
(And we're not ready to die)
Who's gonna fight for the weak
Who's gonna make 'em believe
I've got a hero (I've got a hero)
Livin' in me
I'm gonna fight for what's right
Today I'm speaking my mind
And if it kills me tonight
(I will be ready to die)
A hero's not afraid to give his life
A hero's gonna save me just in time
[Chorus]
I need a hero
Who's gonna fight for what's right
Who's gonna help us survive
I need a hero
Who's gonna fight for the weak
Who's gonna make 'em believe
I need a hero
I need a hero
A hero's gonna save me just in time
It's so incredibly perfect because, beside the perfect lyrics, both a boy and a girl sing! It's AMAZING for this!
Disclaimer: If I was Rick Riordan, I would know what happens in MoA (Instead of being driven mad by cryptic hint dropped on the facebook page).
READ ON!
Tears feel with rapid succession, without permission or grace. Sobbing was not an attractive ordeal, like it would be on most TV shows. It was a sloppy ordeal with awful sounds. Embarrassment flooded me. I just covered my eyes in shame.
"Lena, it's okay." Zack told me soothingly.
I shook my head. "Don't tell me that," I mumbled. "Don't tell me something that false. My life, especially right now, is nothing but okay."
"Okay, then it will be okay." He amended.
I shook my head again. "Don't promise me something that you can't be sure of. Don't promise me something..." I faltered.
Zack pried my hands away, his eyes filled with sympathy. I searched his eyes for pity, but saw none. I saw no remorse. He cared, but he did not see me as small or weak.
How could he not see me so? I surely see myself so.
His beautifully perfect eyes stared into my broken, hard eyes. "What is it, Lena?"
"Don't promise me something I so desperately want." I said quietly.
He was about to say something when Alexa walked in and leaned against the door frame. "Am I interrupting?"
"No." I said immediately, my voice a little too high.
She looked back and forth between Zack and I. "Uh-huh," she said, unconvinced. "Mind if I steal the girl?" She asked Zack. "Consider it a family matter."
Zack paused, looking uncomfortable, but we owed her and he knew it. "Sure." He stood and left after one last fleeting glance at me.
Alexa looked back at me, studying my every movement, which were few due to soreness. Her eyes were gray and intelligent, but they held a deeper emotion that was concealed to most. They were like my mothers eyes.
The connection made me have to swallow the lump in my throat.
"Is it true?" Alexa asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"My parents?" I croaked. "The famous Jacksons?" I laughed bitterly and weakly. "Yeah. Yay me. I'm just that lucky." I swallowed the urge to cry. Crying in front of Zack was different, not enjoyable, but somehow acceptable. I would not cry in front of this stranger.
She looked at me, as if sensing my anguish. "I doubt that." She told me as she sat at the edge of my bed. "Heroes are great and all, but...well, they tend to have a lot of villains who want them, and anyone they care about, dead."
I scoffed. "You don't know the half of it."
She frowned, as if this frustrated her, but nodded. "You're right, I don't. I'm not sure I wish to." She sighed. "Listen, I don't know what it's like to be a literal Jackson, but I somewhat know what it's like to live under their shadow, as does Poseidon's cabin. They expect us to be as great, as heroic, as intelligent. We're not, and even if we were, we don't really have the chance to prove it."
"Alexa I need your help." I said suddenly.
She stood straight. "With?"
I bit my lip. "Call a meeting or council or whatever you guys call it. Bring whoever you'd like to have a say. I don't care, but...shit is going down out west and they need our help."
"They?" She asked. "The Romans?"
"The gods." I corrected. "And I'm not really one to fight for them, but this is big. The-entire-Western-Civilization-could-be-wiped-out big."
"What do we need to do? What's the threat?"
"At the meeting." I told her. "For now, help me stand."
She frowned. "Shouldn't, uh, Zack help you with that."
"He cringes whenever I do."
Alexa paused, and then nodded, understanding. "Alright, buck up, hero. This is gonna hurt like a Hellhound bite."
I grimaced. "Been there, done that."
She just chuckled. "Of course you have." Then she pulled on my shoulders, helping me stand. I bit my lip to keep from shouting in agony. The pain was fierce and intense. "Where to?" She asked.
I couldn't open my mouth, otherwise I'd scream, so I looked to the bathroom, and she nodded, understanding. She got me to the counter and let go, allowing me to lean on the sink.
"I'll get you some nectar."
I stared in the mirror, barely recognizing myself. "Alexa." I said.
"Yeah?" She called.
"Do me a favor, run back to my cabin and grab my pack."
She came in, holding a glass of nectar. "Will you be fine without me?"
"I'll be fine." I said quickly.
She set down the glass and jogged out. I fell to the floor and practiced standing on my own. The pain was severe, but manageable.
Five or so minutes later she returned. I reached in and grabbed a pair of shorts and a sports bra.
"Do you need help?" Alexa asked. I immediately wanted to shut her down, but I paused. "It's okay if you do," she told me. "Battle wounds happen, but they make a great story for later."
I allowed a small smile to form as she walked over and helped me undress, and then redress. When I was standing in just a sports bra and shorts, I turned my attention to the nectar. I found a washcloth and dabbed it in the glass. I then dabbed it on my bruised areas, which was everywhere.
My stomach and sides were more blue and purple than the tan-ish color my skin usually was. My neck had a ring around it made of welting bruises. My nose was probably broken, but mended while I was unconscious. I felt like there was a chance I'd bruised or broken some ribs, but those had also been repaired. I was also still vaguely aware of the ringing in my ears. Head injury? Could Apollo kids fix that?
The bruises that would no doubt appear on my face had yet to arrive fully, but you could still see them. I figured some Apollo magic went there, but I also knew they'd show eventually.
I had just begun to dab my neck when I heard an intake of breath to my right. I turned and saw Zack in the doorway, taking in all of my injuries. I hadn't wanted him to know how injured I was.
Alexa noticed the tension. "I'll go about getting that meeting set up. I'll set it for in an hour, if that's cool?"
No one responded.
She just nodded and made a non-discreet exit.
Zack just stared at my bruises and welts. "Lena..." he said, emotional pain effecting his voice.
"Zack, it's nothing. " I tried to tell him.
He took a cautious step forward. "Don't tell me that."
"I've had worse." I lied.
He shook his head, unbelieving. He reached me and gingerly put his hand on my face. I found myself leaning in without realizing.
"Gods, Lena..."
"I'll live," I insisted.
"I know that." He said, rather roughly. "But you're in pain NOW, Lena. That's my concern."
"Pain is my stalker, Zack. He's annoying, but he's always there. You get used to it after a while."
"Don't give me that bull shit." He said, uncharacteristically stern.
His eyes flickered to the mirror and something in his expression changed. "Turn around." He told me. Not wanting to start an arguement, oddly, I did as he told.
I heard his intake of breath as he saw the foot-sized bruise on my back. But then he brushed my hair over my shoulders and I felt a hand graze over my lower back.
Over my tattoo.
I stiffened.
"Your parents." He said plainly.
An urge to cry made itself known, but I shoved it away. "Yeah. They loved horse-drawn chariots. It was kind of their thing. You know, Poseidon and Athena working together."
"How long have you had these?"
I thought about that. "The one on my neck...four years? The bottom one...I, uh, got a couple months after my parents death."
"When you were nine." He stated, his tone unreadable.
I frowned, not understanding what he was thinking, which frustrated me. He always seemed to know what I was thinking. "Yeah," I said. "There's some sketchy places. Got a wad of cash and they'll tattoo just about anything, anywhere, on anyone. It obviously worked to my benefit. So, uh, does having a loaded gun." I added quietly.
"A loaded gun. At nine." He repeated.
"My ninth year was not a pleasant one." I stated simply.
Slowly, Zack turned me around, knowing I was not exactly light on my feet right now. His blue eyes were filled with emotions. Perhaps a person with basic knowledge of human emotions could decipher it, but I sure couldn't.
Zack stroked a hand over my cheek, mindful of the bruises. "I'm sorry." He said.
"Why? For what?"
"I wasn't there soon enough. I didn't stop them well enough. I didn't want anything to happen to you and it did."
"I don't need a hero, Zack."
"That doesn't mean you don't deserve one." He said, believing in it wholly.
"How can you say that?" I finally got the courage to ask, after all this time.
He frowned, thrown. "What do you mean?"
"I mean...Zack, look at you." I said, struggling for how to put this correctly. "You're kind. I'm not. You're brave. I'm not. You're heroic. I'm not. Zack, I don't get why you stay with me. Sure, I can try to act like I'm heroic and brave, but I really am not. I gave up on kindness a while ago. I'm not pretty, I'm broken and frail. I'm scared shitless at just about everything."
I stared into his eyes. Right into them.
"I scare myself, Zack. I don't know what I'm capable of, and I fear the day I'll find out. And I don't want you to be there when I do."
He just stood there for a year.
Then two.
Then ten.
Then I lost track.
Then he kissed me. He gripped my face with his hands and pulled me to him. It was passionate, and while it hurt my aching body, I wrapped my arms around my neck. He helped me up onto the counter so I wouldn't have to stand. He came close and I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer to me. Maybe he would finally realize I wasn't good enough for him. Either way, I never wanted to let go.
Our other kisses had been soft, caring and careful. This was different. I felt my blood pound and my heart race. Everything was faster, and everything was slower. I knew of only one thing.
I was on a countertop, kissing Zack, with my legs wrapped around him, wearing only a sports bra.
But, unlike his half-brother, Zack was not one to take advantage of the situation. So while I had no idea what brought this heated desire on, I fully encouraged it.
If I thought danger and recklessness made me feel alive, it was nothing to how I felt now. That made me feel alive in the sense of that I was aware that I could die at any moment, but if I were to die, not much would be affected.
This...this made me aware that I actually had something to lose and I had something to gain. I had something to live and fight for that wasn't just a slipping echo of my dead parents.
My right hand gripped at his hair while my left was on the back of his neck, pressing him closer to me. He, too, had one hand in my hair. His other hand was carefully around my waist, below my bruise, as to not hurt me.
When he eventually pulled away, which saddened me, we were breathing raggedly, yet in synchronism, as if we were still connected. Or perhaps we always were. I wouldn't know.
"First of all," he said when he had enough breath to speak, "You're brave beyond belief, whatever made you think otherwise..." he just shook his head, but then leaned it against my own. "Second of all, wasn't it you who said heroism is over rated? Either way, I truly believe you have the makings to be a great hero, but only if YOU want to be. Not if some gods force you to be. Third, you can be kind if you want to be, it just takes you awhile to warm up to people." A small smile formed on his lips at that.
"Fourth," he continued, "I'm not interested in you because of your stunning beauty, your much more than that, but while we're on the topic, I can honestly say I've never met anyone more beautiful, internally or externally, in my life."
I was choked up, but I managed to say, "but you live with Aphrodite's kids." I'm not sure if I meant it as a joke or not.
"Exactly." Was all he had to say. "They're fake. They're attempting to reach an impossible goal, perfection. You embraced imperfection long ago and that make you radiate internal beauty. External beauty..." he smiled, "That's just a lovely bonus."
"And broken?" He went on. "We're all broken, aren't we? Sure, you a little more than the rest of us, but does that matter? All wounds can be healed, if you let them be. Frail? Lena...look back on your life, I only know a small portion and I know I wouldn't be able to survive that. That takes genuine strength, of all kinds and of all definitions."
"Don't tell me you're not scared of me," I said, very quietly.
"Okay. Fine." He said. "You scare the shit out of me too. But do you know why?" He questioned. I thought of many replies, but doubted any of them were true.
"I'm afraid I'll lose you. " He said. "I'm afraid about being afraid of losing you. I've never been so dependent on someone before. I'm afraid I won't be able to heal you. I'm afraid I won't be able to save you. I'm afraid you don't need saving, because I want to be able to save you." He looked into my eyes.
"Lena, I'm afraid you won't love me the way I love you."
Shock scarcely covers the emotion I was feeling. Perhaps there was a name for the emotion I was feeling, but I didn't know it.
"I know you still have your skeletons, Lena. You still have your walls and you're comfortable in your little shut-in box, but you gotta break out. I can weaken the walls, but you gotta do the rest. You've trapped yourself. You created these walls to block out pain, and instead you locked yourself in with it. Don't you want freedom."
The word "Yes" escaped my lips.
Zack smiled. "Then you gotta meet me halfway."
"I...I'm trying." I said. "I am."
Zack kissed me gingerly, much softer than our previous kiss. "I know, Lena."
"You don't know everything about me," I told him. It wasn't an insult, it was a statement, a warning.
He nodded. "I know."
"It's not all good. A lot of it's really, really bad."
He nodded again. "I know," he repeated.
The perfection of the moment consumed me, broken only by the pain of my bruises. Zack saw my unintentional wince. "Nectar time." He said, beginning to pull away.
"Wait," I said suddenly, pulling him close again. I pressed my lips to his for just a moment, then pulled away, smiling. "Okay, now."
He let me stay sitting as he helped me put nectar on my wounds.
Maybe it was the head injury, or maybe it was my ecstasy.
But I felt giddy in the head.