"...so the next chapter will probably be out soon."
Whoops
Oh well
A/N from 2024: This chapter used to be called "Then, in a world far away, Sunny updates." And I felt that that was funny and self-aware enough that I just had to keep it recorded in this author's note.
NPOV
Track: Hurts To Love, Beach House
It felt like death.
No, actually, it might have felt worse than death. Death could be a peaceful surrender to old age, surrounded by family and friends. Death isn't kind, contrary to the idiom, but it doesn't have to be cruel, either. Death is death.
But being sent to the sky felt like being torn apart. Particles of myself dissolving, falling away, disappearing and I had no power to do anything but watch. I've never experienced pain as bad as being split apart to join the stars—there's no comparisons that can possibly be made to the pain of the absolute destruction of your own body and soul.
I pretend to fall asleep at first because I need to catch my breath, and if I'm awake, I know Will is going to want to talk about this. I would rather talk about literally anything else. I have to hope he doesn't pick up on what this means—that I almost fell in love with him. I don't want him to get any ideas from that. If he were anyone else, I'd be scared he might try to use this against me, twisting my love like a weapon until it points back at me. Since it's him, I'm more afraid he might decide to try to help me somehow, like by trying to fight Hades until he nullifies the treaty. That's a bad idea because Will stands no chance against a god—if he tries to argue against the treaty, there's nothing stopping Hades from throwing Will in prison for life, if he decides it's appropriate.
So I pretend to be asleep, and my thoughts are racing and impossible to organize. At first, it's just fear because of the close call. And then it's fear because of the implications of me nearly falling in love with Will. And then it's fear because did Bianca experience this pain when she was sent to the stars? I mean, she must have. A renewed sense of fury fills me up until I wish I could be the one to go fight Hades and Hermes and anyone else who was even tangentially related to Bianca's succumb to the skies.
Will doesn't fall asleep. I know because after fifteen minutes or so, he starts pacing back and forth, and I can hear his footsteps going toward the water's edge and back to the fire, to the water, to the fire, water and fire and water and fire and back again.
"I'm sorry," he whispers again even though I know he thinks I'm asleep. "I'm so sorry."
The pacing continues, and eventually, I really do fall asleep to the harmonic sound of Will's anxious footsteps. Back and forth, back and forth, water and fire and back again.
Word count: 515
Next chapter is the beginning of the "Uh oh I think this seems like we're heading toward the drama" segment of the story, I hope you're excited.
YOU ARE READING
Wings
FanfictionNico di Angelo is a Guardian--a near-human species that has gone nearly extinct and is hardly known outside of minority religious circles. In the nearby village, he's known instead as the Monster due to the king's relentless hunting teams sent to f...
