𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒 [pjo]

seventeen; roses in full bloom

━━━roses in full bloom

.・゜゜・───・゜゜・．

Callahan's head pounded, the ocean breeze tossing loose strands around her face. The water reflected against the smooth wood of the Argo II brilliantly, shards of pretty blue and green dancing off the surface. It was close to 9 for Callahan, the deck empty of everyone and the whirring of Festus softly reaching her ears. She moved down, sitting cross-legged on the deck with her back to the rigging.

In moments like these, Callahan felt she could breathe and ignore the world, ignore the fact that they were racing toward certain death. She was only 17 years old and she had already experienced death twice and had more brushes with death than an 85-year-old. 

"It's a funny thing, isn't it?"

Callahan jumped, whirling around to find a man in a trenchcoat sitting beside her. His hair was wispy and thin, like a baby's, near white in the starlight, and his coat moved like a mirage with each breath he took. He faced forward, head tipped up to the half-moon, and Cal could only make out the slope of his nose, the curve of his jaw. 

"Death, that is. Is it the beginning, or the end?" 

Callahan couldn't move, her whole body frozen beside the strange man, but she recognized the voice. It tickled at the back of your head, whispering there. 

"Morpheus, the guy from my other near-death experience." 

The god nodded, turning to smile at her, but Callahan couldn't even make out his eyes. His whole face was a mirage, a mess, and Cal couldn't find any defined features. 

"Yes, that." His voice echoed, sounding like multiple were talking at once, "That's why I'm here."

Cal turned to look behind her, craning her neck to look at the dark waters below.

"Where are we?" 

The god beside her smiled, gesturing vaguely to the world around them. All of this felt like the punchline to some stupid joke, the opening line to a Tumblr poem. 

"well," Morpheus smiled, "We're still on the Argo." 

Callahan nodded, turning her head up to the midnight above. The soft stars were bright against their black backdrop, filtering light touching the world around her. They were brighter than normal, but maybe that's expected in the middle of the ocean. 

"I'm here to give you advice, Hye-Jin." Morpheus never looked at her, not once while his lips pulled up into a misty smile, "because I like you." 

She snorted, "A god liking a mortal never ends well." 

Morpheus nodded, "That is true, but I digress..." He stood, offering a milky-white hand to pull Cal up to. When she took it, it was soft and cold almost like a mist,  and a violent shiver ran down her spine. "I still want to help." 

He began to walk, arms wrapping around Cal's shoulder and chilling the skin beneath.

"I'm going to tell you a story, and you're going to find something in it that's going to help you on your journey." 

Callahan nodded and swallowed, stepping away from the arm over her shoulder. The god didn't even turn to look at her, instead stretched his arms out in a sweeping gesture. Flowers bloomed across the starboard side and hull, brilliant reds and pinks, soft whites and creams, deep green and emerald covering the mahogany. The colors were unreal, bright and shining against the dark skies and the warm wood, sweet scents strong thanks to the blowing wind. 

"There was a girl whose mother cared, and she cared a little too much. The world was a dangerous place, and the little girl's mother understood that." 

the tune of Mother Knows Best filled Cal's head,

 "She warned her away from things," The god continued, "things like the forest, the skies, the crowded streets, and most importantly, the ocean. She told her that the cool waters were bad for her, would turn for an instant and drag her beneath its churning waves. But the little girl didn't listen, and she escaped into the ocean whenever her mother wasn't watching. At first, the ocean was kind to her, playing with her, enveloping her with the warmth of its sweets motion. But then, the waters turned, dragging her into its black-blue depths to drown her in its beauty." 

Morpheus came to stop in front of her, handing her a beautiful soft pink rose that shone in the starlight. 

"You know what that story means, Hye-Jin." He leaned down to kiss her forehead, cool shivers running out from the place his lips touched, "be careful." 

.・゜゜・───・゜゜・．

When Cal woke up the world was quiet and still, children tucked away in their own beds and for once, neither Percy nor Annabeth were standing vigil by her bedside. It had been a day since Cal's dive into the water, and she was recovering nicely according to Coach Hedge, the apparent medical expert. She groaned, heaving herself up into a sitting position and pushing her hand against the pounding headache, except her hand wasn't empty. Something smooth and silky brushed across the skin of her cheeks and she swallowed, pulling her hand away. 

In it was a soft pink rose, white and simple against her white sheets, burning cold against Cal's clammy hands. She shrieked, throwing the delicate flower against her door and shoving her back against the wall behind her. The room felt too still and stifling, thick and heavy silence pressing in on Cal's ears, her breath coming out in small and fast pants. She scrambled up and out of her bed, rushing for the door and leaving a wide berth around the rose in the way, and ran down the wooden floors to slip into Annie's dark bedroom. 

The blonde's hair glowed under the dim lighting, milky and golden against black pillows. Callahan didn't say anything as she moved to curl against her, simply swallowed down her jumping heart and tightened her grip on Annie. The teen smiled softly in her sleep, arms winding around Cal and pulling her closer. 

Callahan fell asleep to the smell of lavender and dreams of blooming roses. 

━━━roses in full bloom

.・゜゜・───・゜゜・．

a/n; everyone's telling Cal Percy's gonna be her doom 👀👀

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