🌷 "We're Greek, Percy. We're all born with tragedy in our blood."
The only thing Daphne could ever be sure of was that she was not meant to be alive. Whatever you wanted to call it - a gut feeling or just some serious anxiety, she couldn't shake th...
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chapter V
🌷 The next afternoon, June 14, seven days before the solstice, their train rolled into Denver. They were hungry and in desperate need of a shower, which Daphne was sure was extremely clear. The three hadn't showered since they had left Camp Half-Blood, and Daphne couldn't remember the last time she had showered since crawling on the streets.
Annabeth had vocalised the idea to contact camp first, but it had been in Daphne's head since she heard Luke was there. She missed her old friends sorely, though it had only been a week since she'd seen them from her own eyes.
There was nothing to ever prepare you to miss five years of your life. To think that you died, only to wake up as though it was all a coma. For everything to be the same, but different. For nothing to have changed, but carry a sense unfamiliarity she was sure she wouldn't get used to soon.
Everyone moved on, but she stayed there. Imprisoned in stone as her friends aged without her.
She wondered if she'd recognise Luke, and wondered if he'd remember her. Something in her heart ached knowing that Thalia wouldn't be on the receiving end of the call.
"Let's try to contact Chiron," Annabeth commanded. "We need to tell him about your talk with the river spirit."
"We can't use phones, right?" Percy asked cluelessly.
"She's not talking about phones." Daphne explained unhelpfully.
They wandered through downtown for about half an hour, too exhausted to talk. Percy still looked as though he wasn't sure what Annabeth was looking for. The air was dry and hot, which felt weird after the humidity of St. Louis. Everywhere they turned, the Rocky Mountains seemed to be staring at them, like a tidal wave about to crash into the city.
Finally they came across an empty do-it-yourself car wash. They veered toward the stall farthest from the street, keeping our eyes open for patrol cars. They were four kids hanging out at a car wash without a car; the perfect look of suspicious behaviour. Their dirty and ragged clothes didn't help present them with any favours.
