The marked

Chapter 6:Water

"Shirley," she said with a disapproving tone, kinda like a mum talking to their younger child.

She probably thinks you're weird, no wonder her tone is so tense, she probably realized just how much of a pain in the βαρέλι (Butt for you readers) you are. I used all my strength to push the voices away, as if they aren't always there making me second guess every kind act from someone else or just saying in the back of my mind that this whole being treating like actually something is a lie and will stop once they realized just how much of a mess up I am, I wonder if anyone else feels that way... back on topic.

"It's late, I'm going to sleep." I had enough of this conversation since it was about myself and how I needed to 'take care of myself' in a way.

"Okay you're right," she agreed, "but.." I sighed this is taking so long, "But tomorrow we are going to have a long talk about you." She has a soft voice, full of understanding but firm so I know we are going to talk for a while about my 'trauma' and potential PTSD which is annoying because I know I don't have either of those things or Social Anxiety.

I looked at Pentuna and saw she was sleeping under her fluffy sage green comforter under layers of blankets and surrounded by stuffed animals, her plaid blanket holding on for dear life from the edge of the bed. I walked slowly to not wake her, picked up the edge of the blanket that was on the floor, then put the blanket on her, tucking her in softly to again not wake her. (I don't know if she's a light sleeper or not) While I was getting lost in my thoughts of tucking her in, she shifted slightly towards me holding to her bee stuffy and mumbled, "Thanks mom."

I froze.

The blanket was still halfway done, falling down as I dropped it. Yah my friends like to joke around and call me the mom friend of the group becomes of how much I ask them when is the last time they ate or how they  are feeling or just grabbing a particular boy's (cough, will, cough) hand and make them go to sleep instead of overworking themselves at the infirmary. Also I was just doing what anybody does when someone falls asleep, let them rest but tuck them in unless you know they hate being tucked in because it makes them feel trapped. I unfroze, shook my head to help clear my mind, and focused on tucking her in. She continued to stir but she was fast asleep. Wish I could do that, just fall asleep quickly, anywhere, and stay asleep while another person was tucking me in. I tucked the last corner of the blanket around her and set out for the other side of the room.

"S-," Someone started before yawning again, "sorry for calling you my mom," then yawned again, "wow I'm yawning a lot right now."

I turned around cautiously though I suspected I already knew who the yawning (rather cute) mess was, the voice was coming from Pentuna's bed, walking over and seeing that nobody else was in her bed I confirmed my theory. (yes!) "It's okay, friends call me a mom friend all the time because I take care of them but they love to remind me that I'm younger than them," I had wanted to reassure her but I also wasn't sure if I was being reassuring or scary or just plain awkward (which I turns out do best)

"You just remind me of my mom, you're kind and awkward like her, I take my dads personality genes," I thought she was going to stop there but she then explained, "She died last year from a fire she was going in to get people out, that was her job, being a firefighter and an EMT, and that fire was very strange, it was on a very tall building's roof!" Her hands went up before landing back down on the bed with a soft thump! "The fire was at-"

"Midtown Manhattan?" I guessed, "in New York during the beginning of April?"

"Yes.." she replied hesitantly before giving a big smile and asked, "You've been there before?" Her eyes where full of the normal layers of emotions but instead of worry, fireworks of hope were front in center as she was excited that someone might understand what she is meaning, (as she later explained to me.) I nodded my head, gulping down a big chuck of grief, sadness, fear, and the biggest one of them all, memories. You should have stopped the fire, her mom might still be alive if you hadn't been so careless, you're unfit to be a daughter.

I kicked away the memories with my feet, as hard as I could, "I was in the building during the fire trying to help extinguish it," I clenched my fists trying to not let the memories sucker punch me.

"Do you live in New York?" She asked smiling so big her face was going to break in two, "I'm from there but nobody here has barely even heard of it! Like seriously it's the best place ever. I love the Empire State Building and Central Park, especially the south side, those are my top two favorite places."

If I would have had tea  (or any other beverage like Diet Coke) I would have spit it out in surprise, her two favorite spots are places connected to the Greek gods, one the entrance to the underworld, the other home of the gods.

"O-oh I'm not from NewYork," I replied trying to not stumble over my words which I was failing to,"I'm from Iowa, but I have been to New York before, once on a trip you could say and a few other times visiting some friends and family that live there. Actually one of them has a half sister who is the sweetest thing alive, it makes my mind go into cute aggression. His mom is also is the most caring and a stepdad I can talk to hours about books and hidden meanings." I thought back on some of those memories, like when Percy took Estelle to an aquarium to see the fishes and the dolphin feeder let Estelle pet a dolphin and told Percy to say hi to dad (turns out to have been Rhodes, a daughter of Poseidon and his wife.) or when I caught Percy singing under the sea to Estelle, or when Sally gave me some blue cookies so then I could have some one the road where Percy got so jealous.

The voices started to taunt me, they don't know who you really are, if they knew they wouldn't hang out with you, wouldn't treat you like a normal person, like you aren't a murderer, a lazy daughter who is too afraid to save Jason. I don't fight it because it is the truth, I'm a murderer, a killer, Himalaya Mountains I'm not even as human as most half bloods! 

"Cool!" Pentuna said breaking my contraction from my thoughts, "I'm glad someone at last knows a little bit about what I'm talking about." She shifted back into her middle of the bed. As I was walking she told me to have a good sleep, I froze and it took me a second to choke a I wish she has a good sleep too .

I landed on "my" bed and fell asleep.

Thanks for reading this chapter!
Do you sleep with stuffed animals?
Also ask me questions, I'm often board and I would LOVE to get some questions or suggestions if something seems off.