Characters: Percy and Hazel
Word Count: 701
Even demigods can't slay the metaphorical monsters under the bed.
Post House of Hades
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus.

-X-

Ever since they'd escaped from Tartarus, Percy couldn't help but think of Bob when he looked at the stars.

It'd only been two days, and the memory of the titan was still fresh in Percy's mind. He wasn't going to forget anytime soon, and he didn't plan to.

Against the dark sky, the constellations shined and sparkled. Once upon a time, Percy had been filled with awe when he looked at them; now, there was only crushing sadness. A huntress stood among the rest of the figures, arrow drawn and held tight in a bow, just as beautiful as the first time he'd seen her.

Bob was nowhere near the first friend he'd lost to this endless battle.

He wasn't the last, either.

Percy leaned forward on the railing, his chin brushing against the soft fabric of his sweatshirt. The wind softly ruffled his hair, as the Argo II floated among a sea of clouds and darkness. His fingers clenched around wood, knuckles white. They were almost at Greece. Almost there...

In the birthplace of the gods, Gaea was waiting. Percy shivered in anticipation.

He would destroy her.

The thought was lingering in his head when a voice quietly called out, "Percy?"

Hazel stood behind him, arms wrapped around herself. She blinked as he turned, and Percy managed a faint smile. For once, Hazel looked her fourteen years, golden armor a little too big on her, expression hesitant and unsure. Her mouth opened, closed; she blinked again, before sighing and glancing to the side.

Percy was expecting her to tell him that it was late, that he should go back to bed- after all, he needed the rest. She didn't. Instead, she met his gaze with somber eyes and asked, "Nightmares?"

It was more of a statement than a question, and Percy stepped away from the railing. "I... yeah," he said, his smile growing by a slight margin. "How'd you guess?"

"After... after I was alive again," she said slowly, another sigh blowing past her lips. "You can't sleep in the Underworld. Not in Asphodel." She shifted her feet, a bitter and twisted look on her face, almost a smile, but not quite. "I... I almost miss it, I think. Not the part about being unable to sleep, but the absence of fear. There was never any need for that, obviously. Not a lot to be afraid of when you're already dead."

An awkward silence plagued them for a few moments. Hazel broke it, her voice soft yet brimming with sadness.

"That wasn't the point," she said, crossing her arms. "I-I dreamed of my death, a lot. I still do. And the wails and screams, you can never-" Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat. "I don't know if it's possible, but I can never forget the voices of the dead," she admitted. With a shudder, she rubbed her arms. "Never. Honestly, I don't know how Nico-"

She stopped, and shot him an apologetic grin. "I'm probably the last person you need to hear right now, right? Sorry, for all my rambling. I don't- I don't really know what to say. I can't reassure you of anything." Hazel exhaled shakily, her gold eyes unusually bright. "I- I'm sorry, Percy."

"...It's fine," he said finally. His face felt crooked. Percy wasn't sure whether to frown, or smile. The deck of the Argo seemed so small, without the adequate vision he had in the day. Standing on the wooden boards, all there was were Hazel and Percy, two immensely powerful demigods. Foretold to be the greatest heroes of their age, yet helpless when faced with their own inner demons. It was always the same.

So much power, yet so vulnerable. It was so easy to die, so easy to lose their sanity.

The Seven of them, such a pathetic bunch. They were just another tragedy in the making.

Warmth spread across his face, bright and earnest. Fake, fake, fake.

"Don't worry. We'll all be able to smile in the end, won't we?"

-X-

I really loved the platonic, familial relationship between Percy and Hazel.

Expect more oneshots to come... and longer, too.