I 022. I
𝑾𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑽𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔
❝ sleepless ❞
χαρμολύπη στηρίζεται στην καρδιά των νικηφόρων πολεμιστών. A saying that she had always said in Ancient Greek, so that in the real world, if people understood then they were one of them. But it was mostly for herself and any of her friends listening to her mumbled and soft words that were spoken in the dead of night, or Percy, having awaken from a terrible dream to hear the melodic and hazy and warm voice of his beloved.
Roughly, it translated to Charmolypi rests in the hearts of victorious warriors.
Ariadne had always felt a bit too tied to the word. Charmolypi was an old ancient word used to describe joy-making sorrow. As a demigod, she had felt it enough time in her heart to know how that felt for a person. They had won so many battles, but lost so much; loved ones, friends, even some part of themselves and their true innocence and ability to go a day without having to look over their shoulder--that was all gone after one battle with a monster.
Even then, weeks after Percy's sixteenth birthday and the end of the Second Titan War, she repeated that phrase to herself over and over when she couldn't sleep. When she was attacked with bloody images of war and some dark memories of the past and other various quests and missions, Ariadne repeated the phrase of joy and sorrow to herself, in hopes that some gods were listening and gave her and her friends a break for once.
Chiron and her father had often told her to quit with that word, saying it was no good for a demigod and a Warrior of Olympus, but she wouldn't let it go. She had first discovered it in an old Ancient Greek book from thousands of years prior, and once learning what it meant, it had imprinted on her mind long enough for her to remember it even after ten years.
She was left to think about all that in the middle of the night. New York City was still alive outside the semi-cracked window in her room. Ariadne had finally decided to stop bugging the Jackson-Blofis household for a night. Percy had quickly fallen asleep after she whispered a few quiet lullabies in his ear and brushed his hair away from his face while his parents slept in their own room, then, she left their apartment and locked up with the key she had before entering hers. Sitting in her dark room on her bed, knees curled up to her chest while she rested her chin against them.
Her breath was faint in the cool apartment, skyscraper lights twinkling across her bedroom walls, enveloping her in a false sky of the city-scape, mimicking the heavens above as if she was one of them. It would've been a beautiful sight if only she wasn't locked in her own battle with her mind. Lately, she had been seeing more than she would've liked--her eyesight going purple for a few minutes at a time. She didn't think of it as anything at first.
But now, she knew that it could only mean that either her decision from the last Great Prophecy was taking affect, or the second had already begun--neither were a good thing for her. Either way, Ariadne Phoenix was doomed.
That thought made her shiver. She instinctively turned toward the wall, where Percy usually was, but only then had she realized that he wasn't there to offer her warmth and comfort. Ariadne gulped at the remembrance of her choice, and how that comfort wouldn't be there any longer for her to lay in.
Ariadne couldn't stand her room anymore and made her way to the small kitchen filled with other foods that magically stocked themselves thanks to Aria, who she hadn't spoken to in quite some time. Her hands grabbed the box of Lucky Charms and grimaced at the sight of the bright light when she had flicked on the switch, her eyes squinting tightly.
She dug out a few marshmallows and placed them in her mouth. The brunette flopped onto the soft, brown couch, pulling her feet up close to her while she flicked on the TV. A random episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians appeared on the screen, and she mindlessly listened to Kourtney and Khloe fight once again over some stupid rich person problem that only they could have. They may be rich, but were they cursed with incredible powers and knowledge of every apocalyptic event that had happened in the last few years? The answer was a heavy, heavy no.
As marshmallows kept entering her mouth, she was forced to keep thinking on the prophecy and what that meant for her and Percy's sake of happiness. She didn't want him to be thrown into another quest, not when he had everything for him. He was finally able to be at a school that accepted him with no charges pressed, two great parents, and no monsters on his back thanks to the war just having happened. It was too perfect for him to give up for the sake of a terrible prophecy she would rather happen years after their lifetime had ended.
If it really came down to it, Ariadne would sacrifice herself and save all her friends and Camp if she needed too. Of course, she hoped it didn't come down to that, but she never was sure in the world of gods and monsters from Ancient Greece.
Her nails dug into her hands, the box now closed beside her. Ariadne clenched her eyes shut as a headache came on. They had become more frequent, and medicine nor any ambrosia or nectar could solve the problem. Percy, surprisingly, was the only person able to help her. All he had to do was use his powers and grab a bit of water to place onto her forehead, and then he just talks to her about his favorite memories of them together.
When they occurred in school he couldn't exactly drop anything he was doing and start talking about their quests in the middle of class, so she was forced to bear the brunt of the pain and just let him play with her hair. Paul was the only person at the school aside from Percy to know of her backstory and her headaches.
She rubbed her temples to ease some of the pain. Ariadne would usually just wake Percy up, but she wouldn't risk his peaceful sleep with her problems.
Ariadne left the box of cereal on the couch as she crawled back into her bed. Her purple eyes shut tightly, in a weak attempt to ease her massive migraine. She cuddled into her grey comforter to find a source of sleep.
After ten minutes of pain and exhaustion, she drifted off to sleep, and a nightmare reminded her of the worst moments of her life.
***
ARIADNE GRIPPED THE DOORKNOB AND TURNED IT QUIETLY. She poked her head into the room to see Percy still sleeping soundly in his bed, covers half on his body and half on the floor. Sally had asked her to check on them while her and Paul left for the store. Of course, the girl didn't mind.
She shut his door and tip-toed her way over to his bed. Her feet dodged the backpack and textbooks strewn across the carpeted floor, and she smiled. Ariadne gently sat in the space next to him. Percy had always felt more safe sleeping closer to the wall, and Ariadne had always favored sleeping next to him and keeping him shielded from the door. It was the savior part of her that she could never really get away.
Her eyes glided onto the bulletin board on the other side of his room. Various pictures were pinned to the board, but the one surrounded by colored strings and writings was the picture of her she had sent Percy when they were thirteen, and a more recent one Sally had taken of them at the skate park, his arm around her waist while she held onto him, both laughing as her board was flipped over. It was a happy moment frozen in time.
Ariadne's fingers pushed back Percy's hair, moving it from his face, allowing her to see him better. She smiled down at the boy brightly before laying next to him. Having somehow sensed a familiar presence, Percy laid his head on her chest and place a hand on her waist, softly snoring into her collarbone. Her hand ran through his hair delicately.
Percy cuddled her closer, and she pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. He mumbled something incoherent as he shifted his head closer to hers. She chuckled, her chest rumbling, and his eyes cracked open at the melodic tone. "When did you get here?"
"A few minutes ago," she said quietly. "Your parents left for the store. They said they would pick up donuts on the way back."
"Blackjack would like that."
His voice was hoarse, and her gut twisted, he sounded extremely attractive with his morning voice, and she just wanted to kiss him until she couldn't breathe any longer. She didn't think Percy would have any problem with that. He liked kissing her.
A raised eyebrow crossed her face. "So would your beloved girlfriend."
He sat up a bit, leaning closer to her. "Eh, Blackjack is a bit higher on the 'donut-excitement-list.'"
She scoffed. Percy gave her a goofy smile and leaned forward, his lips pressing against hers. He placed his hand behind her head, pulling her closer. She smiled into the kiss. Ariadne quickly moved Percy onto his back, and he hummed into her mouth while she ran her hands down his chest. Ariadne usually ended up being the one to make the first few moves when it came to them, and he didn't mind it one bit. But from time to time Percy would do something to surprise her.
Percy sat against his pillows. His girlfriend landed in his lap while wrapping her legs around his waist, hands running along his shoulders and toward his neck. He broke away, leaving only a few centimeters between their lips, his sea-green eyes continuing to dart down as if he couldn't get enough. "I haven't even brushed my teeth."
"Whatever."
Ariadne crashed her lips against his. She pressed herself flush against his body, and her brain went fuzzy. All her demigod problems vanished when she kissed him, as if he somehow made her life a normal teen's, and that was alright with her. Every time his lips moved with hers sent a shiver down a nerve in her body. Her senses were on fire. His hand cupped her cheek, thumb running over her jaw and holding her closer to him. His other hand wrapped around her waist with his fingers underneath her shirt.
He couldn't get over her. In her old Hocus Pocus shirt she had insisted on wearing since Halloween was in the next two days. Her sweatpants and the way her curls seemed to always be perfect without even trying. The freckles scattered across her face, her purple eyes twinkled with happiness, and her pink lips he couldn't help but kiss all the time. Even her scar was beautiful to him, because it showed how much she wanted to keep everyone safe. His heart flipped back and forth as her hands ran through his hair, and their mouths moved together.
After a few more minutes, Percy's stomach rumbled loudly, causing her to giggle. Ariadne's head fell against his shoulder while her body shook. Percy smiled and rested his head on hers, arms snaked around her waist while he smelled her vanilla and strawberry scent.
For a daughter of Dionysus, she didn't exactly smell like grapes. But ever since Gabe and his constant state of drunkenness, and even his own girlfriend's father giving him a sense of uneasiness, Percy didn't exactly like the smell of grapes or any alcoholic beverage, really. Ariadne knew that, and he often caught her never making grapes or even changing anything into wine for both his and his mom's sake, and she always bought vanilla and strawberry smelling scents.
Percy felt extremely lucky for having her in his life. And for once, he thanked the gods for her.
He had never really had a reason to thank any of the gods ( minus Hestia ) for anything. But ever since Ariadne had kissed him that first time when he told her to leave him to take care of the Telekhines, he had to thank them all for a wonderful girl he could finally call his own.
Ariadne sat there peacefully. She hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before, and his warmth was lulling her eyes closed. Her eyelashes grazed his neck, eyelids dropping ever so slightly while he traced circles onto the skin under her shirt.
She pressed a small kiss to his neck, making him shiver. Percy closed his eyes and leaned back against his pillows while he held his sleep girlfriend. He knew just by her eyes that she was incredibly tired, and the boy needed to make her understand that she could've come to him after her nightmares or headaches.
"Babe," he voice muttered against her hair, "why didn't you stay last night?"
It took her a few seconds to answer, her mind slowly processing his words. "I felt bad. I didn't want to bother you and your parents for one night."
Percy pulled back. His eyebrows furrowed, and he tilted his head while she looked up at him from under her eyelashes. "Bother us? You don't bother us. Trust me, my mom always thanks that you're here because apparently you can keep me from 'ruining my room' or whatever that means."
"I just felt bad because I'm always here. Sometimes I forget that we aren't joined at the hip, and that you need time by yourself, too." She was right. Percy often liked to be by himself to think or do whatever it was that he did, but he also liked having her around. "One night wouldn't kill me."
He tended up at those words.
Ever since her close near death experiences from falling off the Gateway Arch when they were twelve, her bloody stomach when they were thirteen, and her poisoned stab wound from a few months ago, his worst fears were coming to light. He couldn't imagine a world that she wasn't in. It didn't seem possible.
Nightmares tended to circle around her dying from a sudden monster attack neither of them were ready for. It always broke him, and he could only sob into her chest while she sang quietly to him until the early morning light streamed in across the floor.
Percy honestly didn't deserve her.
Ariadne brushed his grey streak from his eyes. She sighed at the worry on his face. "I'm okay, Kelp Head. You can't get rid of me that easily. Besides, Halloween is in two days, and we were planning on hanging out with Annie and Andrea, remember?"
"Oh, yeah."
He gave her a crooked grin. "We still going in our couple's costumes?"
"Wonder Woman and Aquaman aren't even a couple."
"They could be!"
She rolled her eyes at his whining. The brunette gave him a soft smile, her thumb tracing over his upper lip, causing him to close his eyes while his hand made her skin hot under her shirt. "I should really get you your own Hocus Pocus shirt."
"No," he groaned. "I never liked that movie."
Ariadne moved her hand from his face and slid off his lap. He pouted at her once she got up from his bed and headed toward the door.
"Where are you going?" he asked, her quickly following.
She gave him a determined look. "Finding someone else who will watch Hocus Pocus with me and will actually like it."
Percy sped up his pace. He slid in front of her, his hand wrapping around her wrist while she struggled to move. "You've just been quoting it so much it's gotten annoying," he said. "But if you want me to wear one—fine."
Ariadne replaced her look with a smirk. She patted his cheek, "Stop acting like we're about to fight another war, Kelp Head, that's over for us. All we need to worry about is finding another shirt and how I'm going to convince you that Aquaman and Wonder Woman aren't an item."
"But we're an item," he motioned between them. He guided her back to his bed and tugged her onto his chest. "So they have to be an item."
She hummed unimpressed against his neck, sending his brain into haywire. Percy trailed his fingers lightly along her tan arms, eyes counting every freckle he could find, and he added them all to the ever growing list of new thing she found when he stared at her for long enough.
Ariadne shut her eyes, breath fanning his cheek while she settled into a more comfortable position. Her legs tangled with his and her left hand cradled against his cheek loosely, as if holding him in her palm.
"That doesn't exactly make them official or anything," she told him. "It's not canon."
A laugh bubbled in his chest. His raven hair tickled her forehead when he ducked down to kiss her on the temple. "Anything can be canon if we want it to."
"Amen to that."
Percy let out a short, loud laugh that filled her eardrums with music. She was a sucker for when he laughed loudly in enjoyment and happiness. As a demigod she soaked up every ounce of happiness and humor in their lives that she could, afraid it would be rolled away a split second later. Luckily, that hadn't happened yet. And she hoped it never did.
Ariadne felt a bit more tired in his arms. Despite the sunlight flowing into his room, it was fairly dark inside, making the both of them a bit more tired thanks to a night full of nightmares and yearning for each other.
She lifted her head ever so slightly. "You know what?" Percy gave her a quizzical look. "I think Aquaman and Wonder Woman would make a great couple. But not as great as us, obviously."
Percy felt happy knowing he wasn't the only one who thought they were perfect together. He pressed his lips against hers for a few seconds before they settled back into a quiet, sleepy comfort in the other's arms.
Ariadne felt herself falling onto her dreamscape. And in a last ditch effort before resting, she mumbled, "χαρμολύπη στηρίζεται στην καρδιά των νικηφόρων πολεμιστών."
Percy nodded into her hair. He understood her words and what they meant.
And sadly—both of them knew it was true.
But they wouldn't feel it until December rolled around.
authors note:
I'm literally writing this in the middle of my English google meet so yay me.
I hate school so much and I hate being a sophomore im just going to drop out. Done and done.
I also have and sorry for not updating recently I'm swamped with school since winter break is in two weeks and I have so many assignments.
Also big big big news:
I AM...
BISEXUAL!!!!!
It's been on my mind for years and I'm so happy I can finally recognize it! Another thing Ari and I have in common!!!!
I love you guys so much and let me know your favorite parts. I also really like the motto o gave Ari and also just the word Charmolypi in general.
Love you guys!!!
PS: EVERYONE HERE IS WELCOME. ALL SEXUALITIES ALLD GENDERS OR NO GENDERS AT ALL OR YOU JUST GO WITH THE FLOW. EVERYONE IS WELCOME AND IF I HEAR ABOUT ANY RACISM HOMOPHOBIA ETC I WILL BEAT YOUR ASS!