Bottled Up | PJO

⇝ένα (I)⇜

Hi! Update from future Fey. I redited this chapter on 21/02/2025. The context didn't change but I added more clues that hint to the future and tie in a few more loose ends. As always, be sure to read and comment. Thank you!

'Only when you broaden your perspective will your mundane life become mundus'

Estelle had always known she was special. But today, she finally figured out why. And it wasn't the "you're gifted" or "you're talented" kind of special. No, it was more like the "you're hallucinating in broad daylight" kind of special. How did she know? Well, you'd have to rewind to the disaster of a presentation she was working on with her friends.

"Can we just stop already?" Lynx groaned, rolling over.

"We're all tired, okay?" Estelle grumbled. "But Mr. Patterson's going to kill us if we don't hand this in soon."

Darius dropped his Sharpie. "He was suspicious last time, but I think he forgot."

"How long is he going to forget, though?" Estelle pointed out.

Henry sighed as he rolled up the poster. "How about we just do this another time? You guys keep arguing instead of actually working."

Okay, maybe not that far back. It was a little later.

Darius had started packing up while the others laughed. He carefully stashed everything away, counting the Sharpies to make sure none had been left behind. Then, he turned to his friends.

"When's our next meetup? We've only got a few days left anyway."

"My place is free tomorrow," Lynx offered.

Estelle nodded. "I'll bring the drinks tomorrow, too. Not sure if I'll have to drag Hela along, though."

Darius groaned. "You're babysitting again?"

"Come on, it's not that bad. You're just mad 'cause she doesn't like you," Henry teased.

"She does like me!" Darius pouted. "Even Lynx's younger brothers like me."

"They're a bit younger," Lynx grinned. "The older you get, the easier it is to lie."

"...I'll just leave," Darius sighed, giving Estelle's mom a quick thank you as he left.

The others caught up to him before he could get too far.

"Wait up—Mom's offering snacks and drinks if you want to stay," Estelle called out.

"I really have to go," Darius said, looking guilty.

"Yeah, me too. Gotta go home and show those two who's boss," Lynx winked before giving a not-so-subtle stomp on Henry's leg.

"Yep, me too," Henry muttered, voice strangled.

Estelle pretended not to notice as she waved them off.

Heading inside through the back door, Estelle thought about checking on her mom to see if she needed help with the café, or if she'd end up babysitting Hela again. Turns out, she didn't have to do either, and her mom was adamant that she finish her school project. Since her friends had already left and claimed they were busy, she figured she'd just take Caramel for a walk.

Caramel had been the family dog ever since her mom married. Estelle was five back then, and now, four years later, she had a five-year-old little sister. At first, she hadn't liked Dylan much, upset that her mom had left her dad. But now, it hardly mattered. The four of them were family, and after all this time, the doubts had finally started to fade.

Estelle, following the usual path with Caramel, noticing that he didn't seem too sure of where they were going. He whined, but still trotted behind her. Then, he suddenly pounced, dragging Estelle along with his leash. She stumbled, landing hard on her knees, dazed from the shock.

"Cara—" She lifted her head, only to see a grotesque woman with snakes for hair and a sour expression. The girl with the sword stood behind her, bracing for another strike. They were at a standstill, but the girl's eyes flickered toward Estelle, worried.

Estelle's throat tightened, her voice stuck. How had her peaceful walk turned into this? Caramel stood between her and the woman. The woman sneered. "You damn mutt." Then, with a flick of her hand, Caramel was gone. He slammed into the side of a nearby building with a horrible howl.

Estelle's heart stopped. "No!" Her body surged with adrenaline, and she ran to Caramel, forgetting about the danger for a moment.

"Over here bitch!" the girl shouted from behind her. Caramel whimpered weakly as he nuzzled against Estelle, while the woman rushed toward the girl. "Foolish hero!" The two clashed in a flurry of strikes.

Caramel lay limp against the wall, his heartbeat weak, a soft, sorrowful whine in his throat. Estelle's hand shakily reached for him, her lips trembling as she whispered, "Good boy... it's okay... you're going to be okay..."

It was a mantra, repeated over and over, as the battle raged behind her. Miraculously, Caramel seemed to recover, slowly but surely.

The girl stood alone now, the woman vanishing into a pile of ashes. She fidgeted nervously before approaching them cautiously. Estelle pulled Caramel into her arms protectively.

"I'm sorry," the girl said, almost apologetically.

Estelle nodded, her anger still simmering. "You should be."

The girl hesitated before adding, "If... if you need help... come to Oakland Hills."

Estelle didn't respond, her attention on Caramel as she gently patted his head. The next moment, she felt a dull thud near her neck. The girl's voice muttered a faint, "Sorry," before everything went black.

Estelle shot up in bed, her heart pounding as a horrible premonition washed over her. She shoved the covers off and bolted down the stairs to find her mom preparing dinner. Hela and her dad, Ryan, were deep in a debate about the purpose of homework, while Hela's English homework lay scattered across the desk.

"Where's Caramel? I... I don't know, but something's—"

Tanya looked up from the bubbling stew with a soft chuckle. "He's with Hela. What's got you so worked up?" She crossed the kitchen, ruffling Estelle's hair. "You've been off since you got back from your walk. Are you okay? You stumbled home and then ran off to sleep."

Estelle opened her mouth, but her thoughts went blank. She couldn't remember. "I... I don't know. I guess I was just tired," she muttered with an awkward laugh.

Tanya returned to stirring the stew. "That's okay, cariño. Sometimes things happen."

Estelle glanced at Caramel, happily curled up around Hela's legs, while Ryan finally managed to get her to focus on her homework. "Yeah..."

I've mostly seen PJO books in the form of 1st person pov, if you'd like it to be changed to 1st from the current format of 3rd drop a comment