floriography [ stories five ]

carnation || c

[ the plot i have in mind,,,, is gonna make me really sad but you should all be hella grateful this isn't in bailey's pov bc it'd be so much worse seeing what i've got planned through his eyes

wait wait wait i've slightly altered it so it's not as bad as it would've been yay!!

stay safe,
lew. ]

——————

Another reason to fucking hate Mondays? I just always have a super shitty Monday, but this time it's fucking worse.

Well, kinda. But not really. It's complicated and I'm getting ahead of myself.

Ezra and I finish our watch shift without any major issues. There's a few monsters we have to kill, but it's nothing we can't handle.

Plus, not to be a total bitch, but Ezra and I are clearly the better fighters in our group and it was such a shitty decision to let Bailey and Ronnie be on watch together. Sorry, not sorry.

Finally, though, we break camp and leave, heading south. If we have to go all the way to Florida, I'm going to kill myself and/or Ezra, since it's his stupid quest anyway.

So, we're heading along, minding our own business, when I just get hit with a wave of pure fear. Like, it's enough to drop me to my knees. I can feel that someone's hand is on my back, but I can't bring myself to talk or even open my eyes.

The fear is hard to decode at first, just flashes of monstrous teeth and blood dripping from lips. Then the ringing in my ears subsides enough that I can hear Bailey's trembling trying-not-to-cry voice, asking if I'm okay.

"Fine." I manage through gritted teeth, as more pieces filter through. It's not coming from any of us, and the only thing I can think of is that I'm picking up on another demigod in the area.

Ezra loudly says something along the lines of 'leave Chase here', and that's when the full picture finally hits. It's a snarling beast, and this poor demigod watched it eat someone. Now, they're running from it.

Slowly, my ability to speak returns, and I relay the fear to the guys. Unsurprisingly, Ezra immediately decides that we need to go, just because he doesn't want to help. Ronnie wants to help but we're on a tight schedule for this quest, and Bailey thinks we should help the demigod.

Which, this kinda makes Ezra sound like a little bitch, running away from a fight. But I'm not dumb enough at the moment to tell him.

Obviously, there's only one logical solution.

"Ez, you and Ronnie go on. B and I will find this kid and help them out, then either head back to camp or catch up." I mean, that's about the best option, right?

Ronnie looks uneasy. "Splitting up isn't a good strategic move..."

"Fuck strategy, fuck the logical shit," I try to joke, but my voice catches in my throat. "We'll... we'll be fine. If anything goes wrong, we'll IM you."

Hesitantly, Ronnie gives me a hug before we part ways. I tap my fist against Ezra's and murmur, "Keep him safe, 'kay?"

"Always, dumbass. Be careful, I'd hate to have to find someone else to antagonize."

That's as close as I'll ever get to Ezra saying he likes having me around. So of course, I'll take it.

Bailey and I start to veer off the path, into the woods where the fear is emanating from. As we get closer, it keeps getting more and more intense, a pressure building in my skull. I've never felt fear this strong.

Bailey catches sight of the girl before I do.

She's taller than both of us, the blood in her hair turning the blue ends purple. In her hands is a golden-tipped spear, the shaft broken in half, and she's limping along.

"IM Ronnie, tell him that we found the kid," I say lowly. "Tell 'em that she's not from our camp but we're helping anyway. Then, you go help her and I'll cover in case that— that thing is here."

"Are you sure, Chase?" He asks, voice full of— you guessed it, fear.

I nod. "Go, B."

"Wait. I got my slingshot, you go help her and I'll cover. I'll call, but she needs help." Bailey pushed me a little bit, so I did the obvious thing and went to help.

And it's a fucking nightmare.

As I got closer, flashes of the monster overlay my vision. I've got a bit of ambrosia in my hand to give the girl. By the time I'm beside her, pressing the square of godly food into her hand, I swear I can hear the monster breathing.

And then, everything goes dark.

———————

[ i changed the plot and threw everything off so,,, i'll eventually get the next part but it's not?? gonna be great ]