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I 039. I
𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒔
❝ too many ❞
THERE WERE TOO MANY GOODBYES.
She didn't know how to breathe in that moment. Surrounded by burial shrouds and sadness. That night was the first time she had seen burial shrouds on bodies in a long time.
Among the dead, Lee Fletcher from the Apollo cabin had been downed by a giant's club. He was wrapped in a golden shroud without any decoration.
Next was Castor. He had been stabbed in the arm and beat by an enemy half-blood, and Ariadne had to force no tears out of her eyes. Her brother was wrapped in a deep purple shroud embroidered with grapevines. Percy had tried speaking to her before the funeral, but the girl hadn't bothered even looking at anyone aside from her brother.
Pollux and Ariadne were left alone by the campers. No one knew what had happened during the battle, and none of them wanted to face the rage or glared of the Dionysus children. It was certain they were holding them in as they watched their brother's body be covered by a shroud.
Percy felt terrible. He knew he had caught a glimpse of Castor going down, but he couldn't stop it. And seeing Ariadne in pain was enough heartbreak as it is. All the boy wanted to do was hold her and tell her everything wood be okay, but she was angry with him, and she didn't have her medicine anymore, it wouldn't be a good mix.
Pollux tried to say a few words, but he choked up and just took the torch. He was Castor's twin. They were both seventeen and were excepted into Yale early, and now he had to go by himself. He lit the funeral pyre in the middle of the amphitheater, and within seconds the row of shrouds was engulfed in fire, sending smoke and sparks up to the stars.
Ariadne held her brother's hand as he cried. She couldn't force any tears out, because she couldn't process all that had happened. It was all too much.
The girl shrugged off her friends and guided her brother back to their cabin. She could care less how much hurt her friends were, she had just lost her brother.
Pollux latched onto her once they made it into cabin twelve. He sobbed into her shoulder, hands clenched around her torn shirt and tried to calm himself down with no success. His tears caused her eyes to become cloudy.
Lights dimmed and vines grew longer. A strong raged on in Ariadne's eyes as she took deep breaths and tried soothing her nerves. She didn't know what to do now that one of her brothers was gone, but she knew she couldn't risk their lives anymore.
She was always going to protect him. One way or another, Pollux was going to love the life both him and Castor should've. Even if she had to die for it.
