-Chapter six-
"What happened, Millie?" The bed dipped under Lee's weight and Amelia finally raised her head from her its previous position on her legs. She had to blink a few times before her eyes adjusted to the light. The smell of eucalyptus was dulled, but at least she heard birds in the distance. Something to show her she was here at camp and not somewhere in her head.
"I think it's getting worse again. Like really bad, Lee." Amelia whispered. Amelia had a terrible night of sleep, nightmares plaguing her again. Lee her older brother had woken her out of two the last night and now everybody worried.
"Amelia this is not okay. Dad is trying to tell you something, you have to listen."
But she really didn't want to dwell in the bone shaking feeling any longer than she absolutely had to. Nightmares weren't that rare under demigods, but for children of Apollo the god of prophecy it meant no good. It wasn't usually her getting those dream more likely Dawn. Amelia didn't know how to deal with the ancient words and blurred pictures of her dreams. Prophecy just wasn't for her.
She was afraid someone other than her devoted brother would hear and call her insane again. The weighted blanket helped a bit, it was coloured in a sunset orange and it was soft against her fingertips. Her arms tightened around her legs pulling them even closer to her chest.
"Have you talked to Dawn about it?" he asked.
There was a lump in her throat hindering her from speaking. Again she asked herself if screaming that night in the infirmary counted as talking. No? Yeah then no, they hadn't talked. Amelia couldn't even look her sister straight in the eyes. How would she talk to her? She turned her head towards the wall so he would see how her eyes watered.
"I'm guessing she told you she wants to leave then? Nothing is decided yet you know that right? And even if she decides to go that doesn't mean she loves you any less." When he got no answer he sighed and reached for something in his pocket. He held out a eucalyptus drop to her which she reluctantly accepted. Now she certainly felt like a child again, a kid that needed sweets because it was throwing a tantrum. Not the best way to raise your children but the fastest way to calm them when they were hurt.
Which she wasn't. She wasn't hurt, she wasn't damaged.
She did not respond to him. There was nothing else she had the desire to share with him right now. After all she had heard those exact words before. It sounded fake rolling from his tongue. Had they met up and studied those lines to show they cared or something? Because they were doing a horrible job.
Looking over to Dawn's bed she found it was empty. She was on infirmary duty so that was no real surprise. Her bed was made and some of the photos she used to have on her nightstand were gone. But no nothing was decided yet. Liars.
"I talked to Luke, he's worried about you." he said. That caught her attention. He was worried about her? Her eyes found his face and skimmed over it in search of any sign of what words had fallen between the two. "He said you were really out of it yesterday and that you had one of your- visions. Seriously, Amelia should I be worried too?"
A vision? No that wasn't right, she didn't have one yesterday- she didn't.
She rubbed her temple and tried desperately to see through her foggy memory. There was nothing there other than the faint picture of Adrien turning blue in the face. No sign of a dream or Luke snapping her out of one, she always remembered that at the very least. Why didn't she now?
"I don't know. I had a fight with Luke and I talked to Clarisse then I went to sleep, I think... Did he say what happened exactly?" Her head felt like someone had pushed it hard against a wall though she didn't remember that happening. That didn't mean a lot right now as she obviously didn't actually remember the day before.
"No, he did not. But-" He sighed brushing his blonde hair out of his face with his fingers. "Amelia you know I told you not to stay at the Hermes cabin." Lee reminded her.
Amelia did not need no reminder. He was her brother of course he was not taking it easy she slept in the same bed as a boy, even if that boy was her boyfriend of three years. She moved suddenly feeling the urge to talk to Luke. Something had happened and her mind was twisting it so much she couldn't be sure which version was real. She shoved the blanket to the side slipping into shoes, draping Luke's jacket over her shoulders which she still hadn't given back.
Her chest felt heavy, her stomach rumbled from being refused food and her head was going to send her into an early grave if it wouldn't stop pounding soon. Just great. It was as if she was on the edge of getting sick which was rare for Apollo Kids. Not at all a reassuring sign.
"You haven't even eaten anything. Where do you think you're going young Lady? I am not done having this conversation." His hand pointing to the plate of food on her bedside table. Lee must have brought it with him from breakfast. It was against the rules to bring food into the cabins. There was a moment of hestiaton in her actions. She almost felt bad seeing he only picked food he knew she liked. Fruits no meat. Not many people cared for the fact she was vegetarian.
Of Course, her over caring older brother noted that down from her rambles, of course.
"Well I am." Amelia cringed at her hard tone and regretted it as soon as the door closed behind her. It was not right, she was not in the right.
Why was she so wound up? Maybe it was something about that shady dream she had. What was it again? She remembered a man holding lantern- Shaking her head she quickly walked off before Lee could change his mind and come after her.
-
Luke was not in the cabin. Instead she found him by the forge, watching some blonde kid closely. Amelia stilled in her movement, leaning on a tree a few meters away eyeing the situation. For a moment he seemed do be doing fine then the metal split and flew out of the forge setting a fire. Probably not a Hephaestus kid then. A guy ran over and threw water on it. Luke pushed the kid to the side who then took of the googles. That was undeniably the kid she had flicked together after his fight with the minotaur.
Percy, was his name right?
When they walked off she stayed put, something held her back from going up to him now. She almost got the feeling Luke had adopted him like some puppy. Just as she imagined he threw himself at the shot of filling somewhat of an older brother figure for the boy. She had expected that of her Luke. Annabeth was with them too at some point, but Amelia kept her distance.
Nothing helped to keep her thoughts from the day before away. She needed to talk to him about it but interrupting that bonding time felt wrong.
-
Walking to the training field that morning felt weird now, knowing that Luke being there was no longer a positive. Her medic kit weighting down on her back was too heavy and she desperately wanted to turn the other way. When she arrived, the first thing in her line of sight was Luke sitting over a wounded Sherman pressing down on his leg. His hands already covered in blood, his left still had their now bloodied promise ring sitting on it. Somewhere further in the background were Percy and Annabeth. A little closer Clarisse talked angrily to another one of her brothers. Ignoring her surroundings, she bent down and caught Lukes eye.
"What happened here?"
"Mark and Sherman were trying to assert their dominance instead of actually training. Which resulted in Mark hitting Sherman with his sword when I wasn't looking." Luke explained.
So that was what Clarisse was arguing with Mark about.
Luke looked like a tired father of five. Amelia shook her head, she silently asked herself if those two troublemakers would ever stop being troublesome.
"Keep pressing down." She instructed laying her hands on his trying to make out the extent of the wound. Magic burned its way through her veins. Raw, it was pure and gentle, but when it touched a wound, it was as if it dulled it. It leaked out of her fingers and passed through Luke's hand to Sherman's leg. It was a deeper wound than she expected it to be. At least it was only a flesh wound, and flesh heals easily.
Invisible threads of her magic stretched all the way into his leg. It was expected to hurt her somewhat yet feeling coming her way was a more intense. One she hadn't experienced before. If she had to describe it the only thing coming to her mind was, rotten flesh. As an immediate reaction of her body she felt bile violently trying to make its way up her throat. A warning, but she didn't know what for.
Amelia wanted to rip her hands away, this feeling was not Shermans. It couldn't be, the injury was not severe enough.
But who-
Her magic also touched Luke. Amelia felt her hands beginning to shake but kept pushing her magic, humming the melody louder. Ignoring that sting of death got harder in the process and she kept getting distracted by it. There was a faint glow around her hands as she gently tried to close the wound up enough for Luke to let go.
Something was prickling under her skin itching to break through it. Amelia violently ripped her hands off. Luke and Sherman looked up at her sudden movement.
"You good? You look a little pale." The Ares kid asked. After everything she doubted he was really worried but more likely concerned because he questioned her ability to help him. Biting down on her lip she drew blood; she quickly licked it away. Luke still saw it.
What by Hades had That been? Amelia once heard of those people who felt like insects lived beneath their skin and as much as she was disturbed by it, she desperately hoped that was all it was. This was not supposed to be happening.
"Take your hands off now." She instructed lowly not bearing to keep eye contact again. There was dirt all around and even after she cleaned the wound, which Sherman cursed her out for, it wasn't getting much better. Ignoring his protest she continued her action. An infection would be the last thing he wanted. Amelia gladly reminded him that, that would the result if she did this wrong now. It'd come back to bite both of them later. "I need to stich that up. In the infirmary." Sherman groaned throwing his head back. She temporary bandaged his leg. Luke held his hand out to help him back on his feet which he reluctantly took.
They barely stood when suddenly Clarisse pushed Marks shoulders hard. "Back off Clarisse!" Luke shouted over to the girl.
It seemed to do nothing but make the girl angrier. Amelia understood, the two of them hated each other's guts. However another fight wouldn't help the situation. "Get fucked, Castellan. This has nothing to do with you." She yelled back.
By that time Mark was up from the ground and took a swing at Clarisse. Amelia cringed when the first few punches flew between the siblings. It wasn't very likely about Sherman the way they tucked and scratched each other it was deeper. Even the wounded boy leaning onto her was taken aback by the time Clarisse spat in Mark's face. They let them fight to get it out of their system for another good minute until they dragged them apart. Glaring ahead not giving the other another look they walked right behind Luke, Amelia and Sherman.
-
"You think hes going to be okay?" Luke asked worriedly. Worried? He didn't usually care for Ares kids. Oh, right. It had happened under his watch after all, he would get the blame if something was seriously wrong. Amelia had just been packing up all the things she had used and startled by his voice she dropped some of them to the ground. Turning around he was already on the floor and collected her things. Luke offered them back to her. The picture unfolding in front of her was somehow unreal. Him on his knees handing her a scalpel packed in plastic while smiling reassuringly. Slowly she reached out her hands briefly touched his skin and that toe curling feeling appeared again. Maybe he was sick? But he didn't look sick, he looked good too good.
"Elia?" he asked ripping her out of a trance. "Hmm?"
"I asked if you think he's going to be okay?" The skin around his scar twitched, a nervous habit of his. Why was he nervous? There was no rocking back and forth or wiping his sweaty hands on his jeans. Luke was way to pulled together to be nervous. Amelia he asked you a question pay attention. "Yeah, right- he is going to be fine." She answered with a small smile of her own. Did she already mention his was gorgeous?
Gods she was a wreck.
There was no way she could stay in his company she would embarrass herself endless. Why did it feel like they were tiptoeing around each other like they did on their first date?
"Hey, do you think we can talk"? Luke asked when she was already halfway around him. Right that was what she had in mind earlier. "Sure."
-
They sat at the beach again, this time she didnt lean into him. There was space in between them and the sun was shining brightly. "You haven't talked to me for the whole day, did I do something wrong?" Luke asked. He sounded truly confused, maybe even hurt?
Her head spun to him. Had he done something wrong? A kid almost died in front of her eyes and he was asking if he had done something wrong?
"You choked Adrien, Luke! The- the poor kid was scared out of his life- he-" The more words left her mouth the more his confusion intensified. It was as if he didn't know what she was talking about at all. Then his face cleared instead his features softened and he had that puppy look in his eyes. Now he was being mean because he knew exactly what that did to her.
"Amelia, are you having those nightmares again?"
That was punch in the gut.
"Yes, but that was real- it happened- Did it?" She broke herself of. Could she swear on the river Styx? No, because this had happened before a little over two years ago. Pictures flashes and screams of despair echoed to her brain making her shuddered and sink in to herself. Luke and her had just officially gotten together and he helplessly had to watch as she suffered under what others claimed to be a blessing. Nobody had any idea how to ease her or aid her. All Mr. D said was that it was a gift of her Dad. How could it be a gift when drove her closer and closer to insanity until she was dangling over the edge daring to fall off?
Dawn then proceeded to pray to their dad and came up with some plant based mixture. After that it never happened again. His hand grabbed hers gently messaging it with his thumb.
"Elia, what do you think did happen?" he asked.
Amelia paused for a moment. What did she remember? Nothing good.
She drew her eyebrows together thinking back to the day before. "Adrien said something stupid things, you got angry and attacked him. You were talking to him but you held his collar too hard, you- you were choking him." His hands softly grabbed onto her face making her look into his eyes.
True and warm as ever they looked down at her. "That is not what happened. I would never do that, I promise." He spoke slowly and clearly to make sure she understood.
Instinctively she leaned into his touch desperate for his warmth. "Adrien did say some very offensive things but I told him to leave, we got into a little verbal fight. He left after that, I mean he got a pretty nasty cut on his shoulder from training that day but- that's it. One moment you were alright and then your eyes were all glazed over. You had one of your visions, I think. You were crying and repeating my name. I- I tried to help but you were just- gone. Clarisse and I brought you to your sister, you remember?"
No, Amelia did in fact not remember.
That is not how it happened- but he wouldn't lie to her like that right? Tears stung her eyes and her throat hurt, limiting her ability to breathe. Was she going crazy? Was this the beginning like it was with her mother? She remembered some of that, the memory loss the sudden rage and sadness. Somewhere in an old mouldy house her mother was laughing at her, Amelia couldn't breathe.
"What's wrong with me?" she choked out. Head pounding, tears flowing, hands ruffing her hair.
The same, the same, the same.
"I'm totally nuts." Her voice broke.
"No you aren't." Luke wiped the tears the rolled down her face while she blankly stared at him. His hands slid down her cheeks and briefly touched the skin of her throat. She flinched, it hurt like hot oil sprinkled onto it. "Everything is going to okay, yeah? Lets get you to your cabin and I'll talk to Dawn again." Amelia hummed and let herself be led by him blindly. It couldn't be, she wasn't crazy, she wasn't her mother. However it seemed, like no matter how often she told herself that, she could never manage to outrun genetics.
-
Amelia rubbed her arms. They just had dinner. Her stomached revoked against the food. She felt like she was going to throw up all over her own feet if she stood any longer. The smell of the fire offerings lingered in her nose. Luke was talking hushed words with Dawn throwing a look over his shoulder once in a while. It was cold. She was tired of waiting and instead wandered off into the nearby woods.
Ms. Vaughn her old therapist would probably wrinkle her nose, push up her glasses and give her that meaningful look. Of course followed by one of her talks about how important communication was for her. Something about other people not thinking the way she did and she may see the totally opposite in a situation than others. Amelia did not want to talk and Ms Vaughns body was cold and rotting in her grave.
Taking a deep breath oxygen reached her brain, the nausea lessened. Her hand ghosted over plants and the rough surface of trees. Wind swept her hair back and forth and her skin soaked in the last of sunrays. How could she be crazy when she was still aware of the beauty of nature? If that feeling ever fades, you are allowed to contact the authorities.
A sob.
Amelia stopped in her tracs very slowly turning towards the direction she heard the noise from. Nobody other than her would wonder of into the woods alone. Unless they had a death wish. There he sat on a her little tree stump. The very one she sat on crying not all that long ago.
"Percy?" she asked curiously.
The boy jumped looking like a deer in headlights with how he was eyeing her with his wide bloodshot eyes. That explains the sob then.
"You're Amelia. The girl Luke showed me, right?"
The girl Luke showed me, yeah that hurt. Damn Luke and that picture he always carries around.
"I guess I am."
Amelias face reddened when she felt the same picture poke her thigh from inside her trousers pocket. She was surprised he even recognized her. It was from the campfire right after they got together. Luke looked ridiculous with his curly hair parted in the middle a Hawaiian shirt thrown over the neon orange camp shirt and that stupid baggy jeans he only got rid of a few months ago when she found it in his closet.
Not that she herself looked any better with crooked teeth, a gash on her forehead from the earlier capture the flag game, a summer dress and a flower behind her ear Luke gifted her.
"Can I sit?" she pointed next to him.
He bobbed his head slowly, wiping his tears. She couldn't believe he actually showed that picture to someone. It spoke for Percys personality though. If Luke trusted him so much that he let him see him in his middle part phase, it meant something. Genuinely it was hilarious to look on now and it never failed to make him blush.
There was a little metal bucket with burned wood in front of them. That's why he's out here alone. New unclaimed camper that's embarrassed to ask their godly parent to claim them with others around.
"You want to talk about it?" she asked. It wouldn't be her first Rhodeo by any means..
"I was talking to my Mum." He pulled his legs to his chest laying his head on his knees. The sun was nearly down making it harder to read his expression but she took a wild guess that it was one of deep grief. Amelia raised her eyebrows. That was a new one.
"That's brave of you." It was a sacrifice to the gods and he used it to talk to his dead mother. That could be seen as an Insult to the said gods. Speaking of showing character, that boy was an angel. Maybe mixed with stupidity but she could tell it was simply meant to ease his mind. There was a purity about him she hoped nobody would ever take from him, but she knew better.
Pulling a little bag from her pocket she handed it to him. Blue peppermints was the candy she choose to carry around. It had grown to somewhat of an habit among the Apollo children. Lee carried eucalyptus drops to spite Michael and Amelia carried blue peppermints like the ones Arthur always got her as a child when he had a few dollars to spare.
For a moment he hesitated and she had ask herself what kind of cruel jokes other kids most have pulled on him. Amelia picked one out of the back and put it in her mouth to show him it wasn't some kind of trick.
"Thank you. You know for being so nice." He said popping one of the sweets into his mouth. Being nice? What did he think giving out some sweet qualified as niceness? That poor boy must have been through it. Right then and there Amelia promised herself she would do everything in her power to protect that boy. She would make one to the gods but they werent known for keeping them if not sworn on the river Styx.
"I'm being a decent human being, Minty. Don't thank me for That." she said.
Amelia crackled a little when he threw her a confused look at the nickname. It was easy to do that with him it was natural. The nichname would absolutely stick, she would not let him off the hook with that one.
"Not for this. I meant for what you did in the infirmary. How you talked me out of the nightmare... it was a bad one. Thank you for not just leaving, many would have. I'm sorry for you Mum."
Amelia blinked her tears away. He had heard that?
"Thank you. My condolences on your Mom."
"You're welcome." He reached for another peppermint and she let him take it. Amelia was pretty sure if he asked now she'd just give them all to him.
Yeah, ain't no way the gods are going to be allowed to touch a hair on that precious boy. Luke would agree. The way he instantly clicked and cared for the younger showed her that. Actions spoke more than words ever would. There was no need to show everybody Percy was with him but he still did it. For the majority of camp that would be reason enough to leave him be. It probably was the only reason he could sneak of that easily too. It's what the Hermes cabin called the Luke effect, he was a protective mama bear when it came to the unclaimed.
Which was why whatever she thought had happened with Adrien just could not be true. It couldn't and refused to believe he was able to do it.
"I really miss her." He confessed tears threatening to fall from his eyes.
Amelia wrapped an arm around him letting him cry into her side.
"I know you do, bud."
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4.3k words
Amelia girl.. I love you but you are a little cray-cray.
Anyway, I like don't have time to breathe the next two weeks so don't have too high expectations for a new chapter. If I go MIA, no I didn't. I'm just burried to the neck in work.