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Post by Annabeth Chase on May 19, 2011 21:59:25 GMT -5
This wasn’t happening.
Annabeth lay on her bed in cabin 6, facing the wall, just as she had since she’d woken up 4 hours ago. The only thing that had changed was that she had made some attempt at reading. That had failed. So now it was stare at the wall, in the otherwise empty cabin. It was officially the most depressing time of her life. Losing Luke had been bad, but at least Luke hadn’t decided to do it just out of the blue; he was saving the world. Percy, on the other hand, had just randomly made the conscious choice that he never wanted to see her again. Annabeth winced and her pillow, already damp from a good hour or two of this, caught a couple more tears. What had gotten into him?
She looked up at the area where she’d posted pictures. Nearly all of them were gone, torn down by her frantic, rushed hand earlier this morning and desperately stuffed away in the bottom of her trunk. She’d wanted no more reminder of what had happened, of him. Where Percy’s smiling face had once sat against her wall, there was now nothing but blank. All that remained were a couple pictures of other friends and a family photo that one of her brother’s was making a funny face in. She smiled faintly at the memory. She wished she could be back there now, back with her dad and step-mom and half-brothers and cat. Her siblings and friends here were good and all, but Percy was here too. A constant reminder that nothing in her life seemed to stay the same for very long.
Pulling her blankets a little higher, she reached for the book she’d tried to read before but given up on then. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. She looked at the cover. It was taking her ages to read this book, what with it being old style writing and English on top of that. And all the drama lately with Percy and Luke didn’t help. She ran her finger over the slightly raised lettering of the title. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed eerily fitting. Percy had been a lot like Jekyll and Hyde lately. You really just never knew which Percy you’d run into. Unfortunately, it was the Hyde she’d talked to yesterday, and the Hyde that had made the ultimate decision. She missed the Jekyll. Annabeth shifted slightly so she could toss the book back in her trunk. She didn’t want to look at it at all anymore. So instead, for the hundredth time, she laid her head back down and analyzed the structure in the magazine picture of the Parthenon posted on her wall. Word Count: 461 |
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Post by *nike* on May 20, 2011 22:54:46 GMT -5
There was a new rumor spreading around Camp, heck, it was even being whispered through the hallways of Olympus. Or so she'd heard, she hadn't been up there to visit for a while now. That was irrelevant information though, the important information was the unconfirmed rumor. A little birdie had told her that the oh-so-amazing Percy Jackson had finally lost it and kicked his girlfriend to the curb. Now she didn't actually know Percy, but she already assumed she wouldn't like him. Sure he got the minor gods a little more recognition, but she figured it was just because he wanted to look like the all around good guy in this situation. Maybe it was a bad thing that she was judging him without even meeting him, but after meeting a dozen heroes, she felt like she'd met them all. Cocky, arrogant, but they all liked to pretend they were self-sacrificing and all about 'the people'.
With a bag of Godiva chocolates in hand, Nike was ready to go and confirm this rumor. She was always one for some interesting gossip, and she figured this Athena nerd could use a therapy session. Courtesy of Nike, considering she was the only one offering to give therapy. Everyone else looked like they were letting her sit around and mope in her cabin. And that was unhealthy, this goddess would know. She had holed herself up in a room plenty of times.
Knocking lightly on the Athena cabin, Nike peeped her head in before she even got the go-ahead. She figured there wasn't anything they needed privacy for right now anyways..Unless someone was making out with their boyfriend or girlfriend on their bed in the cabin. Which would be extremely awkward considering Ms. Annabeth Chase was laying, sulking on her bed. The depressed feeling of the girl could practically be felt in the air. "Afternoon, Eeyore. Or Mr. Hyde, I presume?" She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she gave the book the girl was reading a once-over glance. "Maybe that makes me Dr. Jekyll. Though my real name is Nike. Not nearly as cool..but hey, now you don't have to shout 'Stranger Danger' like you don't know who I am!"
"God..I'm depressed just looking at you," Nike exhaled, entering the cabin without any sort of invitation to do so. "Wow, that sounded really bad didn't it? My apologies." She popped one of the Godiva pieces in her mouth as she nearly sat down on the demigod's legs. "Scootch over, you're taking up the whole bed." The goddess gave her a little wave, indicating that Annabeth should move over. It'd been a while since she'd done any sort of touchy-feely talk, so she was opening a little rusty here. But she was just going to chalk it up to being tough love. Tough love was healthy, right? Maybe not with little little kids, but with seventeen year-olds, it was more than acceptable.
Tag: AB
Word Count: 517
Notes: Nike has come with the chocolate supply..and an ample supply of tough love..and some hugs. [/size] |
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Post by Annabeth Chase on May 23, 2011 13:21:21 GMT -5
Annabeth was just closing her eyes - maybe some sleep would do her good, assuming it came - when a soft knock came to the door. It was the first nearby noise since he siblings had left this morning. Malcolm, her second-in-command from the Battle of Manhattan had kindly taken over her counselor duties without her needing to ask, and it seemed he’d seen to it she had some time to herself as well. Until now. She turned just enough to see the door, and the young woman in it. She hadn’t seen her before. Then again, she could just be another new camper that had slipped under Annabeth’s usually tight radar, which had been slacking a bit with all the drama since her quest.
She raised an eyebrow slightly at her new nickname; not one she would have chosen for herself, but she supposed at the moment she probably seemed an awful lot like the gloomy donkey. The Mr. Hyde was slightly further off, seeing as she wasn’t really homicidal. Ah well, one out of two wasn’t bad. Her train of thought paused when the woman introduced herself. So she was Nike; Annabeth wondered if she meant the goddess Nike. Not that it was the first time she’d met a god or goddess, just she certainly hadn’t expected to find one strolling into her cabin.
Her continuing words were less encouraging, though. Depressing just to look at her? Gee, thanks. Nike was supposed to be the goddess of victory, not of put-downs. Well, then, she didn’t feel so bad by turning back to the wall. ‘If it’s so depressing, just leave,’ she thought silently. But of course, she didn’t. She went on with coming in and practically sat on Annabeth’s legs. Seeing as she didn’t have much of a choice, she did as she was asked and moved her legs, pulling them up and, after a moment, pushing herself up to sitting. She still had on pajama short and a t-shirt with a little cartoon owl on it. Her teddy bear that Luke had given her for her eighth birthday leaned against her pillow, no longer covered by the blankets now that she’d sat up. “Um, is there something I can help you with, Nike?” She wasn’t really used to the idea of goddesses making random appearances with bags of chocolate for no reason other than to say she looked depressing. There always seemed to be another motive. Word Count: 409 |
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Post by *nike* on May 24, 2011 23:50:39 GMT -5
"No, not really," Nike shrugged nonchalantly, leaning back against the frame of the cabin. Unsurprisingly the Athena cabin was most sturdily built. And filled with way too many things for her liking. Books, notebooks and pencils were scattered everywhere. These nerds seriously needed to find some new hobbies. She wasn't against reading, but seriously, live a little, people! "I'm more here for you than me," She smiled politely, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Ah yeah, now she was getting a little closer to the helpful, nicer role.
"I heard this crazy rumor..Well no, not a rumor I suppose..." She trailed off, tapping her fingers silently on her jeans. "Well anyways, just came to see how you're holding up." Though anyone could tell from just glancing at her that she wasn't fairing so well after the break-up. Then again, who would be? When your boyfriend just randomly snaps and stomps on your heart with no warning, it's not a good feeling. Not that Nike would know, considering she'd never had a mentally unstable boyfriend. But she could assume. "I know it's weird considering you don't know me...Probably think I'm a psychotic stalker..But hey, nobody else seems to be doing such a good job of cheering you up."
"I brought chocolate too! You know, as a comfort food thing," She held out the bag to the demigod, waiting for her to either take some or snatch the bag from Nike and throw it across the cabin. Which would be a waste of chocolate really. And it'd be a sign of serious psychological problems. There were three edible substances that should always cheer girls up, and personally Nike liked all three of them. Those three things were; chocolate, ice cream, and cake [this would make chocolate cake a two-fer, a three-fer if you ate it with vanilla ice cream]. If a girl wasn't at least a little happier after consuming one of these things, then they were in trouble, and would probably inflict self-harm in the near future.
Scanning the room, there didn't seem to be any scissors, knives, or other various sharp objects so that was good. The Suicide Hotline number would not be needed here today. "Would you care to talk about it, ma cherie?..If not, we can always discuss chocolate politics." Nike suggested, with a silly smile that was meant to be a little encouraging. Or perhaps it was also to make the other girl at least crack a little smile. She'd even take a half-smile at the moment. "You know..Dark versus milk. Baking chocolate versus plain old Hershey's. Oh and don't even get me started on semi-sweet."
Tag; AB
Word Count; 468 [/size] |
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Post by Annabeth Chase on May 26, 2011 22:18:13 GMT -5
Annabeth smiled just slightly at her. It really was thoughtful of her to come help, even if it had started with insulting her to some degree. The hint of a smile that had managed to break through faded back into nothingness pretty fast though when she mentioned a rumor. Of course it would be front page news already. There was no such thing as personal space really here. She heaved a sigh and looked over at one of the architectural models one of her siblings was working on until Nike inquired as to how she was doing. Well, if the break-up was daily news, she’d sort of expected her quarantining herself from the rest of camp to be known as well. Perhaps not. She shot Nike a loaded look that spoke volumes, most of which said something along the lines of ‘I feel like utter crap, does it look like sunshine and daisies?’
With another sigh, she leaned back against the wall and was rewarded with one of the few pins left jabbing her right in the shoulder. A minor shift managed to fix that. “Thanks, I guess. Generally I like to handle things myself. I mean, not that I don’t appreciate it.” She glanced over when Nike held out the bag of sweets and once again, the hint of a smile returned and she reached in and took a piece, “Thanks.” Maybe Nike was right. It was depressing just hearing the toneless, pained sound of her own voice. She popped the chocolate into her mouth and let it dissolve while Nike took a look around the room for whatever reason she may and inevitable start talking again.
Chocolate politics was one subject she hadn’t expected. She had to smile a little. “Yes, well, I hardly consider semisweet chocolate any sort of chocolate at all. And some people don’t consider white chocolate chocolate either because it doesn’t have any cocoa powder. But as for me, I’m generally a dark chocolate person.” She stopped picking at the blanket under her, hardly having even noticed starting the little means of keeping her ADHD and hands in general occupied. “But I have a feeling you’re not here to talk about chocolate politics either.” She took a deep breath and swallowed a little harder than normal. She couldn’t cry in front of a goddess. How embarrassing. “I don’t know what the rumors are saying, so I guess I better set anything straight. Yesterday afternoon I met Percy at the lake just to talk and, well, in no uncertain terms he said he said we were over. He never gave any reasoning. I left and went to my cabin and, well, haven’t left yet. I-… I know he was acting strange before. Not himself. But… I never expected this. After everything we’ve been through.” She’d almost made it the whole time, but by the last few sentences, a tear or two escaped and her level, almost monotonous voice had broken a couple times. Word Count: 498 |
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Post by *nike* on May 30, 2011 18:09:48 GMT -5
"Right, of course," Nike held up her hands defensively at the other girl's less than friendly expression. The simple question of 'how're you doing' was just the first thing one usually asked in any kind of situation, even if it wasn't the smartest thing to ask. It was a habit that even a couple dozen centuries hadn't been able to cure. "Maybe you'd feel better, if you got outside. Get a little sun, some fresh air, you know." She suggested, mostly because she thought this cabin smelled a little musty, and the daughter of Athena didn't smell too much better. A shower, or even a dip in the lake would've done her some good. Then again, if the girl went outside, everybody probably would've stared at her for the whole time she was out. And the especially nosy ones would try and talk some interesting details out of Annabeth. But Nike could always beat the crap out of those ones if it came to it.
"Understandable, I can leave if you'd like?" She offered, though she couldn't think of much else she felt like leaving to go out and do. But she would leave if the girl really wanted her to. Nike liked her time alone as well when she was going through a rough patch. "Anytime..Chocolate's a good cure for just about everything." The goddess grinned, dropping the bag between the two of them for easy access on both ends. Nike didn't necessarily need any of the chocolate but one; it tasted good, and two; for some reason she hadn't been in the best of moods herself, recently.
Three smiles in no less than ten minutes, Nike wasn't doing half bad in the cheering up department. "Who does? That stuff is terrible." The only thing Nike considered semi-sweet chocolate good for was for making chocolate chip pancakes. Even then though, milk chocolate chips was a better choice. She only used semi-sweet when she ran out of the other kind. "Ah, dark chocolate..Heart healthy, right?" Sadly, she didn't think it was taste-bud healthy. It was much too bitter for her preference.
"I'm here to talk about whatever you'd like...unless you pick some extremely awkward or depressing topic..like the plague. Then, I'm outta here." She clicked her tongue, her mind wandering over her own memories of the plague. Yes, that was much more depressing than she could handle at the moment. Plus it would really probably downplay the importance of Annabeth's breakup at this point, and that most likely wouldn't cheer the demigod up. "Well one of them was that..You know, nevermind. Probably shouldn't say." Nike made the motion of zipping her lips. The rumors she had heard had been pretty overdramatic, and all of them probably had no grain of truth to them. Especially about the one with the baby and the abortion...Yeah that one, she really couldn't say she believed. Though it would've made for an interesting story.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Nike put one arm around the girl's shoulders in a comforting gesture. She almost considered saying that Percy was a bipolar, psychotic dumbass, but that didn't seem like the right thing to say (even if it was true..). So instead she just fished a wad off tissues off a nearby desk and held one or two out for Annabeth. "Boys are just stupid...You can't live with them, you can't live...No, sounds like that's about it."
Tag; AB
Word Count; 608 |
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Post by Annabeth Chase on Jun 1, 2011 22:38:35 GMT -5
Annabeth looked halfheartedly at the door when Nike mentioned the idea of getting some fresh to try and help. Sure, it sounded logical. That didn’t mean she was overly excited about it though. Outside meant other people, and not everyone here was as understanding as her half-siblings in cabin 6. She wasn’t paying an extraordinary amount of attention to the conversation either. For some reason, not much seemed to matter a whole lot at the moment. She humored the woman by going along with the chocolate politics idea. On a normal day, she’d love a good debate, even if the topic was something as pointless as chocolate. But right now she didn’t feel herself, and it seemed more like a burden to have to think about it than a relief. Though it was rather nice, she had to admit, to have real chocolate offered her instead of just talking about it.
“Yeah, it is supposed to be better for you than the other types of chocolate, though I just like the flavor really. Richer, you know,” she said with a shrug. Heck, she didn’t even think discussing her fascination with the architecture of Hoover Dam, or the Parthenon, or one of her other favorite works of art and architecture would really get her excited at the moment. What was wrong with her? Then again, she didn’t really need to ask that, did she? It was simple enough in two words: Percy Jackson.
She ran her fingers over the covers as she listened to Nike go on about not wanting to particularly talk about any sort of depressing topic. Well, she’d come to the wrong person then. At least today, Annabeth was not in a very not-depressed mood. Maybe it didn’t reach plague levels, but still. In her own little world, it did. And she wasn’t sure it could count as awkward either. But she shared anyway, and, just as it had with Gail, it ended with her feeling utterly broken. She leaned into Nike’s comforting half-embrace and gave in, just letting the tears come. No, it wasn’t ‘okay’. It couldn’t be okay. She didn’t know if she’d go as far as to say all boys were stupid - there were her half-brothers and Nick and Tyler and a few other friends that were male and not complete jerks - but Percy certainly was. He’d always been a little… adorably idiotic, as she’d dubbed it often, but he’d left that far behind and jumped right off the deep end.
Annabeth took one of the tissues with a barely-audible thanks and dabbed at her eyes, leaving the job of clearing her nose to a few good sniffs for now; blowing your nose was just messy generally. It was ironic, really, being comforted by a goddess. It was the sort of thing she’d always dreamed of in her many times of emotional roughness. But in her little wishes, it was always her mom comforting her. Like that could happen though. Athena was nice and all, but she wasn’t the emotional support type, or even the visiting sort. Nike, though, seemed to be both. So Nike was like an awesome immortal aunt or something, even though she knew the connection between Nike and Athena, and thusly Nike and herself, was much more drawn-out and complicated than that. She didn’t particularly feel like figuring it out at the moment; the point was, after only five minutes, she was already rather fond of Nike. She just hoped the goddess didn’t mind emotionally unstable teenage demigods.
“Yeah, I guess… I just… two years we’ve been dating. Two,” she said with miserable emphasis. Considering her track record of things staying constant in her life, two years was a large chunk of time. Word Count: 624 |
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Post by *nike* on Jun 7, 2011 16:05:13 GMT -5
"I'll take that as a no.." Nike concluded as she took in Annabeth's less than enthusiastic response to the question. Nabbing one of the girl's blankets, she pulled it up over her legs. It wasn't really cold right now, but the blanket had looked warm and inviting. Plus there were a number of things in the world that distracted her. One of those things was fuzzy blankets. Attractive men, an Etch-a-sketch, and the breadsticks at Olive Garden also made the list of noteable distractions for obvious reasons. Or at least they were obvious to her.
"Hm, really? I always thought it was just a little too bitter." Maybe she was developing too much of a sweet tooth, but it was a little too late to change that even if that was the case. After a while, say fifty or sixy years, Nike couldn't just shake a habit if she wanted to anymore. Not that she wanted to change her obsession with sweets. That would be a crime against nature! Or well, a crime against processed food. And anyways what would she be without a little sugar now and then? Without sweets, she would've had some sort of hysterical breakdown a loooong time ago.
Now it'd been a while since Nike had had a kid of her own, so she couldn't say she was going to be the best at comforting Annabeth, but she could still try...Or she could call this conversation quits now, and get out before the real emotional breakdown started. Neither option sounded very appealing, but the first sounded much more like something she would do. So despite the fact that she wasn't overly excited about trying to calm a crying teenager, the goddess wrapped her other arm around the demi-god in a more complete hug. Really this should've been Annabeth's mother's job, but she didn't appear to be present at the moment. And since Nike personally knew Athena, she could already guess that even if Athena were here, the only comfort she could've offered Annabeth was an awkward pat on the shoulder. Most gods, Athena included, really needed to sit down and at least skim through a parenting book every once and a while.
"No problem, kiddo." She whispered, her enhanced hearing easily picking out Annabeth's muffled words. To her, two years wasn't a whole heck of a long time, but she supposed it would be to a teenager like Annabeth. After any of the relationships she'd had ended, Nike usually just went out, bought an ice cream and then declared everything fine again. Then again, if she'd cried everytime a relationship ended, she wouldn't have much dignity left and that would be tragic for a goddess. Especially for the goddess of victory, who was expected to be at least a little badass. And while most people who met her didn't get that immediate impression from her, those who knew her long enough or had seen her in action, knew that she could be just as badass as Ares.
"That's 730 days for the math nerds who care." Nike commented, unsure whether to approach this girl with humor or with direct comforting. She was better at the humor situation, but she threw in a little reassurance just in case. "But hey, I'm sure this'll work out. I highly doubt he put two years into your relationship if he didn't really care about you."
Tag; Annabeth
Word Count; 594 |
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