𝓓𝓪𝔂𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓻 | Percy Jackson and the Olympians

viii - Birthday

A/N: Heads up, fuckers. The flashback (in italics) will be from Lyanna's PoV. Also most of this was written from a hospital bed so if it doesn't make sense then I'm not sorry at all.

During the night whilst everyone was asleep, Lyanna took a risk and used the shadows to transport her things into the Artemis cabin, including Galen. It took her four attempts to get it right, ending up almost falling off the dock at one point, but she managed to get in and get out perfectly fine. She felt exhausted after using it multiple times and she thought she'd fall asleep easy. But minutes in bed turned to an hour, an hour to two, two hours into sunrise.

She stood up with a groan, making Galen some food and changing into some clean clothes. She left the cabin, Galen trotting ahead of her, and made her way down to the beach. The sun was peaking over the edge of the Long Island Sound, filling her with the familiar warmth she'd gotten used to experiencing every morning. She let a smile creep to her face, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She let the tips of her ragged converse caress the water's surface as she stared out towards the climbing sun.

Every year, without fail, her Uncle Alfie would show up at sunrise for her birthday. He'd always make the day special for her but he couldn't do that now and it left a hollow feeling in her chest. She knows that she said she never liked big fusses over her birthday, but she'd be lying if it didn't hurt that she couldn't spend time with her only family for it.

She absentmindedly gazed into the tree line beside the surf, tugging at the ring on her finger as she reminisced her eighth birthday - the last one her mom would be around for.

I walked out of my room and groggily followed Galen down the corridor towards the adjoined kitchen and lounge. When I stepped into the sitting room, I yelped in surprise as a couple of loud cracks echoed around me.

"Happy birthday, firefly," Uncle Alfie grinned at me from behind the kitchen counter, lopsided purple party hat threatening to topple from atop his head.

I hugged him and then turned to mom, who was stood at the entrance to the lounge covering her laughter with her hand. I pouted at her from Uncle Alfie's embrace and she just stuck out her tongue playfully before moving towards the kitchen.

"You should've seen your face," mom said, still laughing, "You looked like when your Uncle Alfie was playing your Five Nights At Freddie's game."

Both me and Uncle Alfie scowled at mom before joining her in the lounge. "We pooled together this year and got you this."

Mom lifted up a heavy-looking box wrapped in tartan wrapping paper. She placed it in my lap and I started tearing off the papers. Inside the box was a black, hard plastic guitar case. I looked between mom and Uncle Alfie, probably looking like a deer caught in headlights as I shakily undid the clasps on the case. Held within was a lilac Fender Telecaster, pink clouds patterned around the strap. It was perfect and she absolutely loved it.

"Mom, this is amazing," I gasped and handed it to Uncle Alfie as I pulled mom into a hug, muttering a thank you into her shoulder.

Lyanna sighed and wiped away a stray tear that was trundling down her cheek. That birthday was six years ago and it was still the happiest day of her life which is honestly a kinda depressing thought. Imagine that, 2,192 days and not a single one of them had been happier than that one. She remembered for her ninth, tenth and eleventh birthdays writing out a list of things she wanted and each place on the list was taken up by 'mom to come home'. The memory made her sob quietly and hug her knees to her chest. She wondered when she realised her mom wasn't coming home as she cried.

Her hand reached down to stroke Galen who'd flopped down next to her in silent solidarity. She listened to the soft shuffling of the waves and sand as she quietly cried. Some birthday this was turning out to be, she scoffed to herself. The sun had climbed over the treetops now and people around the camp were starting to stir in the distance.