Conquer

~14~

Photo by Samuel Ferrara on Unsplash 

Our camp is nestled in a clearing between mountains. If we march any further, we'd come to the valley where the next battle is supposedly taking place. The soldiers around me cluster around fires, gripping sloshing water in their tin cups. I set up camp next to Leo and Jason, casually setting Zimmer down. He glares at me, after being in my armpit all day. I shrug back.

"Andrew, come sit!" Leo beckons, almost knocking Percy into the fire.

I take a spot across from Percy, and next to Luke. The atmosphere isn't awkward, but still and nerve-wracking. Suddenly, the weight of the upcoming battle is becoming too much to bear.

"Do you have any girls at home?" Frank asks everyone, sipping his water.

Jason smiles, blushing. But he doesn't open up, to my annoyance. Leo, on the other hand, says proudly, "Her name is Calypso, and she's like sunshine. You all would love her."

"Percy?" Luke asks.

Percy, a little dazed, looks up. "Oh, uh, no. I don't." His eyes flicker to mine for a second.

Luke adjusts his feet, and admits, "I'm hoping it'll be Annabeth..." I feel his eyes on me. "But I'm coming to realize that may not be an option. I just want my parents to be proud of me."

"You're at war," Leo scoffs. "That's surely something to be proud of."

The fire reflects in Luke's eyes. "One would think."

I put a hand on his shoulder, my heart flickering in empathy. We all have our own scars, and we must find it within ourselves to understand and forgive. I shove aside my anger with him, and see his perspective - trying to find a bride to satisfy parents, to fill that hole that's been missing all his life.

We stare at one another for a deep moment. I inhale, "I know what it is like to not have that acceptance with your family, and trying to bend over sideways to make them proud." Something shines in Luke's eyes. "You are not alone in that. And I'm sure they love you, but they just forget to tell you sometimes."

Percy watches me with an emotion I can't place. He whispers, "What about you Andrew? How's home life?"

"My father was a war verteran, so I needed to come for his sake," I explain, dancing around the truth. I smile. "I have two younger brothers, who are complete goofballs. And a stepmother, who isn't always the nicest...but I like to think she cares about me, in her own way."

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Leo asks.

Jason hits him, "He has Annabeth Chase."

"Are you two in love?" Percy asks. "Annabeth and you, I mean."

The breath is taken out of me from hearing my real name coming from him. The sadness I feel is unexplainable. All I can manage is, "Certainly."

Luke laughs at something Frank says, and all I can do is stare at the flames licking the air. The mountains around us suddenly seem so close, so big, so overwhelming. And I can't help but stumble when I get up from my seat. I leave without an explanation, not looking back.

I follow the pathway from the camp, staggering to the mountain's cave entrance. My eyes are burning, and once a tear escapes it I realize why. My body ignores my brain's protests, and my heart ignores everything - trying to make sense of why I feel so wrong. I am living as a lie with the truest friends I've ever had. Is this what my mother brought me up to be?

I'm stunned from my sudden recollection of her. Her smiling face passes through my blurry vision, and I allow myself the feelings to come. I allow her teachings of being strong, of living in truth to caress my tear-streaked cheeks. I allow her to tell me everything will be okay. And I take her hand as I stumble into the cave's entrance.

We enter darkness. I realize that I am not afraid of this darkness. I am facing worse darkness.

"Annabeth," a voice hisses.

I flinch, looking around. My mother's memory flickers in the air beside me, not bothered that we aren't alone. Cause she isn't alive, idiot, something whispers in my head.

Yeah, I know, shut up, I tell it back, pushing past my own darkness to see through the one I'm physically in.

I hear a sigh, "Seriously, did you not bring a light? This girl."

I hear a flick, and see two figures standing at the cave wall. Barns steps into the flashlight's beam, grinning. "I knew I could count on you."

I watch him warily, and remember I was supposed to meet him at night in the mountains. Right. I guess it worked out, I was feeling upset, I conclude.

"What did you want to talk about?" I ask.

"So demanding," he teases. I hear a thump, and an 'ow' from him. He looks back to the figure in the darkness, and says, "Geez, I'm sorry."

Crossing my arms, I ask, "I'm going to walk out of here if you don't tell me what is going on."

Barns turns to me, and explains, "Remember when I mentioned someone named Cruz? Yeah, well, I'm trying to clean up her mess. It all starts with this one question: who are you?"

I stammer, "Who am I? I'm Andrew Perch."

"Annabeth," he says softly. I don't flinch when he places his hands on my shoulder and looks into my eyes. "You need to remember who you are, what you are capable of. Please."

"Why?" I croak. My temper rises, "Why is this so important to you? What is your problem?!"

The figure in the back speaks, in a familiar voice, "Cut it out. You're living a lie."

"Says the person hiding in the shadows," I scoff.

"You don't want me coming out of the darkness," they reply faintly.

I look between them, "What do you want?"

Barns sighs, looking back into the darkness. He says, "The first one was easier than this."

My temper rises. "Leave me alone."

Barns looks on. "We need your help. But I need you to remember who you are inside."

I start to walk away. Voices hiss in my head, calling me a coward, calling me a liar, calling me selfish.

"Cruz really broke m - her in this life," the hidden person replies. 

I stop. 

Have a great day/night wherever you are! - The Fangirl