𝐏𝐘𝐑𝐑𝐇𝐈𝐂 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

14 - elia becomes a d1 sally jackson fan

tw: slight suic!dal ideation, not too much but just bad thoughts
(you can always come to me if you need to talk, you are so so so loved <33)

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

WHILE PERCY'S PLAN MADE SENSE, Elia could see why it pissed Annabeth off. The idea of asking some random mortal for help was definitely... and interesting take, but Elia trusted Percy, so she'd take what she could get.

Speaking of the daughter of Athena, Elia had to sit through a fifteen minute scolding from her best friend— only after Annie cried into her shoulder for a solid five. 

As for Percy— he hadn't left the blonde girl's side. He watched her with nervous eyes, like she might drop dead on the spot again, no matter how much she reassured him she was fine. Later that night, she'd had to practically beg him to go back to his own cabin to sleep so she could return to her siblings. 

But when she tried to close her eyes and let sleep take her, memories of cold whispers and dark rooms struck through her mind, keeping her awake and shivering. Only after an hour of twisting and turning did the daughter of Apollo slide from beneath her sheets and climb the ladder to the bunk above hers, poking her brother's knee. 

Lee blinked awake, peering at her sleepily. "Can't sleep?"

Elia just shook her head, creeping under the blanket next to him and staring at the ceiling. All she could think about was the weeks she had spent wandering the Labyrinth alone, and how she had to go back in there tomorrow. Don't get her wrong, Percy and Annabeth had practically begged her to stay behind, but there was no way that was happening. 

"Sometimes I feel like you grew up too quick," her older brother whispered, turning to lay on his back beside her. "I always thought I'd be the one to shield you from this life, to keep you away from the quests and the danger and the warsm." He let out a soft breath, turning his head to glance at the blonde. "But now you— my baby sister— you're out there and risking your life and..." Lee's breath hitched. "You died. You actually died."

Elia chewed her lip. She hadn't really brought it up to anyone, but she remembered dying. She felt her own heart stop, and then she was there in front of Charon and he was asking for a coin. And she remembered that emptiness in her chest, right were her heart had been, like she'd left it behind, back with the living. Like it belonged to someone else and she'd never get it back. 

But, in that one moment, she could breathe. Obviously not like breathe, 'cause she was dead, but she could rest. The world wasn't ending and her death wasn't prophesized, and there were no more whispers from the darkness. And for a split second, she'd debated handing Charon a coin and getting on that boat to float away from all her troubles. No memories haunting her, no pain rotting away her bones. Just the soft breeze of something new. 

But then someone was pounding on her chest and her veins were burning and freezing at the same time and she was gasping for air that she didn't know she needed anymore. Air that she didn't want anymore. 

But now, every time she closed her eyes, she was scared they wouldn't open again. And even worse, she was scared that she was okay with that. 

Elia would be lying if she said she hadn't thought about it. About how it would be so much better for the people around her, and for herself, if she just... gave up. Maybe the world wouldn't end, and maybe she wouldn't be in constant pain from the emotions scraping at the nerves beneath her skin. Maybe she wouldn't have to fight to open her eyes and drag herself out of bed each morning. Maybe she'd finally be able to write a song without thinking about her Pa and remembering painfully how he used to write songs.