hydrokinetics | And so it is the shorter story, no love, no glory [W3, Friday, Post-Investigation

'He was dimly aware of Annabeth shouting, throwing random pieces of drakon jerky at the goddess. The white-green poison kept pooling, little streams trickling from the plants as the venomous lake around him got wider and wider.'

'He glared at the poison flood encroaching from all sides. He concentrated so hard that something inside him cracked – as if a crystal ball had shattered in his stomach.'

'"Percy, please …" Annabeth’s face was still pale and corpse-like, but her eyes were the same as always. The anguish in them made Percy’s anger fade. He turned to the goddess. He willed the poison to recede, creating a small path of retreat along the edge of the cliff. "Leave!" he bellowed.'

'Annabeth stumbled towards him. She looked like a corpse wreathed in smoke, but she felt solid enough when she gripped his arms. "Percy, please don’t ever …" Her voice broke in a sob. "Some things aren’t meant to be controlled. Please." His whole body tingled with power, but the anger was subsiding. The broken glass inside him was beginning to smooth at the edges.'

[He's covered in blood by the time he comes out from under the porch, the bronze dagger drenched even as he cleans it off on his shirt. Who cares. It doesn't matter anymore. She's gone and it's his fault.

Mrs. O'Leary being hurt is his fault, too, and he prays to whoever might be listening (his father, Athena, anyone) that she's not gone, too. He's quick to walk to the hotel, bursting in through the doors before he hears a whimper from the lobby.]

Mrs. O'Leary? Mrs. O'Leary! [His voice cracks a bit but he books it, making a beeline for the lobby to see what the state of his dog is and not at all expecting someone else to be there, too.]

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We come to a consensus, as we have this entire time through.

[There must be at least some sort of honor this system is based on, okay...]

Should you prove to be able to handle the situation with sound mind, then....that shall be taken into consideration.

I would be able to handle it with a sound mind. [He says, prior to Will Graham making him cry in the trial.] You have to trust me a little.

[...A soft sigh, and he shakes his head.]

It is not a matter of trust, Young Percy. You shall have to trust in me in that. I have...seen grief do terrible things. I have seen it tear men I respect apart from the inside, and cause them to do things they later regretted.

If, by my presence, I can prevent that... I shall do what I possibly can, I swear this by my friendship with you.

[...that's, ultimately, what gets him to shut up. He's quietly thinking over what Barnham's said because he understands it. In a way, it's very much like what Chiron would say to him in the same situation and it just makes him miss his mentor instead.

Shit. He hasn't seen him for almost eight months, too. So, he looks at Barnham for a moment before bowing his head to look at Mrs. O'Leary instead.]

I suppose, then, I'll have to prove it at a later date. [When he's more stable. He can at least admit that.] If you do this for me, you need to help me protect Xion, too. I'm not the only one this affected, Mr. Barnham. None of this was fair and I can't just ignore the rest of it either. That also wouldn't be fair. [A pause.] ...grief will be on hold until we find the culprits.

[... A nod, simple. It's asking a lot, really--he knows he can't necessarily look out for everyone.

But.

Xion. If that is Percy's wish--]

I shall do what I can for her. Young Xion is brave, but I, too, am concerned for her in the state of this place.

[A nod.]

That is all I can ask. Justice does not mean forgiveness, Young Percy. It simply means not lashing out for the sake of vengeance.

[They will figure out justice on their own.]

Bravery can only take you so far. I want to be able to keep people like her safe. The ones who are trying.

[It's a lot, he knows, but there's a soft smile that's sort of like gratitude.] It won't be vengeance. It can't be. But...there won't be any forgiveness either. Thank you for understanding that as well. [A pause.] ...it really does mean a lot, actually. All of this. So...let me know if there's anything I can ever do for you, too.

[... Ah, Percy.]

You are a good soul, Young Percy. All I intend to ask of you is that you do not do anything foolish.

[Please.]

[There's plenty he could say here. He could say that there's no promise of that, that he can't quite trust himself, not now, not in the face of this. He could say that this was somewhat expected. He could say that he always loses in the face of Annabeth and that the stakes were too high this time. He could say so, so much...

...but all he does is hold Mrs. O'Leary tighter and nod.]

Yes sir. [It says a lot that even with how highly he respects Hannibal as well, calling him Dr. Lecter, Barnham is the only one to be spoken to so formally. With that, he's carefully standing and holding Mrs. O'Leary securely before looking at Barnham again.] What will you do now?

He's here for you as the knightly captain you never wanted or needed, Percy.]

Now? Now I shall investigate further. It is unlikely that aught else shall be found, but it would be remiss of me even so to not take a look for myself.

Mistakes shall not be made from lack of thoroughness, if nothing else.

[And if Barnham keeps himself busy... he thinks less about the injustices of this place.]

[Thanks bro.]

You're right. [Strangely. He seems to be a little more alert now, though he nods slowly in response.] There were things missing from at least one of the crime scenes that I'd like to ask the Sheriff about myself. I want to make sure nothing gets overlooked, too.

But. [You know.] Nothing's been moved, so...now's your chance. [Annabeth's corpse likely hasn't moved. The blood and gore of Riku's crime scene probably hasn't been cleaned from his room. He doesn't know how people can just handle this kind of stuff, but maybe it's something you learn when you're older. He sure as shit hopes not, but who knows?] If you find anything else, you'll let me know? ["Please?"]

[It's true--it's just the right time for him to go poking around himself, to try to piece together what happened (not that it'll work, but he tried).]

Certainly, I shall inform you of anything out of the ordinary.

[For now, though...]

For now, I suggest you rest as much as you are able, and prepare yourself for tomorrow.

Yeah. [He nods in agreement, though he's probably going to do the opposite of that.] We will. If we're not ready for tomorrow, it's just going to be worse. Thank you again, Mr. Barnham.

And so it is the shorter story, no love, no glory [W3, Friday, Post-Investigation

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