Ghosts of Yester-year
~Leo P.O.V~This was not how I planned it. I didn't even plan it and this was still not it. Too many people looking at me like I was a charity case, and too many people, period. Annabeth was bad enough when she was an idiot to make me realize that it could be worse, but I still was not happy.
I tugged my jacket on and continued walking, Annabeth running behind me to catch up.
"He can't be that far," She began being Annabeth again, which was surprisingly soothing, "And he might not have even left by choice. We don't know. He could've been kidnapped by the nymphs!" She talked faster when she panicked, which was the opposite of soothing.
"Good news is that if he was taken he would probably try to outshine all the bad guys before they could do anything," I commented without thinking of my words. It came out more monotone than I had intended.
Annabeth laughed and nudged me. I glared at her with a straight face, boring into her grin and twinkling eyes.
"Come on!" She insisted, "That was FUNNY! You made a funny."
"That sentence wasn't grammatically correct," I droned on.
"If I don't care about grammar then you shouldn't. How could you not laugh at your own joke?"
"It wasn't intended as a joke," I sped up so she had to jog to keep up. It was still a little weird being able to see the top of her head.
"It came out like one. Gods, and to think I almost believed you were getting better." She waited for me to react--to say something--but I didn't Annabeth sighed, "You're supposed to at least smile here," She prompted.
And I tried. I tried to force a smile, even a smirk, upon my face. It wouldn't come. Instead, it just turned my smile upside down.
"Frowning is the opposite of smiling," I could hear the pity in her voice, and I could only imagine what she was thinking.
"Yes it is." I said through clenched teeth and continued walking.
"Hey, can you slow down?" She asked, starting to breath more heavily.
"Hey, can you shut up?" I narrowed my eyes at the ground. I didn't mean for that to come out rude or mean, honestly. Things just seem to do that now for me. Annabeth's slight smile melted off of her face and she slowed to an amble behind me. Soon, she was out of sight. Just how I liked it. Now there was no one here to see me cry...
~~~
Thank gods Annabeth found me after I had finished being an embarrassing baby to myself. You know it's REALLY embarrassing when you embarrass yourself when you're alone.
I saw muddy footprints back there," I said calmly, "Must've been Percy. No one with common sense would walk out here alone at this time."
"I beg to differ," Annabeth jumped to my side.
"You can beg all you want but nothing will differ." She snorted.
"Like you're the sass master," She mumbled, obviously for me to hear. I imagined this situation as it would have been before... I could do almost anything then and no one would take any offense (except maybe Frank). Now if I even blinked at someone wrong they would get mad at me. I hated this. I hated everything. If this was life I didn't want to live.
There was a droning silence that followed, eating away at me. It was the Silence that made me what I am now. I feed off of it like drugs.
"The footprints led here th- Mm!" I spun around quickly only to see that Annabeth was completely gone. These things must be fast... faster than I could believe. But what did I care if they killed me or not? If they did... DONE. Quest over. No one would miss me as much as I missed myself. This life was not worth living.
That was it. I sat on the muddy grass and looked around, waiting, "COME AND GET ME! FRESH MEAT!" I shouted.
I felt the air get cooler and images of Roman and Greek soldiers appeared in ghastly translucent form.
Ghosts.
"Take me with you..." I sighed. And they did...
WARNING This is not the end of the story
Also see if you can catch my Doctor Who references ;)
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