chapter seventeen - b r a c k e n

In an instant flash of light, all of our comrades were back with us. Percy was coughing, Annabeth was hugging her stomach, and Warren was leaned up against a tree while he threw up. Kendra was glowing a bit unhealthily and her expression was contorted in pain.

I rushed to her side as her eyelashes flitted restlessly. "Bracken?"

I watched as she fell in and out of consciousness until finally settling in the sleeping realm. I picked her up bridal-style just as a shriek split the sound barrier. Only one creature can be that shrill. A hamadryad.

"You left me!" I looked up to see a hamadryad with a long black braid down her back and pointed features. "You left me all alone! How could you people!"

"We're sorry, T..." Percy looked back at his dazed friends then back to her. "Was it Tiffany?"

"No!" she screamed. "And I never even told you my name! It's Evelyn!" She turned to me, love softening her expression. "They left me, Bracken! Can you believe it?"

I looked at her dead in the eye. "You? Absolutely."

"And I'm pretty sure you left us," Percy cut off her wail, handing Annabeth of square of.. is that caramel?

"Details, details, " she waved her hand. "Do they really matter?"

"Um, yes?" Annabeth asked, still chewing the caramel square.

"Annabeth, oh the great designer of Olympus or whatever, I'm disappointed in you!" Evelyn shrieked.

"I'm not, " Percy said as he kissed her nose.

"Mmm, " she purred.

"I think I'm getting food poisoning from the lemonade, " Warren declared.

"Wouldn't it technically be drink poisoning?" Seth pointed out.

"We can sort that out later, " I tucked Kendra's hair behind her ear. "Kendra needs help."

"So do I!"

"No, you don't, " everyone responded in unison to the hamadryad.

"Raxtus is coming, " a large thump hit the ground behind me. "Raxtus is here."

The moon was shining enough to allow me to see Kendra's feverish skin.

"Climb aboard, everyone, " Raxtus said, lowering himself. "No questions."

"I'm too tired to even ask, " Percy muttered.

When we landed, Kendra's breathing had slowed considerably. My hands had started shaking a little bit from that lack of knowledge surrounding her condition. The others looked worse for wear, too.

I laid her down on the couch and left to go get a blanket. When I came back, Percy was sprawled across the couch with Annabeth's head in the crook of his neck as she laid on top of him. Their hands were intertwined and his thumb was rubbing mindless circles on the back of her hand. I couldn't blame them. It was approaching midnight and I would also like to pass out from the day's work.

"Bracken?"

I turn my head towards her as I lay the blanket on top of her. "Hmm?"

"Wa..ter, " Kendra whispered, her dry throat catching in the middle of the word.

I nodded and returned with a glass of water, handing it to the now up-right Kendra.

"Thanks, " Kendra chimed.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm mostly good. I feel tired and spent, but physically I'm okay."

"That's good to hear, " I sat down next to her as she tugged the blanket tighter. "Do you want to go to sleep in your room?"

"I take it back, " Kendra joked. "I am physically tired. Trying to climb those stairs? Forget it, I would die."

My lips quirked a bit, but sheer exhaustion won over. "So you're staying here?"

"Are you staying here?" Kendra rose an eyebrow.

"Good try," I acknowledged. "But no, I have to get back to the Fairy Realm to talk with my mother."

"Well, aren't you tired?" Kendra asked.

"My duty comes before my own needs."

"Tell that to yourself when you pass out," Kendra's teasing demeanor fell to a more caring one as she contemplated what to say next. "Can you please come back afterwards? I've missed you and I don't like it when you leave."

Her voice felt like a cage for my heart that got tighter with every word.

"You know I can't do that," I whispered, my voice hoarse.

"Come on," Kendra rolled her eyes. "Act like a teenager for once."

"I'm not a teenager. I'm thousands of years old."

"You are," she poked at my heart through my shirt. "Right here. Just act like the smelly, hormonal, rebellious teenager every hates, for once."

"Wow," I take her hand. "Your description really made me want to join in."

"Regardless, act your age," she put up a finger before I could protest. "Your mental age."

I pouted. "Do I have to?"

"There it is," she laughed. "You're already playing the part."

I hesitated as she shook her head. "Revel in this part of the time we spend fixing a problem."

"The beginning?"

"No," she said dreamily. "The part where we don't know enough to start yet. The part where we don't have to make hard decisions or break the rules. The no casualties part."

I was still caught on the first sentence she said. "Don't you think we should try to know enough?"

"Yes," she said adamantly. "But not now. We can ask the demigods for their full story tomorrow. But tomorrow isn't today."

"Okay," I teasingly agreed, admiring her way with words even after unconsciousness. "What about tonight, though?"

"Tonight," she drowsily said as she squeezed my hand. "Tonight you stay with me."

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Early in the morning, I awoke with cramps in my neck from sleeping on the couch. I looked down at Kendra sleeping so peacefully, her breathing steady, and it was all worth it.

I was cracking eggs into a bowl when I heard Stan enter the kitchen behind me. "What's up with everyone taking residence on the couch?"

"Convenience, I guess, " I replied, adding milk and salt.

"You're doing alright?" Stan asked as he opened the cabinets and took some pills. "Sorry we sent you out alone last night to retrieve them."

"It's okay, " I started whisking. "It was the fastest way to get them. Besides, once Raxtus showed, I was all good."

"I bet, " Stan joked as he took out a skillet. "How do you want to approach the demigods about having them tell us everything?"

"They freaked out last time, but then again, last time we both didn't have much trust, " I said as I poured the egg mixture into the pan once it was hot. "Maybe after breakfast, we could ask."

"Sounds pretty good, " Stan agreed. "When do you have to leave?"

"After the confession, since I have to be the human lie detector as Warren put it."

"Okay, " he put some bread in the toaster.

"Thank you for helping me cook breakfast."

"It's the least I could do."

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okay this was 1k of fluff and I loved it

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