mr. perfectly fine; percy jackson¹

bonus chapter 001

with her umbrella in one hand, serena dashes away from the creepy store. she is not feeling any more safe when she is walking back to her house. serena walks quickly, in case someone is following her. she keeps glancing back, but all she can see is the raindrops falling to the ground.

her hair is wet, but she tells herself she will dry it later (although imperfections like that really do bother her). the front gate is closed, and when serena tugs on it, the gate doesn't move. she sighs. she knows she'll have to climb over the brick wall if she wants to get in unnoticed, but she's also carrying a bag of cardstock, an umbrella, and a box of gummies. serena fishes in her pocket for something useful. she finds a neatly folded reusable bag that she had forgotten about. she rolls her eyes. she should've remembered earlier.

serena unrolls the rolled up bag and carefully places her items inside. she also hesitantly puts in her umbrella, promising to change clothes once she got back inside. she shoulders the bag and takes a deep breath. serena grabs onto the cracks in between the bricks and climbs. for once, she's thankful for the rock climbing wall at camp half-blood. although there are a few cuts on her skin by the time she reaches the other side, she's made it over alive and isn't feeling too tired.

walking in the shadows to prevent being caught on camera, serena walks behind a row of trees and rose bushes. she pauses for a second, looks at the deep red roses and the dark green leaves. serena bites her lip, trying to get her body to move, but she can't. she eyes linger on the thorns. she remembers this place.

the rose bushes bring back many memories, and they remind serena of one person. the one person she would be leaving behind. serena tells herself to breathe. she squeezes her eyes shut and tries to calm her mind. her head is beating wildly — she knows she cannot stall any longer, but she feels like she's no longer in control of her body.

against her will, serena kneels down on the ground. she reaches for one of the rose petals, careful to not let any fall. she sees many thorns by the flower, and decides to touch one, just to see how it feels. the wound hurts. she's bleeding, but it feels more like a the-doctor-is-taking-a-sample-of-my-blood rather than a-monster-just-stabbed-me kind of wound.

she's sure the bleeding will stop soon. finally, her legs allow her to proceed forward. the gardens surrounding the house are utterly enchanting, with perfect, round, red apples on tall apple trees and rows of colorful flowers.

a small smile tugs on her lips as she walks through the garden. it seems like the fates are trying to show serena what she would leave behind if she did pull through with her plan, which makes the serene smile on her face turn into a wistful one. she wishes she could stay — she really does. but she wonders what good it would be for the world. staying would only help one person; serena's sister.

but serena didn't want to stay. she didn't want to go back to camp and see the taunting faces of the campers, jeering at her for being a traitor. she always wonders what the word traitor meant. she knows a traitor is someone who betrays a group or principle, but she has a feeling that the word means so much more than that.

luke is a traitor. silena is a traitor. a traitor to who? to the gods.

serena is a traitor to the gods too.

she also betrayed kronos and the titans.

by the time she reaches her room, her mind is thinking wildly. she feels like she should write down her definition of a traitor, just so she can get it off her mind. she knows she shouldn't, but the thought seems too inviting for her to resist.

she's already running behind schedule because of her rose bush delay. serena knows if she wants to stick to her plan she won't be able to dry her hair and change into dry clothes, but she doesn't feel like serena is she doesn't. she doubts anyone will hear the blow dryer, as her family could sleep through the whole titan war without suspecting a thing (they did, actually).

the clock is ticking when serena finishes. she quickly unpacks the items she bought and places them on her desk neatly. she uses the pen to write the letters, in her usual neat handwriting. but when she finishes, she only has a few minutes left and knows she can't write her meaning of traitor in good handwriting or else she'll be too late.

serena's essay on the definition of traitor is not very organized or good looking, but it is legible (which in her situation, is good enough). serena opens her closet and pulls out the mahogany box she'd kept for years. she remembers the first time her mother visited and gifted the box. serena had treasured it, but she soon realized that the box wouldn't have a true meaning if she didn't give it one.

one eye keeping close watch on the clock, serena stuffs the letters into the box hastily. she doesn't notice that the meaning of traitor is still lying on the floor. the window is open and the zephyr blows the paper away. serena is still clueless. she steps back, making sure her room is perfectly neat. she smiles when she sees her bed, which is neatly made. her clothes are in color order, and there are no stray pieces of clothing lying around. nothing is on her desk.

serena inhales some of the fresh air. she can smell the roses.

she closes her eyes and mutters a single word.

then there is silence, and the girl is gone.