PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS X READER

I

5 Months after Zeus's bolt was returned

"Stella? You in there?" Asks Percy as he knocks on her cabin door. "You said we could train this morning."

She doesn't answer.

"Come on. You can't stay in your cabin all day." He complains.

"Leave, Percy." She opens the door.

She has dark circles under her eyes and a look of emptiness on her face.

"Stel, you...you don't look so good. Whens the last time you slept?" He asks concerned.

Stella looks at the ground, refusing to make eye contact with him.

"We can train tomorrow. I'm busy." She says as she shuts the door.

"But, you said that yesterd-." Percy says in annoyance and confusion.

"Any luck?" Asks Annabeth approaching Percy.

"Nope." He sighs.

For the past 5 months, Stella has been searching for any evidence that Luke could possibly be out there, alive. Eventually, she started to isolate herself in her cabin, barely leaving, only to train and get food. At night, she sneaks out to the rock by the lake. She sits there talking to Luke, like he was listening. She was the closest to him and his betrayal hit her harder than anyone else. It has driven her restless trying to understand why he did what he did. Everyone in camp keeps telling her to drop it and move on. But, she can't, not until she can understand.

Stella's POV

I feel horrible not talking to my friends, especially Percy, but they aren't any help when it comes to trying to find Luke. I know he is out there, somewhere.

I keep promising myself that if this lead doesn't check out, I will stop looking. But, I just can't bring myself to.

Another knock at the door.

"Just give me a sec!" I call out.

"May I come in?" Asks Chiron.

Shit.

"Umm... Yeah! Just..uhh..one sec!" I say as I put all the papers into my desk.

He opens the door.

"Hello, Stella." He says in a calming voice.

"Good morning." I say.

"Morning? Its 1 in the afternoon."

"Already? Wow, times flies." I say as I rub my eyes.

"How are you doing?" He asks.

"Did Percy send you? Look I'm fine, I just haven't been feeling too good, maybe its a stomach bug." I say, completely lying.

"Stella, I know you and Luke were close, but what he did-."

"That wasn't Luke!" I interrupt him, sounding like a crazy person. "I'm sorry for yelling. I haven't been sleeping much." I admit.

"I've noticed. Stella, I know this must be hard for you, but it has been months since Luke left. We don't know for certain if he is alive or not." He says with sensitivity.

I look at anything but him. I can't cry in front of him. He'll think I'm weak. Which, I am. Spending months looking for a guy who betrayed me. Who, for some reason, I still love. But, I can't look weak, I can't keep on being the weak little girl who gets abandoned.

"What if he is?" I ask. "If he was still alive, would you let him come back to camp?"

"I don't know." He says. "All I know is that you are here, at camp. You are here to train yourself and to learn, not to sit around in your cabin all day. Your friends are worried and they miss you."