If Looks Could Kill *Percy Jackson and the Olympians*

The Story of Tristan and Rose

Tristan's POV

You know that feeling of total elation? Where you feel like you're walking on clouds and butterflies are dancing in your stomach? The one where you can't stop smiling and you can't get that one person out of your mind? Yeah, that's a little thing I like to call love. It's something I think everyone should experience at least once in their life. It's also something I'd only felt once before I ever met Violet Wilde.

There was this girl. Well, isn't it always a girl? But this wasn't just any girl...this was "the one". At least, that's what I thought. She had glistening green eyes with beautiful, curly brown hair and a smile that could make any guy's knees weak. And as for her name? It was as perfect as she was- Rose. I guess it was fitting that she was as beautiful as a rose.

Now let me tell you a little thing about love; it can twist your mind and reveal emotions you never even knew you had. One moment you could be smiling so hard your face hurts, and then the next you could cry yourself your own River Styx. Trust me, I would know.

We'd been going out for about a year, though it felt like only days. I'm pretty sure the whole camp was shocked that we were still together after a while, seeing that she was a daughter of Aphrodite and I'm Hephaestus' kid. Hades, I was just as shocked as they were. Rose was way put of my league. In fact, she belonged in a league of her own.

I spent practically every waking second with Rose; breakfast and lessons, lunch and dinner, campfire and free time, and every time in between. We were inseparable. In fact, sometimes we even snuck out at night to sit side-by-side on the beach. Darren thought I was crazy for spending so much time with her. Then again, he was more of a, well, don't-hate-the-player-hate-the-game type of guy. I didn't care. Rose was my everything; my life, my love, my heart.

Looking back on it though, I should have seen it coming. Everything was too.....perfect.

I guess everything started going downhill around the fourth week of summer. Luke Castellan and Dominic Reed had just gotten back from their quest...without their third part, Brandon Wood, son of Demeter.The whole camp was in chaos. We went to the burial, seeing his shroud-covered body decorated with flowers- camellias, for his sister, Camellia, who was sobbing uncontrollably next to where Brandon's head was. Luke and Dominic stood as far away from each other as possible, each shooting the other venomous glances, but, when they looked at Brandon's shroud, they both looked broken and grim.

If you've been blessed enough as to have never lost someone you love than I give you kudos. For those of you who have, well you're like me; Brandon was one of my closest friends. To lose him was....surreal. I don't think I fully took it in until that moment, standing hand-in-hand with Rose, with silent tears streaming down my face. Rose gave my hand a squeeze. I weakly smiled at her, trying to hide my emotion, ashamed of my tears. When I looked at her though, my smile fell. Her face was a pale white sheet and her features were grave. Immediately, my protective boyfriend instinct kicked in.

"What's wrong?"

"Tris..." she bit her lip, "There's something I need to tell you...." Because of the funeral going on right as we spoke, I almost told her to wait, but something about her tone told me this was important.

"Alright....what is it?" I questioned.

She opened her mouth to speak but got cut off by Chiron's cry of "Let us give a moment of silence for Brandon Wood, the worthy Son of Demeter."

At that announcement, Rose looked like she was going to cry. Even though I was worried about her, my entire focus was on Brandon's burning shroud. The whole camp bowed their heads, paying respect to a boy that deserved a hero's welcome in Elysium. Once the shroud had burned, a yellow rose sprouted from the ground; Brandon's favorite. I suppose Demeter put it there to honor Brandon's memory and to remind us of the amazing life he got to live, but all it did was make me- and Cam- sob harder. This wasn't fair. Why Brandon? Why someone who had so much life left to live? Rose put her arm around me while I cried, but, for the first time, it didn't help. She still had that worried look on her face, but I guess she realized now was not the time.