[1] 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐋𝐋 ― p.jackson ✓

004.

「004. you would be angry too 」

WHEN BARBIE says she needs a holiday... she really means it. and yes, it was weird to think she was actually considering it. what had started as a little joke between her and cherry turned into a full blown promise. it came to the point where cherry had gotten a map of america from one of the athena kids and they'd began to plan out a route all around the states (or most of them). with places fitted around randomly, with a hard emphasis on the grand canyon, which had started the whole idea.

but on that light note, our story turns a bit darker.

beck's funeral was today, and the whole camp was sombre. the mark of his death was significant. to those who hadn't fully realised, it was the unsettling truth that a war was really happening and that they needed to fight. it brought around the cold and harsh truth to the fact that beck's death might have been the tipping point. the domino effect. when it came time for the speeches to be made, the hephaestus kids barely spoke a word, too overcome by grief and sadness to string proper words together. so instead, people close to beck were told to speak- and somehow, barbie was one of them.

barbie waited patiently as silena spoke, her voice muffled but still clear as she began, "most of you might have known charlie as charles beckendorf, the hephaestus kid who built weapons. most of you know him as that, and maybe you know me as his girlfriend. but that's not just charlie. when i think charlie, i think... i think of everything he did for his cabin. i think about the kindness he'd show to all of his siblings when they were scared. i think back to the day a new hephaestus child was claimed, barely eight and had been at camp for less than a day. i think back to that day, when charlie showed his compassion... his kindness... and he showed just how much of a good person he was."

it was dead silent as silena continued to speak. and barbie could practically feel the waves of admiration. for somebody so grief-stricken, she spoke with such conviction, such confidence, and so much... love.

"charlie was more than just a demigod, or a child of hephaestus, he was the best brother to his siblings, the best friend, the best boyfriend..." silena hiccuped slightly, "he will be missed. he will be remembered. and although he might not have come back after his quest, he still lived in all of us... in here," she pointed softly to her chest, to her heart. after a few moments, she walked away, and barbie took this as her turn to speak.

she stared down at the crowd, groups of demigods all staring up at her. and even to the back, she saw the ares cabin, paying their respects, even if they refused to talk to anybody, they looked solemn.

"i knew beck as silena's boyfriend," she spoke, her voice wavering slightly at the start, "and to be honest... i hated it him at the start. he was just so perfect, so nice- he was that person to silena when i couldn't be. and he was the one who was able to calm her down, when i used to be that person. i got jealous of the fact beck was slowly becoming selena's number one person... but i got over that."

"one night," she spoke, her voice building in confidence, "silena had this... this terrible nightmare. it was the first time she'd had it and i wasn't able to calm her down. and... i went to beck, at the dead of night... and i asked for help. and all he said was 'lead the way'. he was able to calm her down, like he always was able to. just like he was as well when it was the night before his death."

"when i think, of maybe- what beck would have wanted us to know," she murmured, "i think... he'd want us to do as he did. don't question if somebody needs help. don't... don't be... divided. 'lead the way' was what he said. don't hesitate to help. i think that's what he wanted us to know. and... we'll need that now... we're facing a war. we need to be united, or it will be our downfall..." she took a deep breath, looking up, "i think silena put it best, beck may be gone... but he lives with us in our hearts."