Worlds Collide

chapter 6 ~ sophie

"...What in the Hades just happened?" Will asked.

It seemed as though all the other demigods were wondering the same thing. Sophie had to admit, that today was a very eventful day. From arriving at the beach early in the morning, to an attack, and then Sophie blacking out, quite a few things happened. That didn't mean that any of it made sense, of course.

"I..." Sophie was unsure of how to explain what had occurred. This isn't the first time that she experienced this. At Foxfire, this happened to her. And not long after, she find out that her telepathy was "defective", as Bronte put it. It was a similar feeling. Passing out, and not noticing that it she had, indeed, fainted. Sensitivity to light. These were all the symptoms that had given away that she needed to take the limbium. And that let to her having a physical scar.

"Sophie. This is dangerous. You were out for a few hours. That can't be safe." Will pushed. She may not have known him well, but he seemed to care for her as if she was one of his friends. The way he knew how to take care of someone showed Sophie that he was probably a doctor, that had patients before. 

"I don't want any of you guys to worry about me. Seriously, I'm fine." Sophie tried to convince them. She truly didn't want any of them to be nervous and anxious for her health or her safety. They didn't need to be scared for her. She could figure how to fix this mess on her own. 

She tried sitting up, to show them that she was okay, but Will pushed her back down to the couch. He shook his head, clicking his tongue in disappointment.

"Sophie, you are obviously not fine. You passed out for a few hours. Because you're an elf, I'm not sure what medicine could accidentally hurt you." Sophie knew that Will felt obligated to help her. She knew that feeling. She went through feeling like that all the time. But, Will was a stranger that she barely knew. Knowing who to trust was difficult, especially because of all the things that Sophie had endured.

Sophie lied silently, thinking to herself. This has happened before. Meaning, she knew what she needed to do. Sophie needed to get to the Lost Cities, to speak to the Collective specifically, and get a dose of limbium.

That was a pretty smart plan, Sophie thought. The only problem was that she was stranded, Heaven knows where, without her abilities. She almost blushed as she noticed that she had zoned out for a while. 

"Listen. I know how to fix my... issue." Sophie stated out loud. Maybe, just maybe, one the the demigods, or other creatures had a way to get back to the Lost Cities, because Sophie obviously couldn't. If her telepathy started to suddenly work, then that would save a whole lot of  work for everyone, and she could just contact the Black Swan or her parents who could fill everyone in. But hypotheticals weren't going to help, especially because she wasn't in a dream, or a nightmare, this was happening, in real life and in real time, and she couldn't to much to stop it or fix it. 

"Is it some kind of medicine that I can give you? While you were out, these guys filled me in. I'm not sure to... cure you..." Will said. 

"It's really not something that you guys can do. Last time this happened, it wasn't something that I could've fixed by myself." Sophie noted. She looked at Annabeth, feeling like she could say something useful. But she remained silent. Deep in thought. 

"So, this has happened before?" Grover piped up. He always seemed so jittery and nervous, but he had a thoughtful look on his face. Calmer. More... mature, even?

"Well, yes. But it's been a few years. And I need something from my home to help me. The problem is, I can't get back. I have no way to get home, as all my devices and communications have been... Well... Compromised." 

Annabeth piped up, "I have a plan." It was reassuring to here her, because she seemed to be almost the leader of this team. She had an authoritative aura about her that Sophie couldn't help but respect. Sophie hoped to be like that someday, but she had a long way to go. 

"You know how to help Sophie?" Percy seemed genuinely intrigued on to what Annabeth thought. A lot of people were lost and unsure of what to do, but they seemed to trust Annabeth for a solution to their, Sophie's, issue.

"I need to talk to Chiron and Rachel about this... But, wouldn't it make sense that the reason that Sophie was brought here, was to complete a quest? Whether by the Gods or someone from her own life, it feels like Sophie might have some unfinished business." Annabeth explained. 

Her wording was precise and made it seem as though she was withholding information. Sophie couldn't blame her. She herself has had to keep things between a limited amount of people. The curiosity and willingness to try and understand what Annabeth was thinking made her realize that this might  be the way that her peers and the people around her felt. 

"What unfinished business?" Sophie wondered out loud. How could she over look that it might be the Neverseen that brought her here? Why wasn't that her first thought?

"That's something for you to think about, Sophie. I need a few of you to come with me to discuss this with Chiron tomorrow morning, but I think we should all rest up for the night. It's been a busy day and it's almost dinner time." Sophie nodded along as Annabeth spoke.

Sophie looked up the others. They seemed confused. She didn't blame them. They weren't there for the conversation that she had with Annabeth, Percy, and Grover. She hated feeling out of the loop, but she was sure that someone would clarify and explain everything to them... eventually.

~

It had been several weeks since Sophie heard anything about Annabeth talking to Chiron. She understood that she needed to be patient, but it was very hard to wait. Especially because so much could be going on in the Lost Cities and she'd have no idea. Sitting around the green grassy fields, playing capture the flag, and slowly getting to know the other campers wasn't terrible, but it's not exactly what Sophie wanted to be doing with her time. She would much rather be going to Foxfire and being surrounded by people who knew the real Sophie Foster.

Every time she thought about her loved ones, her stomach turned with grief. She would feel awful is somebody she loved suddenly left. Sophie had felt this way, when Keefe left both times. 

She hated feeling this way, and she would hate for the people she cared about to feel this way towards her. It made her feel guilty that it might be her fault. Maybe she had done something for this to happen. The guilt would be enough to shatter her conscience, but she couldn't let it. Sophie had to be strong. For her and everyone else's sakes. 

A/N: Less than a month this time! I'm super happy that a bunch of you have been actually enjoying this hot pile of garbage, but I promise, I won't scrap it before finishing it. I'll try updating this every two weeks, but if something changes or comes up, then I'll be posting about it on my announcements board on my account. so watch out for updates n stuff! as always, i hope you enjoyed this chapter. and happy thanksgiving to you americans that are celebrating it today (not me tho, canadian thanksgiving is in october :) ) byeeeeeee

word count: 1308

finished: november 23rd 2023