LUNACY; percy jackson

04.16

[act four; chapter sixteen     -     slow it down]

There were too many good-byes.

That night was the first time Percy actually saw camp burial shrouds used on bodies, and it was not something he wanted to see again.

Among the dead, Lee Fletcher from the Apollo cabin had been downed by a giant's club. He was wrapped in a golden shroud without any decoration. The son of Dionysus, brave, brilliant Castor, who'd gone down fighting an enemy half-blood was wrapped in a deep purple shroud embroidered with grapevines. Percy was ashamed that he'd seen him around camp for three years, was best friends with his sister, and never even bothered to try and be friends. He'd been seventeen years old. His twin brother, Pollux, tried to say a few words, but he choked up and just took the torch. He lit the funeral pyre in the middle of the amphitheatre, and within seconds the row of shrouds was engulfed in fire, sending smoke and sparks up to the stars. Standing beside him the whole time was Donnie, his posture stiff, his arms crossed over his chest, and dark circles under his dark eyes. His skin was paler than usual and his onyx hair looked incredibly dark. His entire expression was grim and sad, but most of all he just looked tired.

They spent the next day treating the wounded, which was almost everybody. The satyrs and dryads worked to repair the damage to the woods. Andromeda had been found in the woods by Janaya and an Apollo camper named Will Solace helped bring her to the infirmary. She had used every bit of strength she had left after the battle and tired herself out so much that her body began to act as if she had lost every ounce of blood in her body. Her skin was pale and clammy, and by the time she woke up she didn't look any better. She had practically glued herself to Donnie, going wherever he went, but separated from him for twenty minutes to take a nap with Pollux. Then she was awake again, still looking just as exhausted as before.