𝑰𝑵 𝑾𝑯𝑰𝑪𝑯; Loralai Fotia, an undetermined demigod with a cursed mother learns to tolerate Percy Jackson.
fotia, Φωτιά - fire
ⓒ eustelia, rick riordan
percy jackson x female oc
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FOLLOWING THEIR TWOnear-death experiences, their night was predictively miserable.
The ended the perfect day camping in the woods, a hundred meters from the main road, in a damp and muddy clearing that local kids had obviously been using for parties. Littering the ground surrounding their make-shift campsite was confetti, soda can and fast-food weapons.
They'd taken some food and blankets from Aunty Em's, but they didn't dare light a fire to dry out their damp clothes. It had been Loralai's spur of the moment idea, but she quickly shut her mouth when Annabeth reminded her of the monsters they would attract like moths.
They decided to sleep in shifts. Percy volunteered to take the first watch, although Loralai wasn't sure they could trust him. Sure, he had fought well today, but surely he was exhausted. Too tired to protest, Loralai laid her head on the ground and passed out.
-
TO HER DISCOMFORT, the nightmare Loralai had become friends with was gone. That night, she dreamed of a large, gaping pit inside a mountain. Fire gleamed at the bottom, and she swore it smiled at her.
A voice rumbled from the rocky ground, gentle and soft, "My dearest, you look like your mother." Somehow, the girl had a feeling that the voice wasn't talking to her. The moment felt too intimate, too special.
The flames were dancing, warmly inviting her to join them as her hands tingled like they'd been stabbed by a thousand pins. Loralai was tempted, smiling and taking a few steps forward. Just as she was about to jump in, smoke filled her lungs, choking her as she fell to the ground.
Suddenly, she was in a burning house. It smelt like burnt apple-pie and sweat.
Looking to her right, she saw a photo of her mother. A dark wooden frame protected it from the flames for a few seconds, before the sides of the photo started to curl in and it burst into flames. "No!" Loralai screeched, but the voice didn't sound like hers.
Desperately looking around for help, she saw a china cabinet, a large green armchair. It was her home from the South. Her stomach roared, it felt like she had was holding back an unfathomable rage bubbling deep inside of her.
Suddenly, her nails dug into the wood, painfully scraping the ground as someone warm and welcoming like the fire she had felt earlier grabbed her, pulling her away. The person didn't say much, but she felt comforted by their presence.
"No," Loralai managed with her own voice this time, sobbing, "I don't want to leave yet."
It sounded like the person was smiling as their strangely familiar voice replied, "You have to."
-
LORALAI WAS AWAKE before the others. She had panicked when she saw that Grover was gone, but it turned out that he had been exploring the woods. The satyr had brought back a pink poodle.
Annabeth munched on corn chips, leaning against a tree. Loralai was suspiciously looking down on a twitching Percy, obviously having a bad dream. She hadn't told anyone about hers, or even the one she was constantly having before that. It felt like her dreams were whispers, secrets only for her to hear, she didn't want to jeopardize that.
With her hands on her hips, she looked back at the others, "Should I wake him up?" Annabeth shrugged and shoved another chip in her mouth. Grover was too busy talking to the poodle to hear.
Sighing, she knelt down, brushing the rough fly-aways out of her face. The weak sun hit her back, giving her a glimpse of the warmth she had felt in her dream.
The girl grabbed Percy by the shoulders, violently shaking him. After a few moments, his sea-green eyes finally opened, greeting the daylight. "You're like a dog," she said, catching him off guard as he quickly got up. "What?" Percy asked groggily.
"You're like a dog, you twitch when you sleep," She commented. "And you drool." Percy rolled his eyes, still trembling from the dream. "How long was I asleep?"
Annabeth walked over, tossing him the bag of nacho-flavored corn chips she had stolen from Medusa's snack bar as Loralai stood up. "Long enough for me to cook breakfast."
"And Grover went exploring, I thought he was dead, but he found an alien," Loralai informed him quietly, glaring at the poodle in Grover's lap who growled at her. She shivered, taking a step back to gain some distance from the evil thing.
Percy's eyes had trouble focusing, he thought that the pink poodle was a stuffed animal. The poodle yapped at him suspiciously. Grover said, "No he's not."
The boy blinked. "Are you... talking to that thing?" The poodle growled.
"This thing," Grover warned, "is our ticket west. Be nice to him." Puzzled, Percy asked, "You can talk to animals?" The satyr ignored the question. "Percy, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy."
Percy looked between Annabeth and Loralai, figuring that one of them would crack up and that they were just playing a trick on him. They both looked deadly serious.
"I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle," Percy said. "Forget it."
"Percy," Loralai said. "I said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle." Gladiola growled again.
Percy said hello to the poodle.
Grover explained that he'd come across Gladiola in the woods and they'd struck up a conversation. The poodle had run away from a rich local family, who'd posted a $200 reward for his return. Gladiola didn't really want to go back to his family, but he was willing to if it meant helping Grover.
"How does Gladiola know about the reward?" Percy questioned. Grover answered like Percy was stupid, "He read the signs. Duh."
Gulping, Percy commented sarcastically. "Of course. Silly me." Loralai crossed her arms. "So we hand in the dog and get the reward money." Annabeth nodded, approving the idea. "We'll buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple," the blonde finalized.
Loralai thought of her dream. The rumbling voice that might've been Hades', the burning home she tried her hardest to forget. Her nails scraped the ground as the warmth pulled her away... the brunette checked her hands. They were dirty, but her nails didn't look like they had done much scraping, despite the burning pain that threatened her.
"Not another bus," Percy said warily. "No," Annabeth agreed quickly. Pointing downhill, Annabeth showed them train tracks. "There's an Amtrak station half a mile that way. According to Gladiola, the westbound train leaves at noon."
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(a/n)
- shortest chapter, but i am going by the chapters in the book!
- what/who do you think loralai's dream meant/was about?
-new cover btw, how do you guys like it?
PLEASE remember to vote, guys!
-eustelia
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