𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒 [pjo]

eight; a dark and hurting dream

━━━a dark and hurting dream

.・゜゜・───・゜゜・．

Callahan blinked her eyes open to the bottom of a bunk and the smoke of pine incense and sweet mistletoe. It made her eyes water, remembering how much people used to tease her for Cabin 19 always smelling like Christmas. She sighed, nuzzling deeper into the sweet-sleep smell of Annie's hair. The early morning light was soft and grayish, sinking in from the corners of Cal's vision, and she wanted nothing more than to stay within the safety of Annie's arms.

"You're awake?" Callahan turned to find Percy silhouetted by the new sun, his edges fuzzy and unclear. He was already dressed; orange Camp Half-Blood shirt blood-stained and ripped, jeans covered in yellow-ish dust, and fingertips covered in--blood?

"What--"

"Shhh," Percy quieted her, shaking his head as he stepped silently into the room. It took the heavy echo of his sneakers hitting the ground for Callahan to realize that the room was empty and that Annabeth had gone cold. "Don't worry, Lucky."

"Annie," Callahan murmured, turning to look back down at the blonde curled next to her, "Annie, wake up."

"She's not there, Cal."

And Annabeth turned to dust under Callahan's shaking hand. Callahan couldn't contain her scream, her hands scrabbling through the gray ash that coated her fingertips, the dust that used to be Annabeth.

"But, she was--she was just here--"

"But she's not, Lucky," Percy replied, that soft smile ever present, "And she never really was."

"How--" And then the chill settled, "I'm dreaming."

Percy shrugged, "If you say so."

She looked around the room, the perfect replication of the safety of her cabin back home. "I'm not really here."

"No, you're not." Percy, if she could even call him--it?--that, replied, "You're on the Argo II, on your way to the Ancient Lands."

"Then why am I here?" She snapped, lifting her fingers to watch the dull sunlight dance against the dust that coated her skin, the dust that used to be Not-Annie. "And what are you?"

"I'm Percy, Lucky." The boy cooed, moving smoothly toward her with blood-stained fingers reaching for her tear-stained cheeks, "I've always only been Percy."

"What does that--"

"I can help if you want." And he smiled, teeth white and eyes glinting. There was something not there in his smile, in his sea-green gaze. Something that told her he wasn't kind, wasn't her Percy. Callahan's heart was beating a mile a minute, tears silver-sweet tracks on her pallid cheeks.She didn't even remember when or why she started crying. Percy's thumb was a hot and pressing weight against her skin, and he remained smiling all the while as he rubbed the tears away, catching one. He pulled his hand away, thumb lifting to his lips. Callahan's breath shuddered.

"Why are you so scared, Lucky?" He murmured, "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm your Percy, just yours."

The air turned sour, the warm summer heat of Camp Half-Blood turning oppressive and sharp, pushing in on her chest as Percy smiled down at her. His eyes flashed, teeth glinting like hard metal as he reached again for her.

"I just don't understand why you're so scared, Callahan. I'm yours, I would never hurt you." He hummed softly, thumb tugging on her bottom lip as his hot palm traveled down to the base of her throat, "Unless...no, you couldn't possibly think that--"

His hand felt like hot molten metal on her throat, heavy, sword-callused fingers digging into the soft skin of her neck, "I remember what you told Luke, Baby. I know that you would never believe your mother, would you?"

Callahan gasped, fingers reaching up to dig into Percy's grip as it slowly, softly grew tighter. "Percy--"

"I could never hurt you, Lucky. I would never. I owe you my life a couple times over, but--" His fingers grew bruising, an iron manacle cutting off the air in Callahan's lungs. Her vision was growing fuzzy, lips gaping open to beg air into her body, "but you couldn't possibly believe I would hurt you, Callahan, let alone kill you. Baby, are you--" Her lured in closer, breath hot on her wet face and green eyes blurry through the tears in Cal's vision, "Are you scared of me?"

"Percy--"

"Oh, Lucky." The thing slowly killing her, the thing wearing her boyfriend's face, murmured, "You have no reason at all to be scared."

Callahan lost consciousness after that.

━━━a dark and hurting dream

.・゜゜・───・゜゜・．

A//N: sorry about how short the chapter is!!