PJO/HOO One Shots

Trust Me

This one shot was also made especially for percyscamp's competition, but I love it and wanted to share it personally! Enjoy!

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Perspective: Alternating third person

Type:  AU

Main Ship: Charlena

Word Count: 3917

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Charles and Silena. Silena and Charles. Say those names to anyone in Sparta, and it would have meant absolutely nothing. Silena, daughter of Lord Beauregard, was expected by her father to court only the highest of men. Charles Beckendorf, a lowly, colored foot soldier - also known as a hoplite - would never make it on that list. But, even without the approval of Silena's parents, the young couple adored each other. They just had to do their best to keep their secret.

Charles had a plan, though. He had been assigned a mission by his commander. He and his fellow comrade, Perseus Jackson, were to intrude a ship belonging to Athens. As of then, Athens was in a back and forth set of battles with Sparta. The constant fighting had taken a toll on Sparta, and the king was sick of it. If Charles and Percy accomplished their mission, they were to be promoted in ranking or could leave the army altogether to start a new life.

If Charles was able to hop aboard the ship, plant a few bundles of Greek fire strategically, and leave before detonating, he was a free man. He could only hope that his beloved Silena was as eager to flee the land as himself.

Silena herself was completely fed up with the human race's mindset. Why was everybody so into sticking their noses in other people's business? If she wanted to date a black soldier, why couldn't she? But most of all, she was sick of her parents. Her mother was a want-to-be Aphrodite, obsessed with her looks and known for cheating on her unloyal husband. Lord Beauregard was just as bad, if not worse. He not only had dozens of conquests but was also the main supporter of Silena marrying a rich old snob.

Silena just wanted to be happy, and to do that she needed to hide her relationship from her family and everyone in the land for as long as she lived. But she wasn't sure that would make her happy either.

*****

The night before Charles was scheduled to chase that pesky Athenian ship, he snuck out of his barracks and along the familiar path to the Beauregards' mansion. Through alleys, around buildings, and under footbridges, he tiptoed around the town until he finally arrived at the home of his love.

Charles snuck around the large building to the back, where Silena's window was present several stories up. He jammed his fingers and toes into the rickety hand holds formed from fallen bricks, making his way up the wall foot by foot. After a minute or two, he slowly nudged open her window as to not make any noise. Then, Charles crept inside the bedroom.

"Silena," he whispered, "are you awake?"

He heard quiet rustling, which was promptly followed by a soft, "Who's here?"

Charles held in a laugh. "It's me, sleepy head. I wanted to talk to you."

"Charlie?" Silena asked. "Oh, come on over. I'll light the lamp."

He did just so, kicking off his muddy leather sandals and shuffling over to her humongous bed. After a few curses, Silena brought a match to an oil lamp.

"At last, I can see your beautiful face," Charles teased, although he wasn't quite joking.

Silena rolled her royal blue eyes, gently sitting on the bed. "What brings you here?" she asked.