Wildflowers, Percy Jackson ₁

060, here's to Hoping

CHAPTER SIXTY

₊˚࿐࿔ 𖥧‧₊⚘ ❀༉. 𓏲｡

Two years ago, Sylvie had five siblings. In the winter, just for a couple weeks there, she had Eurydice, Katie, Florian, Miranda, and Cedar.

One year ago, Sylvie had four siblings. She lost Eurydice to something worse than death, and then she had Katie, Florian, Miranda, and Cedar.

A couple hours ago, Sylvie lost another sibling. Now she only had Katie, Miranda, and Cedar.

Maybe it wasn't a couple of hours ago. Maybe it was a few minutes ago, actually. Sylvie had no clue. There was no way to count time when her big brother's dead corpse was right in front of her, covered by his own shroud that he'd made himself, just in case.

That fucker, Sylvie thought. She knew he'd probably done it because he wanted his shroud to actually be good-looking if he did die. Everything just the way he liked it, even in death. There was so much irony to that now, because nothing seemed to be the way Sylvie liked it.

Her dad was slowly forgetting her. Eurydice betrayed her. Florian was dead. Percy was probably by Rachel. Her entire right arm flared up in pain. The right side of her face was now gauged in an unruly cut that looked exactly like Luke Castellan's. She hadn't treated it, and wouldn't try to, so now her face would be forever scarred to look just like his. Hideous.

Maybe it wasn't so bad. Maybe Eurydice would want to be her sister again when she saw how Sylvie looked. Maybe Sylvie could have four siblings again.

Sometime after—again, Sylvie clearly didn't know when—Percy, Annabeth, and Grover came to visit Mount Olympus in its current depressing state. No fires lit the braziers. The windows were dark. The streets were deserted and the doors were barred. The only movement was in the parks, which had been set up as field hospitals. Will Solace, the other Apollo campers, and Cedar scrambled around, caring for the wounded. Naiads and dryads tried to help, using nature magic songs to heal burns and poison.

Grover went to plant a laurel sapling, as the old satyr Leneus had died in battle. Annabeth went around trying to cheer up the wounded—Phoenix was over there, sporting a horrible leg injury from fighting so hard; Will said something about a permanent limp, and Mickey was so worried that she was still crying. She hadn't stopped since Silena's death.

Percy spotted Sylvie, and carefully walked up behind her. His face screwed up in pain when he recognized the figure Sylvie kneeled over—though she didn't know how, because Florian's body was so ripped apart. To Sylvie, it didn't look like him at all.

"Sylv," he whispered softly, catching her attention.

"I—I'm fine," Sylvie said shortly. She wiped at her face, blood and tears smearing together, and stood up. "I'm fine, he's... It's fine."