Thinking Out Loud - Clarisse La Rue

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓣𝓮𝓷

Third time's a charm in most cases, right? "Where am- UGH! Not again!" Alana looked around and saw pitch black, again. Well, maybe not.

"Alana. You need to-"

The huntress rolled her eyes very obviously. "Thanks dad. Just show up randomly, years later once again," she sarcastically praised.

"Stop. Listen to me!" The voice started getting angry.

The teen picked at her fingernails, purposefully making it look as rude as possible. "Uh no. I only listen to people who have been in my life and not just my last three dreams."

"Child, you are really testing my patience here."

Alana smiled to herself. "Good! That's what I'm going for. You won't even let me see you so why should I care?"

The voice sighed and muttered, "I hate doing this." Alana made a face. What was 'this'? Talking to her? Did he hate her? "Maybe next time. That's a long story."

"Mhm sure." There was a silence. Alana picked at her nails again, but this time the darkness was back in her arms. She groaned and looked around. "Look, do you know what this is about?"

"I was trying to explain it to you but someone's being a brat."

"A brat?!" The huntress's jaw dropped in offense. "Can you please explain how I'm not just matching energy here cause... hello??? Ignoring your child for her whole life seems like a big deal dude."

"She's right," a new voice said. Alana recognized this voice. She heard it in the first dream with the pitch black nonsense.

"But-" her father tried to argue with the woman but she cut him off.

"Why don't you just leave for now, try again tomorrow when you haven't pissed the poor kid off."

The male voice groaned and it got slightly lighter. More of a gray now instead of a pitch black. A figure slowly came out of the shadows. It was a tall and mysterious woman with pitch black hair and dark skin. "Hi young one," she smiled, walking closer. "I'm Nyx, sorry about your father by the way. He can be... difficult."

Alana just blinked a few times, staring at the woman in awe. "Hi, I'm Alana, but you probably knew that."

Nyx nodded. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. You're a wonderful kid."

"Thank you," Alana said softly. "Do you happen to know what this thing is? Seeing as my dad was being weird about it," she scoffed.

The goddess nodded. "It has to do with your father, because you guys are connected when he's near you, you'll start to become like him."

"So he's a shadow?" The archer deadpanned.

Nyx laughed. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Oh." Alana wasn't being serious, but apparently she was right.

"It shouldn't hurt you at all, don't worry," Nyx assured. "It might uh... I don't know how to say this... stain?"

Alana looked down at her hands. "Stain? That's so weird."

The goddess heard other voices and knew the demigod would be waking up momentarily. "I have to go, but it was great meeting you, Alana," she bent down and gave the girl a hug then disappeared.

Alana opened her eyes to a dark train car.

"I gotta say, that doesn't make a lot of sense to me." she heard Percy say.

"What doesn't make sense to you?" Annabeth asked.

Alana looked at her hands. Black. This time to her upper arm. Soon enough it would decrease though, but for how long?