The Vines of Fate (Percy Jackson fanfic)

Seaweed Brain is a Seaweed Brain

The next couple of days, I was laying in my bed. I only went out of the cabin for food. Annabeth, Clarisse, and Silena would come and check up on me. Silena would give me looks of pity, brushing my tangled knots out of my hair and braiding it into an intricate braid. She would say how the entire Aphrodite cabin has my back. At one point, she even offered to cut and dye my hair to help me get my mind off of him.

Annabeth and I would be on the couch, a blanket over our legs. My head would be rested on her shoulder as she talked about the newest architecture that is being used for vineyards and wineries. We would drink root beer and snack on sour gummy worms. I made sure not to eat the blue ones for it brought my heart aching memories. She would talk about her plans for the new school year and what she was excited for.

Annabeth brought up that Chiron wanted to presume Percy was just missing. That we will give him two weeks before we proclaim he is dead. There was still hope he was alive, but hope can be a very dangerous thing. The next couple of days I was debating to fall into the hope of Percy being alive or that he was gone.

Clarisse on the other hand, gave me the wake up call I needed. At first, she was empathetic, well as empathetic as she can be. But as days turned into over a week, she got frustrated. She stormed into my cabin.

"Where is she?" She asked strongly. My brothers quickly pointed at me in my bed and quickly scurried out of the cabin. With a huff, she took long strides toward me. She tore off my blanket. I didn't move. "I have been nice and sympathetic to you Ives. I know you're hurting, but it's time to get off your butt."

She grabbed a hold of my ankles and started to pull me off the bed. One of the grapevines that grew along the wall reached out and smacked her hands. Clarisse sighed, let go, and rolled her eyes.

"Ivy, I know you really liked Percy, but this isn't healthy. You haven't gone outside, which you love." Clarisse crossed her arms. I glanced at her and her expression softened. "At least come outside and get some Vitamin D. You're looking pale. Okay?"

"Okay." I mumbled, sitting up on my bed. A smile grew on her face. "Just for you."

"Let's take a walk around camp." Clarisse wrapped an arm around my shoulder. The both of us walked outside. Some of the campers stopped talking and eyed me. I felt my shoulders hunch, trying to make myself smaller. Clarisse noticed and turned to glare at the others. They quickly turned away and pretended they never gave me looks of pity. "Ignore the punks, Ives. Besides, Water Boy may be alive. Hold on to that hope. A while back you told me the same thing."

I responded with a meek nod. We walked in the direction of the Big House. We had small talk, Clarisse doing anything she can to get my mind occupied. Then we heard yelling and commotion from inside the Big House. With a confused expression being shared between the both of us, we ran inside. Some of the Apollo campers were rushing around while others were holding Chris down as he yelled. He was in hysterics.

"Hey, hey." Clarisse rushed towards him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke softly to him. Chris seemed to calm at her touch. He looked at her with eyes of a dying storm. "Hey, Chris."

I studied him. A strong pull came from my gut and I knew what to do. I walked near him as he muttered things under his breath. None of it made sense. Something was telling me I had to focus on the amygdala in his brain. The small part of the brain was where anxiety and our fight or flight comes from.

"I think I can help him." I uttered, looking to Clarisse.

"Go ahead." She nodded, almost in a pleading way.

With a hesitant hand, I placed it on the top of Chris's head. The children of Apollo stepped back. The pull in my stomach grew stronger as I concentrated on curing his amygdala. Chris stopped muttering and relaxed in his bed. The tugging sensation went away.