|| Shades of You ||

blue

{WW1 AU}

Splash.

Muddy water flew up and bit at his ankles as he darted past. His arms ached and his back screamed, the result of heaving logs of wood for miles. He was covered in soot and ash and he wanted to stop, but he couldn't.

Almost there.

Almost there. Right around the corner, past the children playing hopscotch, — playing, at a time like this, imagine! — steering away from the mean old dogs tethered to the poles, across the street and a sharp turn to the left, and—

Yes, there it was, he thought, with such relief. The orphanage. Home at last.

He could slow to a jog now that it was in sight, just a few feet up ahead. The building was old and rickety but it was familiar. On the porch there was a girl, and though he couldn't see her face, he knew immediately who she was.

"Hazel," he called to her.

She looked up, but made no move to greet him, which was odd. He could see then, as he climbed the steps to the porch, that something was wrong. Her beautiful face was twisted in concern, brows furrowed, mouth pulled down in a frown.

"Um," he said eloquently, when she remained silent. "I've got the firewood you requested."

"What? Oh. Yes, right, that." She shook her head, curly hair bouncing. "Sorry, Leo. I'm just a bit preoccupied at the moment."

He set the log down, grateful for the chance to relieve his arms of the torture. "Quite alright. What's on your mind?"

"Oh, it's nothing, just..." she trailed off, as if unsure how to continue. "It's Percy, again."

"...I see." That made more sense. Percy Jackson was one of the other adolescents living in the orphanage. He and Hazel had become quick friends, and she tended to be quite emotional in situations where he was concerned. "Is he still thinking about joining the army, then?"

"Leo," she said, warning in her voice. "I think he may be serious this time."

Leo almost scoffed. Percy Jackson? Serious? It was unheard of. "I doubt it. Annabeth would have his hide if he even considered it."

"She's a woman, for God's sake!" Hazel cried finally, grabbing his hand. "Leo, can't you see? She couldn't stop him if she tried, and Heaven knows she's tried."

"Well, what am I to do about it?" he asked, somewhat annoyed. "It's not as if I can convince him otherwise — you know how he is when he makes up his mind. Besides," he added, as an afterthought, "all of this is assuming that he is actually serious. He's talked about joining before, you know, but he's never done it."

But Hazel shook her head. "This isn't like before," she insisted. "He's packed a bag, this time. He was asking around, earlier, about..." she faltered. "I think he might actually do it, now, and I'm scared."

Leo frowned. Percy packing a bag was, in fact, strange. Hazel admitting she was frightened, even more so. "Okay. I'll have a word with him, then."

"Oh, you will?" Hazel beamed, obviously relieved. "Thank you, Leo, ever so much."

"Think nothing of it." He cast her a quick smile and slipped inside before she could remember the log of wood he'd left by her feet. Courtesy be damned; he was not going to lug that block anywhere else.

The inside was relatively noisy compared to the stillness of the outside world. He navigated the halls of the building easily, humming to himself. His hands, covered in mud and blisters, throbbed dully, and he glanced around the hallway quickly before wiping them off on his pants.