sopor (a. chase)

iii

Annabeth lifted her hand and knocked, trying to balance the books under her arm. She buzzed with nerves as she heard the faint 'come in' from the other side and took a deep breath before opening the door. She didn't know what to expect but it certainly wasn't the image she saw before her. 

Lena sat by the open window with one knee pulled to her chest, with her head rested against the frame and a lit cigarette held between the fingers of her right hand. As she heard the door open, she turned to look at Annabeth who frowned at the sight of the cigarette. But Lena didn't seem to mind her frown as she gave her a small smile.

"Annabeth, right?" she asked and the daughter of Athena nodded. "What brings you here?" Annabeth closed the door.

"You're fourteen?" one of Lena's brows lifted at the question.

"Yes, I think we established that."

"And you smoke?" Lena looked at the cigarette held between her fingers.

"Why yes, I do. What is the matter with that?" Annabeth blinked a couple of times.

"They are harmful. They cause lung cancer. And you are underage." a dry chuckle escaped Lena's lips. She held Annabeth's gaze as she lifted the cigarette to her lips and took a puff. She slowly released a small cloud of smoke out of the window.

"I'm guessing lung cancer is some sort of disease, yes?"

"It's a tumour that grows in your lungs and attacks the healthy tissue." 

"Well, Annabeth, it sounds like lung cancer is a long-term risk. Am I right?" Annabeth lifted her eyebrow, confused by her question. She understood that the girl was dormant for a century and a half so she couldn't have known about the risks of cigarette use but didn't know where she was going with her train of thought.

"Yes?"

"While I thank you for the information, you forgot one thing."

"And that is?" Lena gave her a small smile. She could see a small twinkle in her black eyes.

"Demigods rarely live past their twentieth birthday, Annabeth. We live a short life full of turns and twists. So I think we're allowed to indulge ourselves in every sort of proclivity deemed harmful to mortals. " Annabeth bit her lip. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks as she looked away from Lena. Maybe the girl didn't mean to use that tone but Annabeth felt shivers run down her spine. How did the daughter of Hades make it sound so seductive, she had no idea. "Plus, old habits die hard. Even Chiron knew I would not stop with this one, that's why he moved me to a room that didn't overlook the camp." Lena chuckled. "My guess is, he didn't want the young minds around being influenced by my seemingly bad habit."

"How did you even get them?" Annabeth tilted her head, her eyes falling on the pack of cigarettes and a lighter on the table.

"Oh please, I might have been gone for a long time but I still remember that the children of Hermes can get their hands on anything. Those Stoll boys were very helpful." 

"Forget I asked." Annabeth sighed. The Stolls. Of course. 

"Consider it forgotten." Lena smiled and took another puff from her cigarette, her eyes falling on the stack of books in Annabeth's hands. "What do you have there?" Annabeth almost forgot about the book, getting sidetracked by Lena's habit. Once again she was reminded of the weight of them in her hands.

"Oh, right." she balanced the books. "Chiron and I thought it'd be good if we could get you caught up on what you've missed."

"So you brought me books?" more blood rushed into Annabeth's cheeks as she watched Lena smirk.