all our broken skies, a kotlc + pjo/hoo fanfic

chapter twelve

The first step towards healing, in Sophie's mind, was finding answers. She needed to know what her past contained if she were to move on, no matter how horrible it was.

Because she was a bad person, right? People wanted to kill her.

Or maybe not? Maybe she was a good person; Sophie would like to believe that. Maybe she had enemies because she stopped bad people.

Sophie couldn't see herself as a villain. She was a good person; she had to believe that; she did believe that.

She was a good person. And if she wasn't in the past...

Well, she'd be a good person now.

Sophie needed to right her past wrongs if she was a bad person, and the answers could only be found with Shade.

Forcing a flashback probably wasn't a good idea, but if it helped...

If it helped, she'd be a step closer to figuring out who she was.

Sophie needed to tell someone, though, because she certainly wasn't going to that bridge alone.

First of all, she couldn't drive; she was fairly certain of that, and she didn't want to test her theory.

Secondly, the idea of being alone on the bridge wasn't comforting in the slightest.

And third, once her new -- friends? Were they friends? She'd call them friends -- friends found out she'd left, they'd certainly come after her.

No, it was safer to have someone bring her to the bridge and help her figure this out.

Together.

Sophie liked having people to rely on; she had a feeling that was from her past. She wondered what friends she'd had then, what happened to them. Didn't they wonder where she was?

Was Shade one of them? Why wouldn't they reveal themselves, then?

She was so confused, but she'd get answers.

Sophie looked up from the grass; Rachel sat beside her, idly flipping through a book on art, twirling a pencil between her fingers. Since Sophie wasn't "claimed," whatever that meant, Rachel had offered the blonde a room in her cave.

It's a comfortable cave, Rachel assured her. It's not really a cave at all. There are sleeping bags, and I have pillows and blankets and--

Sophie made sure the redhead knew it was fine.

She couldn't help but be nervous, though, despite Rachel's friendliness. How would the redhead respond to Sophie's request?

Finally, Sophie decided that it'd be best to just dive straight into the matter. "Hey, uh, Rachel?" she asked. The redhead looked up. "Can I...talk to you?"

Inwardly, Sophie cringed. You're already talking, idiot.

Rachel, though, paid that no mind as she smiled warmly, shutting her book and setting it aside. She even put down the pencil, giving Sophie her full attention. It was a little off-putting.

"Yeah, sure," Rachel said. "What's up?"

"I..." Sophie took a deep breath. You've got this. "I need your help."

Rachel tilted her head, brows furrowing. "What's wrong?"

"I'm... I have amnesia," Sophie confessed.

"Been there, done that," Rachel said, then paled. "Oh, Hades, that was-- Sorry, that was so insensitive of me," she scrambled to say. "Shit, I'm sorry. Hades, sorry."