I'll Protect You (Re-Edit #2, 2016)

Don't correlate exams with the pursuit of happiness--exams are hell

 Dedicated to The_BookMobster -- a year ago, she sent in this lovely banner and because I'm in love with all the banners that anyone makes me, I wanted to showcase them (again) in the revamped version. (art credit goes out to Viria, a fantastic artist). Also, this honors the PJO series, which has come to end officially as of yesterday.

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"I can't believe we're missing finals," Logan muttered under his breath while he pulled on a black sweater. I looked up from my book of fairy tales to watch my bodyguard zip up his black bag and when he looked up, catching my eye, his scowl deepened.

"Stop laughing at me," he snapped.

"I'm not laughing!" I defended instantaneously.

"Then what's that on your face?"

"It's a smile, Logan."

"Why are you smiling?"

"Are you trying to stop me from smiling? That is a violation of my pursuit of happiness. This is unconstitutional!" I cried out, only to have a pillow thrown at my face.

"By your reasoning, denying me my right to take my exams is a violation of my pursuit of happiness, isn't it?" Logan countered.

"Since when has taking exams equated to pursuit of happiness? Isn't it more of a pursuit of hell?"

It had been exactly twelve hours since the incident at the gas station. After several interrogations by the agents of XYZ, we had all been driven home by Elijah. Except for Trent, that is, who was forced to stay behind so that the agents could have a long talk with him on what exactly happened—poor kid.

After we had dropped the Unholy Trinity off to their respective homes (with Elijah dropping subtle threats as each of them climbed out of his car), we had gone straight to my cousin's apartment above the coffee shop. In three hours, Elijah had organized a private jet that would leave for Cimeria tonight.

Elijah then left to put together our luggage, returning with two bags and a cheap red wig in just forty-five minutes. Afterwards, he headed up to the gas station to take care of any remaining business before he would return to deliver us to the airport.

Ten minutes ago, Logan finally came to the realization that he would be missing the summer finals. And for the past ten minutes, he hadn't shut up about it. Frankly, I was more than ready to chuck the encyclopedia of fairy tales I had at his head.

"Catarina will probably have us take it at the palace under supervision," I said. "Calm down, Cross, or you'll end up giving yourself a panic attack."

Logan took a seat at the end of the bed I sat on, tilting his head to a forty-five degree angle  as he gazed at me. "You just got attacked by a group of people who were hunting for you--they were an hour away from Paradise. How are you so....relaxed about this?"

My brother had always been the calm one in a tough situation. Growing up with him, I could always count on him to be the light in the storm, the balance to the chaos surrounding the situation we'd get ourselves into. He had been anyone could lean on. When he left, I had taken it upon myself to be the one with a clear head.

"I'm Captain Park Sparrow," I answered with a flip of my hair. "They'll never catch me."

Logan's only response was a roll of his tawny eyes before he drew out his phone. Soon, he was invested in whatever he was reading, while I tossed the book aside, a boredom inside of me gnawing at my dying energy.

So I swung my legs off the bed and began wandering around my cousin's apartment in search of something to pass the time. Elijah had stacks of books surrounding his tea-stained and crumb infested coffee table. His large paint canvases were laid against the brick walls and the paintbrushes littered the ground, lying amongst palettes and dried-up water jars.