[1] reflections ; annabeth chase

o7.

chapter seven

     LORELAI ISN'T sure what she's supposed to do after the death of one of her friends.

     Sure, maybe she could scream and cry and throw a tantrum and never leave the Apollo cabin, but it wouldn't bring Percy back. Plus, she's thrown tantrums and cried and screamed enough as a child to know that it never works out well. Her mother would often have her security throw Lorelai into the basement of their home every time she acted up like that and then lock her in there until Lorelai calmed down.

     So, no, no throwing a tantrum. No screaming, no crying. Nothing that might make her feel guilty for not feeling anything or causing trouble in any way. She needs to be strong and collected about this whole thing because it's clear the rest of Camp Half-Blood is in utter shambles.

    Nobody had expected Lorelai and Annabeth to come back to camp with the news that Percy had died, and it's clear that the campers are grieving. Percy Jackson was supposed to be the camp's resident hero, practically invincible to anyone else who challenged him. And yet, now he's gone and nobody knows what to do. Chiron's locked himself away, Mr D isn't there, and Annabeth hasn't been seen leaving her cabin.

     Naturally, the responsibility to get everyone's shit together lands on Lorelai.

     She's got a lot more experience with handling grief than most kids in the camp, so she's pretty much assumed that she'd be able to help with this too. The problem is that, she realizes, that even though she spent years dealing with grief, that doesn't mean that she actually knows how to help others.

     Hell, she barely knows how to help herself.

     Sometimes, it's hard to get a night of good sleep.

     "Lorelai," a quiet voice calls out from under her bunk, breaking her from her thoughts. "You awake?"

     Lorelai blearily rubs her eyes, turning around and peering at the bottom bunk to look at Kayla Knowles. "Yeah?"

     Kayla pushes herself upright, looking tired and pale. Her hair has lost most of its volume and now it sits just above her shoulder blades, but she still manages to look adorable and approachable, even when it's late at night.

     She takes another minute to catch her breath before saying, "Um ... can I talk to you?"

     "Of course." Lorelai props herself against her pillows as best as she can before patting the space next to her. "What's up?"