VIOLENT DELIGHTS
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( sixteen! )
RUNNING FROM A DRAGON-LADY, believe it or not was a lot more difficult than Azalea originally anticipated. Sure, Kampê was more than some regular old monster-, literally the jailer of all the monster-styled Hephaestus children, but Azalea had foolishly thought ( since she was quite old . . . and large ) she might be a bit slow. This however, was not the case at all.
Once seeing the furious monster glaring up at them, the quest group with one unwanted Hundred-Handed One in tow, bolted down the catwalk in the other direction. Seeming to have a change of heart since the cell debacle, Briares happily followed behind. Azalea was actually surprised when he sprinted in front of them, waving his hands around in a panic to escape.
Behind them, Azalea tried ( and failed) to block out the sound of Kampê's leathery wings slapping through the air. She hissed and growled at them, like the monster she was, in her very-dead and very-old language. From the consistency and repetitive sounding of the grunts, Azalea suspected her vocabulary mainly consisted of blatant cursing towards them. No one of the group, even the most dense ( cough-PERCY JACKSON-cough ) needed a translation to know she was planning to kill them all, brutally.
Together they scrambled down the stairs, Azalea making it a point to skip a few when able, through a long and winding corridor, and past a guard's station. Though said guards -mortal or monster- were seen. Sooner than later they found themselves in another block of prison cells.
"Left!" Annabeth shouted in direction towards then. "I remember this from the tour!"
Having pulled in front of the curly haired blonde girl in the sprint to get away, Azalea couldn't help but glance behind her and shout back in question. "What tour?! Did you pick up a pamphlet?!"
Though Annabeth was never able to give an answer, as Kampê stole the show with a nightly roar that echoed through the corridors. They burned outside the gates, and Azalea was only marginally surprised to find them all in a prison yard. Granted, the said girl didn't exactly know what a prison yard was supposed to look like outside of the Hollywood adaptations, but it seemed pretty similar. Mainly because of the ringed security towers which didn't look to have any guards stationed in or around them, and the fences being rimmed at the top with nasty looking barbed wire.
After being inside for so long, the daylight almost blinded Azalea when her eyes got a full view of sunshine. Though she quickly recovered, which she chalked up to be more of a mind-over-matter occurrence rather than her dad deciding not to be a dick for once. Though where the guards were lacking in majorities, tourists were milling around the yards, taking the typical types of touristy pictures.
The wind whipped cold off the bay waters and in the south, San Francisco gleamed all white and beautiful with its array of buildings. Azalea could not help but also notice Mount Tamalpais in the north with huge black and grey storm clouds swirling. Zeus looked to be on the verge of having a temper-tantrum by the way the skies were all dreary and dark.
"It's even worse," Annabeth said, gazing to the north. As they all slowed their sprinting as they glanced around them, and tried to return their heart rates to normal. Grover was gasping at Azaleas side from the sudden sprint. "The storms have been bad all year, but that-"
"Keep moving," Briares wailed, not too far up ahead looking more terrified then he had in his cell. "She is behind us!"
Not about to disagree with the monster-man, Azalea quickens her job to follow behind him with the others close at her risk or streaming beside her. If the tourists took notice of their hurry they kept their thoughts to themselves and stayed out of their way. Together the group jogged to the far end of the yard-, as far from the cellblock as possible.
"Kampê's too big to get through the doors," Percy brought up hopefully, and Azalea didn't even have time to shoot the boy a dark glare before the wall behind them exploded.
Azalea grumbled, "You just had to say something didn't you barnacle boy?"
Tourists screamed bloody murder, fleeing the scene, as Kampê appeared from the dust and rubble. Her bat-like wings spread out as wide as the yard. It seems in their hurry to get away, the dragon lady had decided to grab a few weapons. She was holding two swords- long bronze scimitars that glowed with a weird greenish aura, with boiling wisps of vapor that smelled sour and hot even across the yard. Even before Grover yelped, Azalea knew exactly what the colouring of the blades meant.
"Poison!" Grover yelped in fear. "Don't let those things touch you or . . .!"
"Or we'll die?" Percy guessed, unsurprised.
"Well . . ," the Saytr stammered with a sheepish but still fearful look. "-after you shrivel slowly to dust, yes."
"Avoid poison swords," Azalea stated, feeling panic well in her chest and her heart race with both adrenaline and fear. "Got it."
"Briares, fight!" Tyson urged once again, and Azalea had to force herself not tell the younger cyclops to give it up already. "Grow to full size!"
As expected, Briares seemed to be trying to shrink even smaller, wearing his most terrified face. He was about as useful as Hers had been earlier. Azalea swallowed the bike rising her throat as Kampê thundered towards them, with hundreds of snakes slithering around her body. For a second Azalea debated on unsheathing her blade and charging the monster, but even she knew it would be a battle she could not hope to even win. Hades Hellfire, even all of them combined might not be enough to contain the dragon.
"Run!" Annabeth said, reflecting everyone true thoughts towards the matter. Her words ended the debate on what to do before it had even started. There was no fighting this thing.
Needing no more encouragement, the group ran through the jail yard and out the gates of the prison, the monster hot on their tails with bellowing roars. Mortals screamed and ran with no de station in place, and emergency sirens began to blare loudly. Azalea had to resist the urge to cover her ears. They hit the wharf just as a tour boat was unloading. A new group of visitors froze as they saw what was charging toward them- looking less than willing to participate in the tour they likely paid for. Azalea didn't know what they were seeing but she assumed the literal mob of frightened tourists, three demigod kids and whatever Kampê appeared as, couldn't be good.
"The boat?" Grover asked breathlessly, though his hair and eyes were wild.
"Too slow," Tyson said with hesitation. "Back into the maze. Only chance."
Azalea didn't disagree with that assumption. She had really hoped big and ugly could at least be a little less agile from her old bones.
"We need a diversion," Annabeth said with her grey eyes bright as they dashed between them all for ideas. Tyson didn't even bother to shrug as he ripped a metal lamppost cleanly out of the ground. Well, that was one way to get a weapon on short notice, Azalea thought.
"I will distract Kampê. You run ahead."
"I'll help you," Percy said, not even hesitating to aid. Azalea tried to quell her racing mind about how bad of an idea that way.
"No," Tyson stated without question. "You go. Poison will hurt Cyclopes. A lot of pain. But it won't kill."
"Are you sure?"
"Go, brother. I will meet you inside."
Azalea could tell instantly that Percy hated the idea-, loathed it in fact but he didn't argue thankfully. Instead he clenched his jaw tightly and nodded. Annabeth and Grover grabbed hold of Briares' and dragged him off to the concession stands. Without thinking, Azalea latched onto Percy's hand, despite her promise earlier that she would never do such a thing ever again, and pulled him towards the stands as well. The last thing she needed was him to go back on his decision and try to help.
Tyson bellowed loudly towards the creepy creature, lowering his pole like a club or not at all sugar spear and
charged Kampê. It was like watching two monsters going in to joust in a knights parade, only without the horses. The bellow of the young cyclops easily pulled the dragon lady's attention form the cowering Hundred-Handed One, as he nailed her in the chest with the pole. The forces however her back into the wall, though it didn't do more than stun her as she shrieked and slashed at with her swords. The pole turned to nothing but metallic shreds, the poison of her blades dripping in pools around her a sit sizzles like Hydra acid into the cement.
Tyson jumped back as Kampê's hair lashed and hissed, with her vipers darting out around her legs- their
tongues in every direction. A lion popped out of the weird half-formed faces around her waist and roared loudly in retaliation. Azalea felt the goosebumps return to her spine as she felt like a coward in hiding. She was so lost in the sight she barely noticed how tightly she was clutching Percy's hand, like an anchor holding her steady, before pulling her back as the smaller group used the fight to their advantage.
They sprinted for the cellblocks and the last thing the dirty blonde haired girl saw was Tyson picking up a Dippin ' Dots stand and throwing it at Kampê like it weighed no more than basketball. Ice cream and poison exploded everywhere and all of the little snakes in Kampê's hair looked to be coated with the flavour of tutti-frutti and mint-chocolate. Forcing herself to keep moving forward shy the pulling of Percy's hand, they dashed back to the jail yard.
"Can't make it," Briares huffed, whether out of breath or out of defeat, Azalea couldn't be sure. But Percy Jackson, who she noticed for the first time was still clutching her hand tightly as he pulled her along, yelled at him in fury.
"Tyson is risking his life to help you! You will make it."
The Hundred-Handed One didn't bother with a reply as his eyes fell to his shoes and they counting to charge forward. As they reached the door of the cellblock, an angry roar filled the entire grounds of the prison form outside. Azalea glanced back to see Tyson running
toward them at full speed- Kampê merely no more than seven yards behind him.
The sight was a strange one, Azalea knew she wouldn't ever be able to get rid of. She was plastered in ice cream and T-shirts, like she had accidentally ran through a strip mall and been greeted with a hundred tourist carts thrown at her. One of the bear heads on her waist was now wearing a pair of crooked plastic Alcatraz sunglasses, with one of the lenses popping out.
"Hurry!" Annabeth urged them, like the group need to be told from the main tee charging towards them and a fleeing cyclops.When they had finally found the cell where they'd come in, Azales could feel the hope to live to see another day shrivel in her chest. The back wall was completely smooth with no sign of a boulder or anything blocking its path.
"Look for the mark!" Annabeth yelled, and Azalea quickly scoured with her eyes for a small delta sign. She was half a second late, when Grover yelled that he found it. He touched a tiny scratch he had pointed to, and it instantly upon contact glowed a bright blue, and the stone wall grinded open.
It moved like it had all the time in the rock, they had seconds before Kampê would be upon them and feasting on them like a McDonalds Happy Meal. Azalea glanced behind to see Tyson emerging through the cellblock with Kampê's swords lashing out behind him. They were slicing indiscriminately through cell bars and stone walls. Demolishing and leaving drippings of poison to eat away at the rock and metal as it did.
Azalea had to force herself to not pass out from the wave of emotion and fear bubbling in her chest- she would never admit it but the only thing holding her upright and the fact of Percy's hand clutching her just as tightly as her own. Annabeth pushed Briares inside the maze, Grover quickly following inside, before Percy let go and shoved her inside too.
"You can do it!" Percy shouted towards Tyson, and despite Azalea not being able to see what was happening any longer she saw the hope flicker from his eyes and his jaw clench. He wouldn't make it, Tyson wouldn't make it. Out of nowhere, Percy slapped his wristwatch, an item Azalea had never noticed him wearing up until this point. She watched as out spiralled a celestial bronze shield. The dirty blonde haired girl didn't even have time to admire the device before Percy flung the shield like a frisbee out of the door.
Azalea heard the resounding crunch of metal against something equally as hard, a loud shriek of pain echoing again through the prison yard. Whatever he had done seemed to do the trick, as Tyson dove like a baseball player into the maze with Percy hot on his tail. Azalea could hear Kampê charge outside the doors, but she was too late. The stone door closed and its magic sealed the demigods and three mythological creatures in.
They could feel the entire tunnel shake, as the dragon lady pounded with her large scaled fists against the wall. Roaring cruising with unbridled rage at the blockage in her path. Azalea too out of it, didn't even fell Percy reclaim her hand, as he pulled her along and further into the maze. None of the group wanted to stick around to play knock, knock with her.
They raced into the darkness, and for the first ( and the last! ) time, Azalea was glad to be back in the Labyrinth. It helped to have Percy pulling her along as well, so she didn't collapse from the terrifying events that had nearly ended in their demise.
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AZALEA WASN'T CUT OUT FOR CARDIO. She was seconds away from passing out, with her feet on fire and her chest was heaving. They hadn't stopped for what felt like miles before coming to a room filled with waterfalls. All of them, were bent over trying to fills their lungs with oxygen, or staring at the ceiling with their arms above their head to sleep their heart rate. The only one looking marginally okay with the unexpected cardio was Annabeth, and even she was red faced and slick with sweat across her wrinkled brow.
The room was strange to say the least, Azalea couldn't deny that as she tried to slow her heart and breathing in wheezy puffs. The floor was more or less and large pit, ringed with a slippery stone walkway the colour of river rocks. On all four walls, surrounding them for a lack of better term, water tumbled from huge pipes like those known to be found in the sweepers of larger centres. Azalea half wonder if they were hidden under the white city metropolis of San Fransisco, or possibly even farther.
The water spilled down into the pit, and even when Percy shined a light in its direction, Azalea noticed there to be no end to it. It seemed to go down forever, with no bottom in sight. She tried to put that out of her mind. The dirty blonde haired girl wasn't exactly scared fo heights per say, but they did unsettle her when she couldn't see a clear bottom.
Briares slumped against the farthest wall, as he scooped up water in a dozen hands and washed his filthy face. Azalea had half a mind to do it as well, more or less to get the sweat cleansed from her slick hair line and the back of her wet neck. But she wasn't entirely sure if she could manage the feat without toppling over the edge entirely. It times like this, it was better safe than sorry.
"This pit goes straight to Tartarus ," the Hundred-Handed One murmured. He half glanced to them before adding mournfully, "I should jump in and save you trouble."
"Don't talk that way," Annabeth told him, not about to fall into his guilt tripping. Azalea had half a mind to slap him to see if that would get him to snap out of his sour mood.
"You can come back to camp with us. You can help us
prepare." Annabeth brought up logically. "You know more about fighting Titans than anybody."
"I have nothing to offer," Briares said, without a shred of doubt. Azalea was having a really hard time not slapping him. "I have lost everything."
"What about your brothers?" Tyson asked, his eyes wide and curiosity to know more about his legendary idol. "The other two must stand tall as mountains! We can take
you to them."
Briares's expression morphed to something even more desolate and empty, from his sad face to one of grief and ultimate sorrow. "They are no more. They faded."
The waterfalls thundered, and Azalea could feel the tension and weight his words held. She for the town heart, as cold as it was at times prickle with understanding of loosing a loved one, a sibling. She was likely one of the few people in the room, if not the only one who knew of the pain he was speaking of. Tyson stared into the pit and blinked tears out of his large mud brown eye.
"What exactly do you mean, they faded ?" Percy asked suddenly, invisibly not understanding the situation. "I thought monsters were immortal, like the gods."
"Percy," Grover said weakly, his own face reflecting a emphatic pain towards Briares. "-even immortality has limits. Sometimes . . . sometimes monsters get forgotten and they lose their will to stay immortal."
Azalea pointedly avoided everyone's gaze as she stared at her shoes. She tried hard, staring heatedly at her mud slicked converse as the wet stones and the mist form the falls washed away the dirt and grime. Azalea for longer than she could recall had felt how the Hundred Handed One was, lost and and alone. With no mother, no father and no brothers to care for anymore. It hurt more as she pushed those feelings aside; bottling them up inside like she always did. It was horrible to loose a loved one, even worse to be alone- to have no one. What was different about her and monster-man however was that she didn't let herself fall into a pit of grief, which was almost worse, since she was the reason she was all alone.
"I must go," Briares said resolutely, not offering a debate or question to any of them. Azalea glanced up jsut as Tyson began to speak.
"But- Kronos's army will invade camp," Tyson said, unable to let the matter drop. "We need help."
Briares hung his head lowly, as he uttered the words that likely stung Tyson more than any of Kampê's poison ever could have. "I cannot, Cyclops."
"You are strong."
"Not anymore." Briares rose and Azalea but her lip. She wanted to say something, anything to make him stay but she held her tongue. It wasn't her business and it wasn't her choice. If he wanted to leave he could.
"Hey," Percy grabbed one of his arms and pulled him aside. Azalea watched as he tugged him closer to the water, easily able to drown out the words he was about to say. The blonde haired girl returned her gaze to her shoes as the old memories of her brothers passed through ehe head.
Aster, he would likely have a girlfriend by now, maybe he'd even be married, with a real job too. And Thomas- he would be in his first years of high school, likely having a dozen or so new trophy's hung along his walls from sports. She recalled how bright their laughter was when they were kids, or how they'd tease her so often and pull at her pigtails to get a rise out of her. She missed them, they weren't the best brother's, but she missed them dreadfully. She chewed her lip and forced her eyes to stay dry. Azalea would not cry over them, not when she was the reason they were dead. It was her fault, all of it was her fault.
Whatever Percy had said to the misjudged-man had no effect, as sooner rather than later Briares was shaking his head and trudging off down the corridor, soon becoming lost in the shadows fo the dark labyrinth. Azalea half-wondered if they would ever see him again. She doubted it.
When they could no longer see the Hundred Handed One, Tyson sobbed loudly in his hands as Grover tried to comfort him as he patted his back. Though this just caused Tyson to sneeze as well as sob as he blubbered. The satyr's goat fur making the young cyclops nose itchy like an allergy.
"It's not okay, goat boy." Tyson wailed as he mumbled into his hands, looking more upset than Azalea had ever seen him. "He was my hero."
Percy looked helpless, as he gazed at his younger brother. Azalea knew the look. He looked the same way she felt when trying to comfort her younger brother about his mathematics homework, when he couldn't make sense of the numbers. Wanting desperately to help, but being completely and utterly powerless.
Azalea let him cry for a few minutes longer before glancing to Annabeth who had sat off to the side with her backpack next to her looking just a s crushed for the younger cyclops. Inhaling sharply, Azalea spoke to the rest of the group.
"Come on, guys." She shoulder her backpack a little tighter over her shoulders, as they glance to her. She tried to smile softly at them, though she knew it failed spectacularly. "Let's find a better place to camp for the night."
They wandered for a while before finally settling in a corridor made of huge marble slabbed blocks. Azalea though morosely to herself, knowing every one was rather off put by the departure of what could have been a very powerful ally, that the rocks looked rather similar to that of a Grecian tomb. Especially since there were many bronze torch holders fastened to the walls, all lit easily enough with flickering fire. Annabeth assumed to be an older part of the maze, and decided that itself was a promising sign that they were making progress to finding the workshop.
"We must be close to Daedalus's workshop," She said hopefully, her eyes looking less clouded around the outer edges than usual. Azalea knew the look, it was the same one she had every-time she received praise or executed something perfectly after so many epic failures. "Get some rest, everybody. We'll keep going in the morning."
"How do we know when it's morning?" Grover asked curiously, glancing around the corridors as if trying to find a sliver of sunlight or moonlight to give away the hour.
"We don't." Azalea replied simply, as she nudged the satyr with the pointy part of her elbow. She beckoned him towards the outer edges of the corridor to help her set up the bedrolls and tuck in for the night. "C'mon goat boy."
Thankfully, Grover didn't need to be told twice. While Azalea pulled out her bedroom to set down, Grover pulled out a small heap of straw. The dirty blonde haired girl smiled softly in the low light as the half goat munched on a bit before making into a small pillow to rest upon. He was snoring as soon as his head hit the straw pile.
Tyson took a bit longer getting to sleep. Azalea watched through the corners of her eyes as he tinkered with some metal scraps from his building kit. Though the frown was easily recognizable as he huffed at whatever he was making angrily. Like it wasn't turning out how to was supposed to at all. Azalea forced herself to tune out his fuelling as he and Percy fell into a small conversation. It felt wrong to eavesdrop between the brothers so she closed her eyes tightly and tried to picture what Luke was doing right at that second.
He was likely in the Labyrinth too, with his small horde of monsters- maybe Ethan was with him. She could picture it easily, them travelling in small groups of five or seven through the maze- half concealed in the dark, and just as lost as their own questing group. Fighting monsters, or maybe making new allies, and running from the deadly traps. Though she doubted they had as much godly inference as her current quest group did.
Her gut clenched when she thought of Ethan. Her best friend- it was almost stupid how much it hurt when thinking of him. She hadn't seen him in months, and every day that passed made her miss him more even if it was just subconsciously. Azalea wondered if anything had changed, maybe he got a hair cut ( she always did think his black hair was a little too scruffy for his smooth features ) . Maybe he got a new scar from battle, or from trying to keep all their allies from killing one another. She missed him terribly. Ethan was the one person she knew without a doubt would always be there for her, he had never let her down.
The loud sigh fell from Tyson as he began to snore against the wall, with his half finished metal thingy falling from his grasp as he passed out. He looked even even more childlike asleep, with smoothed facial features and a small pout on his wide lips. Azalea was easily straying from her previous pondering at his sleeping face, and loud snores.
Annabeth was still awake off to the side, more-or-less keeping watch incase something showed up to give them an early drop-in to the underworld. Azalea laid on her side inside her sleeping bag for a long time. Watching the girl as she stared with a pinched expression into the maze. Though she was pulled from her thinking as Percy pulled his bedroll a little closer to her. Apparently he was having trouble falling asleep too.
"You should sleep," he told her simply, making it a point to keep his voice low to not wake his sleeping half-brother and Grover.
"So should you," Azalea replied swiftly, letting her eyes meet his bright green ones in the darkness. They were like little fireflies in the relatively dark tunnel, glowing softly and scanning her face against the hard ground. Letting her eyes drift from his, and darting back to Tyson she asked the dark haired boy in soemthing akin to sympathy and begrudging curiosity.
"How's he handling it?"
Percy's hardly hidden wince answered the question well enough. Nonetheless he still spoke a little in description.
"He's upset," he replied slowly, her own eyes falling back to his sleeping brother. Lingering much longe Ron his tear stained cheeks than Azaleas had. "-but I think he'll be okay. Eventually."
A small silence feel between the two demigods. Not uncomfortable or strained like most, but calming. It was like getting submerged in a warm tub of water that smelled of lavender and bath salts. Refreshing, warm . . . maybe even safe. It was stupid to feel safe in the middle of a death maze though. Even more stupid to feel that sort of safety in the silent company of Percy Jackson. He was anything but safe to her, he was dangerous and deadly and she was as well, to him mostly and the entire quest team by extension. She was the enemy and she would be better off keeping her distance from them all.
"So," he spoke up suddenly, "this is your first quest?"
"Yep. It's your- what? fifth?" She phrased it as a joke, a really poor joke really. Nonetheless her stomach churned uncomfortably like worms had grown in her gut at his soft and dare-she-say cute, laughs. It was a nice laugh, warm and easy sounding. Like he laughed a lot in his life, or at least much more than herself.
"Fourth." He said, and Azalea swore she could feel his smile in the darkness despite not seeing much besides the strange glint of his teeth for a second. "Unless we're counting the few tumbles I got into at Camp to help others."
Chewing on her bottom lip, feeling the uneasiness fill her chest again about being trapped in the never ending maze. Not to mention how wrong everything seemed to be going all the time, Azalea couldn't stop herself from asking him. "Does it get any less . . ."
"Terrifying?" Percy offers, his voice a lot softer than before. Like he understood the panic that was filling her chest and the constant questions on whether anything would go right at all. If the quest was in vane and the company would burn to ash anyway. Which it would, because it had to, it wasn't up for debate.
Because Azalea wasn't fighting for the Camp, she was fighting against it. It didn't matter that she cared about her half siblings in Cabin Seven, it didn't matter that it sent a dagger through her heart at the mere thought of Mandy not making it to her next birthday- or Micheal never getting to see his mom again during the holidays. She was a spy, a double agent. Azalea was working for Kronos, for Luke, and nothing could get in the way of her mission. Not now, not ever.
"I was going to say confusing." Azalea corrected in an even tone, despite her hands shaking like leaves in her sleeping bag. She hoped Percy would be oblivious enough not to notice the giant rustle of them against the shiny thermal material.
"No." Percy said without hesitation before adding, in an attempt to make her feel better about the situation. "Not it my experience anyway."
"Oh."
Another strange moment of silence passed between the two, much longer than the last. For a second Azalea had thought the dark haired boy had fallen asleep from how even his breathing had become and the lack of movement from his ADHD hardwired brain. But just like the last time, he suddenly broke that tentative peace and safety net between them with another strange and out of the blue phrase.
"You really should sleep, Lea."
She felt her facial features curl is to a soft frown as she rolled her eyes at the use of her nickname. "My name is Azalea."
"Mandy calls you, Lea. So does Annabeth," he replied instantly, like he was pouting. His tone made it sound like she was the most unreasonable person in the world for not allowing him that small olive branch of trust and knowing her better.
"Well they're my friends," she replied girly, getting more and more uncomfortable with the subject change as the conversation prolonged. "You're not."
"I'd like to be." He spoke like a whisper, a secret in the dark tunnels where no one but them could hear it. Percy added a little more sure of himself, his previous jesting slipping into his tone. "Plus, we're on a quest. You have to trust me."
"What, is there a set of rules?" Azalea teased half-heartedly with another roll of her eyes at his antics.
"Well no," Percy agreed begrudging as he added, "But it's easier if you trust who you're working with. That way there's no distractions and we have each others backs. Otherwise soemthing really bad could happen."
"Sounds like you're talking from experience."
Azalea could barely make out the small nod the boy made in gesture as heaved a great sigh. "My last one, a few of my friends died. But they weren't my friends until the end becuase we couldn't look past our differences."
"I'm sorry." Azalea spoke without thinking. She knew it was stupid to apologize after all it wasn't her fault hai friends died but it just, it sucked. And she felt bad and she hated how the boy she was supposed to hate, who was supposed to be her enemy, was hurting.
"It's not your fault," Percy said in reflex, "It's no one's fault really. I just- nevermind, it's stupid."
The dirty blonde felt her lips curl in a frown and her mind spun with what he could have wanted to say. Before any prolonged amount of time could pass, she tried to convey her thought process to the boy. She knew she had no obligation to tell him her life story- Hades Hellfire, she hadn't even told her siblings all the baggage she was packing besides the vague details to Lee. And look how well that had turned out.
Sucking in a deep breath she tried to will herself not to combust from her inner turmoil. Extending an olive branch to the boy she was supposed to hate but couldn't manage more than a sliver of annoyance recently was much more gruelling and painful than she thought it ought to be. Nonetheless, Percy hadn't done anything to her, if anything he had saved and helped her more often than not. She could do this, it wasn't a big deal.
"Percy. I want to trust you, I do. I just-" she sucked in a deep breath and let her stammering words fall from her lips like a river. Chaotic and unrelenting as it all poured out over the jagged river rocks in. "I have a hard time trusting people, the last people I trusted ended up dead and the others . . . well, let's just say they're not much better. I'm good at keeping people at a distance, it's better for everyone. But I'll try."
She felt his emerald eyes boring into the side of her face as she looked anywhere but at him, fiddling with her charm bracelet under the thermal sleeping bag.
"I'll try to trust you, if that's what you want." Azalea finally finished, and the silence that fell between the two was stifling and hot. It was like she was burning and she hoped to God it wasn't her powers acting up and it really was just an overwhelming amount of emotion from her word-spill. The last thing she needed was to become a matchstick in front of the dark shrines boy and have him question what else she was hiding from then all.
"That's all I'm asking for." He finally said after a moment, and although Azalea cousins see his face in the lack of light, she swore he was smiling at her, in both sympathy and something else. She could feel the warmth and daft ness fo the gesture and instantly had her face flushing.
"I'm gonna tuck in," She mumbled with ehe face still burning and her heart having far too much fun trying to make itself into a sling shot against her rib cage. "Wake me later for my turn at watch."
The last thing she heard was his agreement, as she turned away and to fall asleep. The smell of a distant sea breeze, salty and acidic, and the warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest lulled her off to the realm of Morpheus. Despite the strange turn of events and the even stranger leap of faith in the dark haired Son of Poseidon, Azalea couldn't help but think the boy was the reason for her undisturbed sleep. With the comfort of Percy no more than a foot away, she felt safe for the first time since falling into the maze. He was warm, and safe . . . something Azalea hadn't been familiar with in a very long time.
SOFT PERLEA MOMENT. I am very sorry for
the very long and overdue update. again motivation
is crap, as is my mental health but! -in good news
I got some medication that should help me sort it all
out and I'm seeing my therapist regularly again
through video chat. so, here's to hoping my brain
gets it shit together. As always stay safe!
P.S. do we like the ship name? comment ideas!!