𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍° ! percy jackson

𝐢.𝐱 - 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 (𝐚)

I can't breathe.

Aurora's chest tightened, her hands clawing at her neck as each breath became a struggle to release. She could hear her heartbeat louden, a relentless drumbeat in her ears. Although being out in the open nature of the world, she felt like everything was closing in on her, like a too-tight hug, a suffocating embrace. She tried to create a thought—a single rational string in the arachnid web of her brain—but it was no use. A rush of adrenaline flooded her veins, making her limbs feel heavy and her breaths shallow. Her body burned hotter than when the Furies touched her, like she was being lit on fire in the pits of Tartarus.

Relentless panic grasped onto her with icy cold fingers, choking her from behind, never letting go.

You're letting everyone down. You fucked up. You fucked up the quest, you fucked up your life. You're not even supposed to be alive, and you ruined it. What will your mother think of you? She risked everything to ensure your safety, and you—your perfect life, the one you tried so hard to create—is just ruined.

Aurora could hear her mother's voice in the leaves of the forest surrounding her, in the wind that danced around her tauntingly, in the petals of the wildflowers lining their path.

She could hear Hades' malicious laugh, his joy as he sent another monster to her.

She could hear her father's footsteps retreat. She couldn't help but wonder where he was.

"The quest," Aurora choked out through tears that were brimming her warm eyes. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably. "This isn't how it was supposed to be. We failed. We weren't supposed to fail. We're never going to get to LA. Why am I so stupid? I shouldn't have jumped up and started fighting. I shouldn't have even done anything."

Why did she do anything? Gods, she was a moron. But she couldn't help but remember how fast her heart was beating when the Furies made their way onto the bus, locking eyes with Percy. She could feel his nervousness, his hands shaking as it patted his pocket to see that Riptide was safe and secure. She knew what that felt like, to be hunted. She wouldn't wish that on anybody else. 

"Hey, hey," Percy grabbed her shoulders, immediately rushing to her side. Annabeth and Grover joined him, staring at Aurora worriedly. "Aurora, look at me. Come on, look at me."

He clutched her hand, tugging at it gently so Aurora would meet his eyes. She couldn't see him through her watery gaze, but his firm grasp on her body made him feel real. She didn't know if he was, though.

Maybe I failed him too. She thought to herself. I wouldn't be surprised. He seems perfect. I'm not. This quest was meant to be perfect. I am meant to be perfect.

"Good job, pretty girl. Come on, Ro, don't stop. Look at me. Please." Percy's voice sounded desperate this time, like he too was gasping for air, like a fish out of water.

Aurora couldn't see. Everything became distorted, ruined. She lifted her gaze, though, just as Percy had suggested.

All she could see was sea green, his sea green irises. Gods, they were beautiful. Awe striking like the soft caress of a gentle wave at dawn. Like the depths of the ocean where secrets whisper in shades of emerald and turquoise. Like a painter's brush on a serene canvas. Like nature's symphony. Like Percy Jackson's eyes.

"I—" Aurora choked out, her voice cracking as sobs wracked through her body. "I'm going to die. My mom is going to kill me. Hades will kill me. I'm going to him, why am I going to him? He'll send more monsters. Zeus, and Hera, and all the people who let me live. I disappointed Artemis. I'm a failure. They're going to end me."