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CHAPTER THREE "𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩.. 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚."
*ೃ༄꒰ঌ ໒꒱*ೃ༄
The train rattled along, its rhythmic motion lulling the five travelers into a state of drowsiness, finally granting them respite after a tiring afternoon and morning.
Despite the comforting sway of the train, Percy remained wide awake. There was a restlessness within him that defied sleep, a persistent thought that kept his eyelids from surrendering to slumber.
"Hey, you asleep?" Percy's voice broke the quiet, directed towards Eloise who occupied the bunk above him.
A hint of sarcasm laced Eloise's response as she peered down at Percy from her perch. "Yes," she quipped, her tone carrying a touch of amusement.
"You knew Thalia for quite some time, right?" He asks. Eloise grits her teeth, not wanting to open up on her and Thalia. "Yeah." She says, her tone sounding annoyed as per usual.
"What was she like?"
Eloise shook her head, "Why?" She asks, not wanting to talk about her. "She was a forbidden kid like me, right? She must've dealt with the same kind of stuff. Juniper too."
Eloise sighs, "She was tough. I mean— she knew she was a forbidden kid, she just didn't care. I remember hiding behind an abandoned shuttle bus when Luke and Thalia found me. And when they first saw me, Luke cared for me right away. But Thalia, she made me earn it. Let's just say, I never had the chance to earn it, especially the day I was claimed."
Percy folds his lips before he talks, "Is that why you give me a hard time? I gotta earn it with you too?" He asks, his voice kept calm and soft. "Yeah, sure." She replies.
"I gotta say, that doesn't make a lot of sense to me." Percy starts, speaking in a quick pace, not stuttering once. "What doesn't make sense to you?" Eloise puzzles, turning over to her side to get a better look at Percy.
"The way you guys all talk. The way the gods want us to think. Gotta burn an offering to get a parent's attention. Gotta beat up on Clarisse just to get my father to admit he's my father. It isn't supposed to work that way.. People who are close to you aren't supposed to treat you that way." Percy rambles, he felt his emotions all built up. He had no choice but to let a good amount of them out.
Eloise takes a big inhale, filling up her lungs, "You wanna know how I ended up alone behind an abandoned shuttle bus?"
"I remember living with my grandma and dad. And to them both— I was special, a gift. They tried their hardest to treat me with a sliver platter, so that I wouldn't grow a temper like my mother. It stayed like that for years, but no matter how hard they tried, I failed them. I bullied, got bullied, and even tried to start fights at my early age. Once my grandma passed, my dad couldn't handled it anymore."
