There's Nothing Sweeter
Disclaimer: I don't own 'Harry Potter' or 'Percy Jackson'. All recognisable characters, content or locations belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Chapter Thirteen:
In the aftermath of the attack on camp and on Percy, Camp Halfblood's inhabitants were indisputably, irrevocably changed. There was a heaviness to everything that was said and done, a resolve in their training, and a grim determination in the set of every expression she saw. Occasions of frivolity were few and far between, and the heroes' high spirits had faded away like the tones of an old photograph.
Luke and Alabaster's defection had shaken them all to the core, and Gwen wondered if it was possible to recover from a betrayal like that. Was this how Sirius, James and Remus had felt when Peter had led the Lestranges and Barty Crouch Jr. to her family's door? Gwen didn't know, but even as she was effected by the bite of traitors, she hoped not.
It stung something fierce.
And that came from someone who didn't even like the assholes.
Brought from her thoughts as Percy stirred in his bed, Gwen sat up, shut the book she'd not been reading, and watched, vaguely creeper like, as the son of Poseidon slowly came to. She offered him a glass of nectar as he did so, he sipped at it mechanically, and blinked bleary turquoise eyes in Gwen's direction. He was probably wondering about her presence there, but in truth, she'd been wondering the same thing: what the hell was she doing?
"Wotcher," she greeted, "About time you returned to the land of the living."
"How long have I been out?" Percy rasped.
Gwen's expression was bland, tone dry. "You've been out for three days."
Percy repeated the words to himself, gaze squinted, and thoughts likely on how the hell he'd managed to stay unconscious for that long. Mind you, much of that time had been spent with the sons of Apollo ensuring that the great big slash that might as well have cut him in half, and the poison from the pit scorpion, wouldn't kill him, but unsurprisingly, Percy didn't know those minute details.
Not yet, anyway.
"What happened?"
"Luke tried to kill you," Gwen answered succinctly, "And Alabaster Torrington burned down half the camp. Afterwards, they both legged it. Connor and Travis are now the counsellors for the Hermes cabin, and the greater majority of the camp are out for blood."
Percy looked nonplused, but Gwen supposed it was a bitter pill to swallow. Luke had been the runt's mentor for a brief time, and it probably stung something nasty to know that the bloke had tried to kill him. Gwen was just irked that she'd not seen it coming, and had promised herself in the sleepless nights since that it would not be a mistake she'd repeat.
"What happens now?" Percy queried.
"Life goes on as normal," Gwen answered, and she genuinely tried to be lighthearted about it, "We train, we live, and when the right day comes, we make sure Luke Castellan knows he never should have messed with you."
"I like how you've just sort of involved yourself without really asking anyone else's opinion," Percy informed her, sardonic grin on his face and Gwen shrugged, shameless.
"He hurt my own. It won't happen again."
And that, Gwen was pretty sure, was the crux of it all. Like Lee, Silena, and the others, Percy Jackson had somehow wormed his way beneath her skin, and seemed pretty damn intent on staying there. As such, she had every intention of offering Luke Castellan his just desserts.
No one ever hurt one of hers.
Percy gave an appreciative smile, but before their conversation could progress, the infirmary door opened, and Annabeth entered, arms crossed over her developing chest. Gwen rolled her eyes, still irritated by the blonde's refusal to accept that Luke had defected, and with a brief farewell to the son of Poseidon, she departed, uninterested in observing the encounter between the two friends. A part of Gwen hoped Percy would give the daughter of Athena a much needed reality check, but Percy was the passive sort, and so it was likely that the blonde girl would continue on her denial train.
It was perhaps malicious of her, but Gwen looked forward to the day reality would relentlessly slap the girl across the face. Gwen hadn't known her before Percy's most recent near death experience, but in the few days since, constant exposure to the blonde, and her holier than thou attitude, had soured Gwen's perceptions, and the less time Gwen spent with Annabeth, the better for all involved.
At the open door to Chiron's office, Gwen pause, unsurprised to find the centaur and Mr D pouring over papers as though the written language was going out of style. Most of their time in the last few days, when not overseeing meals, and resolving disputes between campers, was spent in one or the other's office, sorting out arrangements to ensure that Camp Halfblood recovered from Luke and Alabaster's night of arson and grievous assault, respectively.
She knocked briefly, garnered both god and centaur's attention, and managed an approximation of a smile that wasn't.
"Just thought I'd let you know that Shark Boy's awake."
"Thank you, Gwen," Chiron acknowledged, but they both returned to their paperwork directly afterwards.
Gwen left them to it, retreated out of the big house, and took a moment to cast her gaze over the view that Camp Halfblood provided. It was sensational, really, timeless in its architecture, a place where the sky met the earth and sea. She wasn't one for art or architecture, but she thought the view was one she could never grow tired of.
"Its pretty spectacular, isn't it?"
"It is," she agreed, and smiled at Lee. He was one of the few people that still heralded such an expression, and the idealism of it all should have made her sick. "What are you doing here?"
The son of Apollo thumbed over his shoulder towards the infirmary, "My monitoring spells told me that Plankton was awake. Thought I should make sure he's not somehow managed to cut himself open again."
"You know Plankton was the evil villain?"
"Whatever," he answered, flippant, reached up, and brushed a callused thumb over her cheekbone.
It made her breath hitch.
"Are you sleeping at all?"
Gwen contemplated lying. She wasn't fond of admitting weakness, and Lee Fletcher was probably her greatest weakness of all. Blending those seemed like a recipe for disaster, but his cerulean eyes were earnest, his expression was concerned, and she couldn't bring herself to blatantly fib in his face.
So she diverted.
"Are you?"
Lee didn't drop his hand from her face. The heat of his palm seemed to burn right through her skin, to leave an impression deep within her that would never fade. They stared at each other though, defiant and challenging, a stalemate neither were willing to lose. They were both stubborn individuals, Gwen more so than Lee, but eventually, the son of Apollo's priorities took precedent, and he dropped his hand with a reluctant sigh.
"This conversation is not over, Sparky, but I unfortunately have a patient to attend to."
"Better get to him," she acknowledged, "But fair warning, you might have to pry Blondie off him."
He chuckled, low and sensual, and Gwen felt it to her toes. "I'll keep that in mind. See you later, Sparky."
Gwen watch him until he'd disappeared behind a turn in the house's hallway, and then she retreated towards the cabins, unsure of where to go from there. It was a Saturday,and that meant recreational time all day, but as the Hephaestus campers matched off against a few of the Hermes boys in a game of basketball, and the Aphrodite girls indulged in the lake, Gwen couldn't muster up the enthusiasm to join any of her friends.
Eventually, she wound up at the base of Thalia's tree, writing letters against a slate propped on her thighs. That didn't occupy her for long though, because the letter stream had slowed, and she'd only had a few letters to write before her mind was free to wander, to Neville, to Percy, to the trouble brewing on either side of the Atlantic. Instinct told her that both boys would be smack in the centre of everything, and she wondered drearily if they would be able to do what they needed to.
"I feel like there should be a storm cloud over your head, the way you're brooding," Katie observed. She paused thoughtfully. "Heh. That would be rather fitting."
Gwen eyed her, unimpressed. "Are you trying to be funny?"
Katie shrugged nonchalantly, settled beside Gwen, and cast her gaze across the camp. She pulled her knees to her chest, propped her chin on her knees,and hugged her legs close, but her brown eyes remained on the camp, and Gwen wondered what she saw.
Did she see warriors training for the unknown? Did she see kids far out of their depths? Maybe she saw young men and women forced to grow up too fast.
"What's up, Katie?" Gwen queried.
Katie shrugged. "Just wanted to make sure you're alright. Its been a hectic few days."
Gwen huffed her agreement, brushed flyaway strands of her hair out of her face, and shrugged. "I'm fine."
Katie eyed her, unconvinced. Gwen grimaced her displeasure, asked herself when she'd become so transparent, and shook her head. She had no interest in pursuing the subject, not with lee, not with Katie, not with anyone, not now and not ever.
"Seriously, Katie, just drop it, okay?"
The girl huffed but relented, Gwen packed her satchel, and they both returned to the cabins in silence. The daughter of Demeter joined her siblings, Gwen settled on the porch of her own cabin, and she watched, inexplicably lonely, as the various campers spent time with their cabin mates. The attack seemed to have brought the cabins closer as family, and Gwen was more conscious of the fact that she was the only child of Zeus alive.
Again, Gwen Potter was alone.
Maybe it was better that way.
Then she caught sight of Lee Fletcher, sans t-shirt in the summer sun, and then she remembered that, no, loneliness wasn't worth it at all. It never would be.
Author's Note: I've become weirdly good at writing slow-moving romance. Considering my own experiences, this is strange. Meh.
Whew guys, I have four assessment pieces left of my second year at university. Two of them are due on Monday, the other two are exams, and I want to hate my sister because all she has left are exams, that bitch.
Anyway, leave a review. Thanks for reading. Until next time, -t.