Hello, my dear readers!
How are you doing? I'm doing well, thank you for asking (mentally, and if not, then you should gather some manners, thank you). Here is yet another chapter of this story and I hope you are all enjoying this journey as much as I am! Here's to another Tuesday and another update!
-Ally Layne.
BTW please follow me I'm desperate.
Or not, that's fine too I guess.
Disclaimer: There are pieces of this chapter that do not belong to me, such as the characters of Glorfindel, Annabeth, Clarisse, Rachel, Selina, Chris, etc. as well as phrases taken from the book, The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (pp.292-5).
Happy reading!
---
Upon entering the dining hall, I was immediately thrust back in time to the mess hall at camp. There were many different tables of different misfits that instead of dining with their families often came here.
Therefore, the dining hall often contained various classes of bachelors and bachelorettes vying for the attention of one another.
It was just like high school, to be honest.
But this time, it was lit with various sconces of size and shape and held the same beautiful and natural architecture of the rest of Imladris. Plus, there was always a trio of elves playing various instruments from the hours 4-7 pm according to Arwen.
Glorfindel led me to the table, where food had suddenly appeared from a few elvish servers that seemed to practically dote on the blond Lord. I'll admit- I was a few batted eyelashes and rosy blushes away from walking out, but luckily Goldilocks realized I reached my threshold of obnoxious female behavior.
"Thank you, we kindly appreciate you bringing us our meals this evening," Glorfindel told them in his silken voice. "Now, if you would not mind, I would like to be able to enjoy this in peace."
Dayum, the Lord has spoken. And not too soon, or I thought the two ellyth would have started to give him a striptease.
"Thanks," I muttered to the elf across the table, who had immediately turned his full attention to me.
His smile was radiant. "You need not thank me for that. It is quite annoying how often that happens, do you not think?"
I raised a brow and took a sip of the mead that had been offered, but nearly choked on how strong it actually tasted. I could tell that he was trying not to laugh but ended up failing.
"Yeah, laugh it up, Goldfish. Not all of us can be so majestic."
His eyes darkened slightly as his grin only widened further. "You believe me to be majestic?"
I rolled my eyes, but the blush on my cheeks totally gave me away.
"Oh, you do! Why is it that you think I am majestic, Nemir?"
I looked at him plainly. "Are you going to keep using the word majestic or am I just going to have to leave?"
He laughed. "We both know you would not leave even if I begged you to do so, Nemir."
I pursed my lips and looked down at the salad beneath me that was a bit off-putting. "Do you elves ever eat meat?"
Glorfindel let out a bark of laughter. "I believe you have eaten meat with us for special celebrations." He took a bite of the salad and looked back to me after chewing thoroughly. Gods, is everything the elf does so perfect? "And I do believe you are trying to change the subject."
I took a bite of my own food, a rather large glob of what I think is this world's version of spinach and carrots, and gave him a closed-lip smile while chewing. It was definitely a white flag waving, and I was pleased that he took it without force.
"What types of foods did your people generally eat in your world?" He inquired between bites. "If your lack of desire for greens is one thing, I do believe your diet consisted of other produce?"
I snorted and immediately covered it all up with my hand but I think I was too late, and a little piece of chewed up spinach landed on the table in front of me. Dear gods, please have mercy on my soul.
"That is certainly seductive," Glorfindel mocked. "What are you going to do next? Spew out your ale in a similar fashion?"
I quickly swallowed and flicked the glob off the table much to Goldilocks's amusement. "No, I wasn't planning to do that. But if you want me to-"
"Oh, please spare me from having to change my shirt," he voiced, holding up his hands in surrender. "I would rather not have a Lady such as yourself spit ale all over me."
I laughed. "I will certainly try to not do that, but who knows? I'm full of surprises."
His eyes glittered in the candlelight. "You certainly are."
"Lady Persephone, are you even listening to me?"
My eyes snapped up to see both Alma and Finalfon looking at me as though I'd lost my mind. And to be honest, I probably had. "Uh... yes?"
Alma immediately started to stifle the laughter that threatened to crack her small frame. Finalfon, however, did not look so amused. He crossed his arms stiffly over his maroon tunic and looked positively ruffled with his wild blond hair.
We were at the library, again, and the two scholars in training were still trying to teach me about some battles over some jewels that had taken place thousands of years ago. To be honest, the fact that these guys were stupid enough to fight over jewels told me everything I needed to know- that I didn't need to waste time and learn more.
"Oh, you did? Then what did I just tell you?"
I paused and took a second to hopefully try and come up with something that could soothe this peacock's ruffled feathers. But, after a few seconds of contemplation, I had a big wad of nothing.
"Well... there were jewels, I think."
The poor elf rolled his eyes, and I could tell he probably just wanted to get up and walk out. It wasn't like I was paying attention to a word he said, after all.
But in my defense, I had a reason to be daydreaming. Glorfindel, yes, the beautiful, elven House of the Golden Flower Lord that was too handsome and generous to be true- that Glorfindel- brought me on a date.
Well, it was to the public dining halls, but I'll take it.
I think.
"Persie, we were talking about the Wars of the Beleriand which led to the end of the First Age," Alma said calmly, a glitter in her eye as she did so. "This was the battle which the elves and their allies fought against Morgoth and his forces."
I nodded along, although it was probably still clear that my brain was elsewhere. "Morgoth, huh? Still stuck on that dude?"
Finalfon obviously was not going to give up. "Morgoth, Lady Persephone, was one of the greatest enemies of the Valar and of the elven kind in all of the ages. So yes, we deem this information important enough to share with you."
My eyebrows raised at the sass. "Wow, didn't think you had that in you, Fin."
Alma immediately jumped in to save the day, seeing his face immediately turn red. "Persie, please. I know that you probably don't want to be here, but this is something that you really need to know. Anything could be crucial later on, mellon nin."
I let out a loud sigh and slumped back into the chair. I silently thanked the gods that I was wearing some riding pants and a blue tunic with an embroidered vest to top it off. It was nice to sprawl and act like an idiot when not wearing a dress; it certainly was a lot easier to manage.
Alma, bless her heart, took that as a sign to continue. She slid the book she had been reading from over to me, pointing out some pictures of different dragons that apparently were under the command of Morgoth in the first age.
"This here is a depiction of the Worm of Morgoth, Glaurung. He was the first and the greatest dragon in the history of this world, and one of the first Lieutenants of Morgoth himself."
I narrowed my eyes at the black dragon that was pictured beneath me. "How do dragons lead troops, exactly?"
Finalfon and Alma shared a secret glance. "Did you have dragons in your world?" Finalfon asked, as his rage had finally ceased into curiosity.
I was immediately flung back in time.
Clarisse didn't have blue eyes.
"ARES!"
"No... WAIT!"
The drakon looked down upon the girl in contempt. And then, it spit poison right directly into her face.
She screamed and fell
It wasn't Clarisse.
It was someone else.
Annabeth jumped from her position off the drakon's back and yelled for our fallen friend. "Clarisse!" The other Ares campers followed suit, running to her side to try and help defend their fallen counselor.
I decided to once again do something stupid, driving Riptide right through two of its scales, getting its attention. "C'MON YOU STUPID WORM! LOOK AT ME!"
Minutes passed, and I played chicken with the drakon. I was forced to dodge rows of sharp teeth and poison being spat at me, but I couldn't hurt the damn thing.
All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye I noticed a flying chariot land right in the center of Fifth Avenue. Someone ran toward us, and I unconsciously stiffened, nervous at just who that could be.
But a part of me already knew the answer.
"NO! CURSE YOU! WHY?"
It was... Clarisse.
So who was the girl?
My focus wavered for a moment, and I was nearly snapped in half.
"WHY?" she demanded, holding the other girl in her arms while the other Ares cabin members worked with Annabeth to try and remove the poison-corroded helmet.
Chris Rodriguez followed his girlfriend, who was still screaming out and demanding redemption for the fallen comrade.
"Watch out!" He warned me, and I immediately lunged out of the way of another attack. Playing chicken with a drakon while trying to figure out who was actually the one in the armor right now was not something I ever recommend doing.
However, instead of turning back to me, the drakon immediately shifted its gaze onto the group of demigods that Chris had finally made it to. It bared its fangs, and I could see a few of the Ares kids pale at the sight.
Clarisse, however, wasn't off-put by the beast. She looked up at the drakon with a face full of absolute hatred... something I had only seen once before in a person- her father, Ares, when I had fought him in single combat.
"YOU WANT DEATH?" She screamed at the drakon. "WELL, COME ON!"
The brunette grabbed her spear from the fallen girl, and with no armor or shield, she charged the drakon.
I tried to help, but she was faster. She leaped to the side as the monster struck, demolishing the ground in front of her. She jumped onto the creature's head. As it reared up, she drove her electric spear into its good eye with so much force that is shattered the shaft, releasing all of the weapon's magical power.
Electricity, vibrating from her broken spear, acred across the creature's head, making its whole body shudder. Clarisse jumped free, rolling safety on the sidewalk as smoke boiled from the drakon's mouth.
Its flesh dissolved, collapsing into a hollow scaly tunnel of armor.
She had taken on a drakon single-handedly defeating it in seconds, and didn't care. We ran over to the fallen girl, who had stolen the daughter of Ares's armor, making it just in time to watch as Annabeth finally managed to remove her helmet.
The battle still raged along Fifth Avenue, but for that moment nothing existed but the fallen girl.
Her features, once beautiful, were badly burned from poison. I could tell that no amount of nectar or ambrosia would save her.
I looked down upon the dying face of Selina Beauregard.
And cried.
"We have something of the sort," I voiced, wincing at the choked sound that emitted from my mouth. Tears had formed in my eyes, and I ignored the shifting of the two in front of me, obviously noting my discomfort. "We have dragons and drakons, which are an older cousin of the worms. They spit poison instead of fire."
Something is about to happen, Rachel had said. A trick that ends in death.
I swallowed the bile that rose into my throat with a weary smile. "They're definitely not as big as these beasts that you guys have here, though. I mean, what the hell is this? A mountain?"
Finalfon nodded, though turned to Alma who was still looking at me warily. "You had much contact with the beasts?"
Another weary grin. "I had enough, that's for sure."
"Are you okay?" Another voice chimed, and shivers immediately ran down my spine at the sound.
I whirled around, seeing Glorfindel standing there in all of his glory while looking at me curiously. I knew he saw the red in my eyes and the frown that I was certainly wearing.
"I'm fine, Goldilocks," I chirped, turning back around to see the stunned face of Sir Finalfon, who probably was completely confused as to why the esteemed Lord was here, and Alma, who was just grinning knowingly.
I rolled my eyes at her quirked eyebrow and pointed stare, girl talk for "oooohhhh giiiirrrrllllll!" and shook my head slightly, telling her to save it for later. Presumably, when the elf wasn't there in front of us while we talked about him.
He sat down in the seat next to me, and I felt the warmth of his arm as it was flung across the back of my own seat. "Lady Almarian shared that you were learning of the Wars of the Silmarils, and I thought I would come and speak about what I know as I was there as it occurred."
I blinked. "But that would make you thousands and thousands of years old."
Glorfindel smirked. "Of course."
Alma immediately started to sputter out an explanation to save me from this version of the cat and the canary. "Lord Glorfindel is one of the eldest elves in Imladris, due to a few extraneous situations." She looked at him pointedly. "Many of those situations are ones which he should tell you himself, not Sir Finalfon or I."
I felt my eyes widen. "Well Alma, let's not force the guy to spill all of his secrets right now-"
"Nothing the Lady Almarian was pressuring me to share would not be common knowledge for those who are familiar with the Fall of Gondolin," Goldilocks interrupted. "It is something anyone could read in a history book."
His eyes narrowed at the book that lay in front of me. "You are discussing the Fire Drakes of the North?"
"If that's another name for dragons, which it sure sounds like it, then yes," I said, gesturing to the picture in front of me. "If the pictures don't already tell you enough."
He cracked a grin. "I remember those days," he claimed, leaning over to read the print on the page. "Ugly times, those were."
Finalfon nodded his head, though seemed to still be star-struck at the historical figure in front of him. "Aye, the readings lay out an extraordinarily gruesome tale indeed."
Glorfindel looked up at him curiously. "What is it that you know about the Nirnaeth Arnoediad?"
Alma choked out a laugh. "I apologize, my Lord Glorfindel, but Sir Finalfon knows far too much to be healthy about the Battle of Unnumbered Tears as he had not existed at that time."
Fin shrugged at her tone, and I held back my own laughter at seeing him so excited over something. "I am a scholar, Lady Almarian. It is in my discipline-"
"Among scholars, you know far more than those who have even lived during those times-"
Glorfindel coughed out a chuckle. "I would be interested to further your study sometime and discuss your knowledge on the topic in the near future," he amended, putting a stop to the flirtatious debate occurring in front of us.
"Oh, that would be truly an honor, Lord Glorfindel," Fin breathed out, hugging the book he had been reading out of in glee. I looked at Goldilocks who was eyeing the scholar in slight awe himself.
"I think this would take far too long for me to sit through," I cut in, determined that the two didn't start a conversation that would go on for weeks. "Can we move on, maybe?"
Alma giggled. "Persie, I think you are too assuming of Sir Finalfon to be able to do such a thing while Lord Glorfindel is in the same vicinity as him."
Glorfindel laughed. "I assure you, Sir Finalfon, we can speak of such things later. You have my word."
Fin, even though I knew him as a stern and serious elf, seemed to melt into a pile of goo. "Why, that would be... that would be just amazing if you really would, I-I do not mean to intrude, Lord Glorfindel, I am sure-"
"He's got time, Finny-Boy," I interrupted, doing my civic duty as a human being or rather a being of this world and saving him before he had gone too far down that rabbit hole. "He would not be here bugging me if he was too busy."
Glorfindel shook with laughter. "I thought we were enjoying each other's presence, Nemir! Have you been lying to me this entire time?"
I looked at him from the corner of my eye with a wicked grin. "Haven't you noticed, Goldilocks?" I grabbed Alma's hand across the table. "I have already met my true match!"
Alma took her hand away from mine slowly while stifling giggles with her other. "That would be news to me, mellon."
"Alma! For shame!"
Finalfon just shook his head at the rest of us wearily, having built himself back up from the pile of goo he had once been. "I am never going to get anywhere with you am I, Lady Persephone?"
Glorfindel smiled at him supporting while placing a warm hand on my shoulder. "I have learned it is better to take it day by day with this mad woman, Sir Finalfon."
I raised my brows. "Are you ever going to stop calling me that?"
His eyes glittered in delight. "Are you ever going to stop calling me Goldilocks?"
I pursed my lips, leading him to start laughing in his short victory. I hated that he was starting to know me too well- but at the same time, a part of me really liked it.
My eyes flickered over to see Alma looking between us with glee. She totally called it and I knew she was going to be all over this as soon as we were alone.
Looks like I'm just going to have to avoid her for the rest of forever.
"Oh! Lord Glorfindel! Thank Eru I have finally found you!"
My heart deflated at the chirpy voice that rang throughout the room, and my shoulders immediately stiffened in tandem with the sounds of heeled shoes clapping against the library floor.
"Lady Mirwen, what a surprise," Glorfindel said, standing up to meet the newcomer. Sir Finalfon launched himself out of his seat as well, hastily moving to follow the Lord's lead.
"Oh, do not be silly, my Lord," she purred. I plastered a fake smile upon my face at the sound. "My mother has made plans for this eve and wishes you will come with."
His blue eyes, vibrant as they always are, immediately fell onto mine before moving back to look back at the beautiful elleth in front of him. "Lady Persephone and I already had plans for this eve, I am afraid."
Her smile, painted in a dark red, widened. "It is nothing I am sure that cannot be modified to a later date, Glorfindel."
My stomach rolled at the casual way she spoke his name, and I let closed my eyes for a few seconds to gather myself. It wouldn't do anyone good to lose it right now, and I'm sure Fin wouldn't think too highly of me afterward of having to clean the library... again.
Alma immediately spoke up on my behalf, "Lady Mirwen, you are interrupting-"
"Interrupting what? Nothing important seems to be going on here," Mirwen's icy gaze met mine. "I am sure Lord Glorfindel can be excused from these... History lessons. After all, he is not the one who needs to be tutored like an elfling."
I kept my lips shut, and avoided all eye contact with Glorfindel who I could feel trying to get my attention. There wasn't really anything I could do but the obvious.
"You should go, Lord Glorfindel." I gritted my teeth. "You don't need to be here, after all."
It was then he moved so my eyes met his own. I nearly winced at the shock and the... hurt? Was that what I saw? But nevertheless, I stuck to what I knew was the truth. Mirwen was staking her claim, and she had far more than I ever did.
"Ah, it seems like there is something in there," Mirwen chattered, placing a delicate hand on the Elf Lord's arm and ushering him away. "Come now, Glorfie, mother is waiting."
A long train of silence was left in their wake, which only was concluded by Alma's scathing words. "I cannot believe you let him leave with that..."
"Bitch?" Fin offered, making me blink in shock.
"Fin!"
He shrugged at me, then looked back at the doorway where they had just walked through. "It seems like a reasonable enough word to describe her given the circumstances."
Alma was still looking at me like I was the dumbest person in the History of the Universe. That... probably may be true.
Shit. I really just let her leave with him, didn't I?
"What were you thinking, Persie?" Alma scoffed. "You normally would have flipped the table, washed her out of here, or something!"
"Woah, woah, woah, so now you want me to make a scene? Wasn't this something that we didn't want me to do anymore?"
Alma let her head fall and hit the tabletop beneath her with a grunt. Fin looked at me with what I could assume was pity, but I didn't bother to try and analyze it.
"Can I leave early, then?" I asked, hoping to escape from more discussions about wars tied to jewels that were oh so important. Right now... well, right now, I just really needed to take a nap, eat some food, and maybe contemplate my life decisions.
Though, not necessarily in that order.
"No, you are not getting out of this so easily," Finalfon scolded, gesturing to the book in front of me. "Now start reading, or we will have to take more time tomorrow to finish these History lessons." He let out a scoff. "How elementary of her to say such a thing."
A small part of me wondered if this was actually a good thing that Mirwen had taken him away before I got too attached. Perhaps this is how it was meant to be- after all, I'm not going to live forever and he is. I'm not some sort of beautiful and perfect being, and he is. But she was both those things, too.
I let out a sigh from those troubling thoughts and turned my focus to continuing the struggle to read.
Meanwhile, he's probably making out with her right about now.
Ugh. Stop, you.
Just don't think about it. Don't think about his perfectly chiseled jawline, his bright eyes, or the way his forehead crinkles slightly when he thinks about something, or...
I'm so screwed.