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/ᶜᵘᵈᵈˡᵉ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵃ ˡⁱᵒⁿ/
𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯
"We have to get out, now!"
Melanie knew exactly what had happened a few minutes ago. And she wanted to hit herself on the head. She wanted to bury herself in a hole and never come out again. Her body was still shaking like a ship in an open storm. Her windpipes were constricted as if with an iron chain, her air was only an instinct for survival. Her skin scratched as if it had been shaken with itching powder, the fear anchored firmly in her bones, too deep in the rock of her bones, flowing through every vein like oxygen and clouding her brain like a foggy morning in the fields. The whole time, she was able to hide her feelings and never had an outburst. And then she suddenly started laughing in a life-threatening situation? What were the others thinking? But whatever they were thinking, or whether they had even noticed. They didn't say anything. On the contrary, they remained silent, as if this whole soap opera theater had never happened. The clothes were only slightly damp when the four demigods made their way back. But it was still quiet. And Melanie hated silence. When no one was talking around her, when she had no music to distract herself or her brothers were acting out plays with her or gossiping with her, it was still loud. The voices in her head then gained the upper hand. Oh, how the daughter of Dionysus hates it. She hated this whispering. This hissing like snakes in her ears. She just wanted them to stay quiet. Like they were dead. She wanted a moment of peace and quiet. Was that too much to ask?
The war god was waiting for them in the diner parking lot. He grinned wickedly, his grin reflected in the moonlight like a mirror from Snow White and the Evil Queen.
"Well, well," he said. "You didn't get yourself killed."
"You knew it was a trap," Percy said.
Ares gave him a wicked grin. "Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV." Percy shoved his shield at him. "You're a jerk."
"Well," said Ares, pointing at Melanie, who was watching with her usual bored look. Only Percy seemed to see behind the mist of deep violet clouds. And he saw something he didn't like. Pain, fear, cold. Something wasn't right. It had never been right before. And it made hi m nervous that Melanie was behaving like that. It hurt his heart like a knife stabbing him and slowly bleeding him out. It was as if he could feel her pain. As if there was a bond that connected her pain to his feelings like a lightning conductor. Ancient and unbreakable. Formed generations ago and now reaching its full potential. "She seemed to be having fun."
Melanie rolled her eyes. "For someone so highly regarded in Greece, you must enjoy torturing little children." Annabeth and Grover caught their breath. Percy grinned. Little did they know that this was not just directed at them, but at cabin 5 in general. Ares was not a good father. Clarisse and her mental issues were a good example of that.
