No Strings Attached

10

"Are there kids that don't come back from quests?" Though my hands were still shaking, my voice was steady and I felt sickeningly calm, even though that is the complete opposite of what I should have been feeling.

"Yes," her E/C eyes met mine and I wasn't prepared for all the pain and regret that I saw swirling inside of them.

"Is that why you're mad at me?" at this her expression immediately softened, taking the backpack from my hands and setting it on the counter.

"Mad at you? Of course not! I'm just... I'm worried."

"About me?" the thought of someone I just met that day actually worrying about me, caring for me, completely baffled me. Except for my mom, and now Jason and Piper of course, I don't think there's ever been anyone that gave a damn about what happened to me. But here I was, inside of a camp shop, with a girl I just met today, and she's worried about me. The idea of it so foreign to me, yet making a warm feeling spread from my chest to the rest of my body.

She sighed and looked down, "I'm sorry, I know that's kinda weird. It's just that, I don't know if you know this, but there was a war last year. A lot of kids got hurt, those were the lucky ones," she started playing with the hem of her shorts, averting her eyes from mine, "this is the first quest that has been issued since then. And to see you guys, all three completely new to this without any training or anything, basically throw yourself to go on what might be a suicide mission, it scares me." She sighed and sat down against the wall of the shop, I followed suit and sat myself next to her.

She was staring in front of her but this was the first time I noticed her eyes were kinda glossed over, she was clearly holding back tears. I cursed myself for not noticing it sooner, though how could I have, the room was already only dimly lit and the fact that she was refusing to look me in the eyes also helped hide it. I wanted to try and comfort her but I also didn't wanna embarrass her by calling attention to it so I just turned to look at the wall opposite to us as well.

"I know it sounds pretentious and stupid, but I just know that it's gotta be me. I have to do this." I whispered, more so to myself than to Y/N.

"Oh no trust me, I know that, unlike a lot of the other kids we can actually kinda get what the prophesies mean," I gave her a questioning look, motioning for her to go on, "of course we don't understand all of it, but since Apollo is also the god of prophecies that's easier for us."

"Hold up, he's also the god of that? Jeez, what isn't he the god of? That makes him kinda overpowered don't you think?" And she laughed, it might've been a small, shaky laugh, but she did. And that's all that mattered to me in that moment.

"You know what he's also the god of?" she finally turned to me again and smiled, "You'll never guess."

I smiled back at her, "I have absolutely no idea, but please enlighten me o' wise one!"

She leaned in close and whispered it to me, "mice."

I burst out laughing, how could I not? Mice. Of course he would also be the god of mice, why wouldn't he be! She soon followed and also fell into a fit of giggles.

"And-, and," she tried to speak but could barely get the words out in between gasping for air and laughing, "it's a really rare ability, but sometimes children of apollo can be blessed with the gift of shapeshifting into a mouse!" I don't know why, but at the moment that was the funniest thing I had ever heard, causing us to slip deeper into our laughter, my hands finally not shaking anymore.

When our laughter died down, which took a long time actually, she stuck out her pinky to me.

"Promise me you'll come back, preferably in one piece, so we can become friends Valdez."

I took her pinky in mine and smiled, "I will."

After that we sat there for a long time. It was the first time in years that the silence didn't feel suffocating. It wasn't crushing, I wasn't alone in the silence. She was there, and that's all I needed in that moment. It was comfortable.

-

When I got back to camp a week later, very unceremoniously ending up standing on the Aphrodite table in the middle of dinner, I threw up into the nearest bronze brazier. That teleportation thing Hera did was really not good for my stomach. But when I came up again, I heard a familiar voice behind me, not even having to turn around to know that she was smiling, "Napkin?"

-

Hey guys, guess who's not dead! I know, surprising right?

On a real note tho, sorry for being such a mess and taking so long to upload! Thank you to everyone sticking with me, I really appreciate it! Made this chapter extra long (3K words :o) to say thank you (and I have another one ready that I will upload in the morning, so in a few hours from now)

My exams are in the beginning of december though and I've kind of really been struggeling this year so I'm gonna have to focus one that so there will probably not be an update until I'm done with those, sorry again!

This is an extra fluffy chapter and so is the next one, tho the next one is a bit angstier. Since 50% of my readers are from the US I thought y'all could use some happy feels rn.

On another note, holy shit you guys! 15K reads?! Are you kidding me?!? Thank you all so much, you have no idea what this means to me!

thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou

Hope you enjoyed this chapter (and will enjoy the next one), love you all and thank you for reading, stay safe!

~M