hiraeth

six

A/N: I wrote this in the parking lot 🤧

vi. Enne

Nia is a force to be reckoned with when she's conflicted: spaced out, snapping occasionally, and blasting her way through training. Campers whisper she's a natural at swordfighting, chaotic but fluid in her movements, and overall unyielding.

Enne knows better, of course. She tracks Nia's footwork from her crossed-legged seat across the current match, grass tickling her ankles. She  realized early on, when they were working in NYC and scraping by to pay the rent, that most people's perception of her friend were off by a long shot. The words "tough" and "self-assured" always worked their way into the gossip, but never "fragile." Although Enne would only use the adjective sparingly, she can tell Nia is at a breaking point.

The match ends swiftly. Nia sweeps her leg forward and knocks the poor demigod to his knees with a thud. She thrusts her dagger out, the one Annabeth gave her in acknowledgement of her abilities (Nia had lost to her, but she put up a good fight). The tip grazes the boy's chin, and he surrenders.

Enne stands up and brushes off the dirt from her jeans. She meets Nia halfway, but avoids praising her, sensing it isn't the correct thing to do.

Nia rolls her shoulders back and cracks her neck in the process. "I didn't even break a sweat!" she says excitedly.

Enne nods, spotting the R on Nia's hand for the first time. "I saw."

"Oh." Nia stops twirling her dagger, noticing Enne's somber expression. "You wanna spar next? Annabeth told me I should probably teach you some tricks."

The corners of Enne's mouth lift slightly. "No, it's fine. I think I'll manage with hiding and running, but-"

"Okie, well, I'm gonna go see if I can practice with Percy. I want to see if I can dodge his water attacks or whatever." Nia pats her on the head and runs off the other way. "Let me know if you reconsider!" she calls.

Enne doesn't mind. She's read somewhere that when someone is angry or upset, you have to wait patiently until their tide changes direction. Giving Nia some space is probably the best move. The fights are a distraction from the pain of the last few months, and it's her way of processing. She knows that much.

And what am I doing? The sun is still high in the sky, and Enne melts into the shade of an oak tree, taking in the sight of campers scaling walls and pulling weights. Feeling down, she recalls a faint memory she had the night before, one she hasn't told Nia about yet.

"That was awesome! You're brilliant!" someone cheers.

An arm weighs across her shoulders. "Get off me! I can't believe we actually did that."

"I can't believe you did that."

"We did it together. Teamwork!" The sting of a high five. Flashes of raven hair and the glimmer of something shiny.

It makes her smile, if only briefly. Perhaps she needs time to process too.

~~~

"That's all." Rachel's body relaxes and stops glowing. She just delivered a quest prophecy for her and Nia after waiting for what felt like an eternity. The three of them shuffle awkwardly in the meeting room of the Big House, staring at each other with nothing else to say.

Enne breaks the silence. "I'm gonna forget it."

"Same," says Nia, equally dumbfounded. Then she snaps out of it. "Write it down, write it down!"