Sign of the Times

Doing what teenagers do best: annoy the shit out of grown-ups.

Sometimes you are sitting there. Your mind refuses to wander, all it can focus on is how slow time is moving. Each second feels like an hour. Each hour feels like a day. Every time the clock ticks, you just beg for it to tick faster. But it won't. 

Eventually, you give up on the belief that maybe some divine force will interfere and accept your fate of pure boredom, or in my case, pain, for the next eternity. 

Every once in a while I can hear Artemis mumble something, Annabeth whimper, or Luke let out a harsh breath, but otherwise, the room is eerily quiet, making time move even slower.

I tried not to look at the clock, thinking it would only ruin my spirits more. I learned the hard way when I would've sworn it had been an hour of me holding the sky. It was only five minutes and 27 seconds. 

My eyes traveled to Annabeth a few times only to find her looking at me and just sitting there defeated. 

At one point, Annabeth was dragged out of the room by Luke, leaving Artemis and me alone together. 

I didn't have the energy to yell at them to stop, to leave her alone. All I could do was watch.

The only thing that is keeping me holding up this stupid sky is knowing they will be here soon. Percy, Thalia, Zoe, and Grover will be here soon. They will save Annabeth and Artemis, and the war will be won. We will have won.

There was something that told me it wasn't that easy. Something being just knowing life isn't that easy.

Percy, Thalia, Zoe, and Grover might not even show up today. They will have to fight the general to free Artemis and Annabeth. And there is more to this war than just this battle. 

When I wasn't thinking about the fate of the war, I was thinking about something much less important to the fate of the world. 

Percy and I kissed.

He kissed me.

I kissed him back. 

He begged me not to go. 

I left. 

For once I didn't want to leave. 

When my mom told me we were going overseas, I said let's go. When Percy and Annabeth invited me to escape with them from the island, I said let's not waste another second. When I thought that I had to leave camp because I wanted to know more about my mom, I left as quickly as possible. 

But when Percy told me to stay? I wanted to. I wanted to waste a lot more than a second. I didn't want to run away.

For once in my life, I didn't look back at what I was leaving behind.  

For once in my life, I considered letting myself be happy.

But I guess that is just child of Hades shit, you don't get to be happy. Death rarely meets happiness. 

It was like my thoughts summoned him because Percy's voice broke through the silence. "Emelia!" I looked up to see him running towards me.  

"Stop!" I croaked out. "It's a trap!"

He didn't stop though, he ran until he reached me and put his hand on either side of my face. 

"Let me take it from you," he said, his voice low. 

"Ah, how touching," the booming voice of the General spoke. 

He walked in with Luke by his side. Luke, who was holding a sword to Annabeth's throat, had a nervous look on his face. I follow his eyes to the daughter of Zeus. He is scared of her. That's hilarious.